Tobacco and alcohol are not separated, men and women are not separated, and knives and arrows are naturally not separated. Ning Que smiled with his eyes on the heavy talisman arrows, and the sixth senior brother walked over from the blacksmithing room with a long cloth bag, untied the bag, revealing the three Pu knives inside.

These are the three knives that Ning Que sent to the back mountain a few days ago, after being hammered and tempered by the sixth senior brother, the blade is more slender than the original, the jet-black long handle is more solid, and the faint knife surface reflects the morning light, occasionally showing a few concise and clear rune lines, which looks a little delicate, but it is full of endless murderous aura.

The second senior brother said: "The Xiling Divine Temple issued an edict, there should be many young masters from all over the country who went to the wasteland this time, I think the ruling department should also go to someone, maybe you will meet Longqing again in Yanbei." ”

Hearing the word Longqing, Ning Que's scalp tightened for no reason, and subconsciously gave birth to a strong idea of disappearing. In the mountaineering, he defeated the prince of Longqing once, but the gap between the two people's cultivation realm is too big, if the prince of Longqing remembers the previous two humiliations, he is afraid that he will have to suffer a lot on the right hand.

"I won't send you tomorrow, I'll just remind you. ”

The second senior brother continued: "This time I went to the wasteland, you brought the students of the academy, representing the senior brothers and sisters on the second floor, and carrying the banner of the master, so no matter what the situation, you can't embarrass the academy, Xiling Tianyu Academy, Southern Jin Dynasty Sword Pavilion, Yuelun Baita Temple, my academy disciples had a lot of contact with the guys in these places back then, whether playing chess or acting, they have never lost, and you can't lose." ”

"Why can't you lose?"

"Not bad. ”

"What should I do if I can't win the other party?,、

"If you can't win, you can't be ashamed. ”

Ning Que touched his head, confused and distressed, and asked, "Second Senior Brother, if you can't win the other party, how can you not lose face?"

The second senior brother raised his eyebrows slightly and reprimanded: "If you can't win, you have to find a way to win, if you can't win, you can't admit defeat, try your best to escape, practice for a few years and go back to fight with the other party again, will you never win?"

Because of the emperor's suggestion, the area where the students of the academy practiced this year was arranged in the tense Yanbei Wasteland, and the time of departure was tomorrow. When Ning Que walked out of the dense fog on the mountain behind the academy, the sound of the careful advice of the gentlemen was echoing in the study houses around Shiping, and the voices of the gentlemen were cautiously advised, and there was a steward outside the warehouse who was constantly carrying out the things needed for the journey, and the steward of the military department was counting the number of weapons he wore and distributed.

Walking out of the stone gate of the academy, I saw dozens of horses scattered among the green meadows under the morning light, these horses from the racecourse in the west of the city calmly bowed their heads to graze, and occasionally crashed into the flowers in the depths of the meadow and knocked down autumn petals.

Ning Que looked at these war horses that were about to embark on the journey, smiled, and said sorry to Lao Duan, the coachman who had been waiting outside the courtyard all night, and prepared to board the car and return to the city.

At this moment, he suddenly thought of a question, frowned, jumped out of the carriage, walked back to the academy storeroom, borrowed a solid leather bag, picked dozens of heavy stones by the side of the road, and stuffed them. Checking it with his hand, he felt that the stone in the bag weighed about the same, and walked to the edge of the meadow, and whistled into the depths of the meadow with his hand on the bar.

The not-so-loud whistle made the meadow-eating horses look up at the same time, and one of the strongest yellow horses shook his head and squeezed away from his companions, and ran over with joy and hooves.

He touched the big yellow horse and fastened the leather bag to the buckle beside the saddle through the railing.

The leather bag was stuffed with stones, it looked inconspicuous, but in fact it was very heavy, and the big yellow horse had slightly bent its front legs, and then quickly stood up straight, but the balance of the strong body seemed to have some minor problems, and the wheezing was a little urgent.

Ning Que untied the leather bag, looked at the big yellow horse and shook his head, thinking that the iron bow and thirteen arrows plus three knives were already too heavy, plus his own weight, even if these ordinary war horses could withstand it, it was impossible for them to bear the load for too long, especially when they walked into the wasteland...... Once the pursuit is to be launched, it will not last too long.

Having been a soldier in the Weicheng Frontier for a long time, he knew better than any student in the academy that he had now entered the world of cultivation as a great cultivator in the realm of knowing his destiny, and he still needed to rely on horses to maintain sufficient speed.

After thinking about it for a while, a certain picture from last year suddenly appeared in his mind, he poured out the stone in the leather bag, jumped into the meadow, found the steward of the military headquarters, took out the waist card of the Tianshu and whispered something.

After returning to Chang'an City, he did not return to Lane 47 for the first time, but went to the South Gate Taoist Temple under the root of the imperial city. The disciple is about to travel far away, and he must always report to the master, and maybe the master will give him some farewell gifts.

Master Yan Se knew the news that he was going to the wasteland earlier than Ning Que himself, and after thinking about it for the past few days, he felt that His Majesty's arrangement was always beneficial to his apprentice, so he gradually calmed down the annoyance in his heart.

He didn't tell Ning Que not to fall into the prestige of the sect like the second senior brother, but said solemnly: "The barbarians on the grassland are not terrible, but the desolate people who return to the south and the partners beside them will be the biggest danger. It stands to reason that there is a master, a majesty, and me, and there are few people in the world who dare to be against it, but you have to remember that it is not the Tang Dynasty after all. ”

"Master, don't worry. Ning Que said with a smile.

The distant wasteland often represents mystery and danger to the people of the Central Plains, but for Ning Que, who left the mountain and cut horse thieves on the wasteland as a part-time job, it is the place he is most familiar with. No matter how formidable the enemy he encountered there, he believed that he would at least save his life.

Without this self-confidence, he would not have agreed to the court's request at all.

Master Yan Se thought about the Guardian Cavalry sent by the Temple this time and the strong man of the Ruling Division who was hidden in the dark, Hua Mei slowly frowned, looked at him and said seriously: In the past, the enemies you encountered in the wasteland were ordinary people, even the most ferocious horse thieves, maybe they will not make you feel afraid, but you have to remember that the enemy you face this time may be a cultivator, and it is more likely that the remnants of the Demon Sect hidden in the wasteland, in short, be careful. ”

Ning Que smiled and said seriously, "The student understands. ”

Next, Master Yan Se finished the last lecture before the arrival of autumn, and explained in detail the wonderful meaning of the peak of the runic path - the meaning of words, and then handed a bag into his hand, explaining that there are some wonderful things in the bag, if it is really dangerous, you might as well open it and take a look.

The black carriage drove slowly on the straight long street, and as the gaps in the stone slabs under the wheels vibrated from time to time, Ning Que couldn't help but laugh when he looked at the bag in his hand, and sure enough, he still got some parting gifts.

He couldn't guess what was in the bag, thinking about the famous passages in the novel, and there was no intention to take them apart and look at them, if they were to be taken apart, it would be useless, would he have the face to go back to the south gate to ask Master Yan Se for another one? Okay, with his temperament, he really did this kind of thing, but why bother.

When he returned to Lao Bizhai, it was already dusk, and the slanting sun came from the other end of Linforty-seventh Lane, which happened to be half the street, he said hello to Boss Wu of the antique store next door, glanced at the empty gray wall behind him, and walked in.

The rice steamed in the pot, and the white mist filled the air, slowly swirling along the tree in the patio, drifting towards the red sky, and dissipating into the air after not much distance, leaving not even a trace of it.

Sang Sang looked up at the mist that dissipated in the air with his little face, and Liu Ye's eyes were very beautiful.

Ning Que looked at the small figure next to the tree and said, "I'm back." ”

Sang Sang glanced back at him and said, "Young Master, you're back." ”

There is no new dialogue, monotonous and boring, for many years, when Ning Que returns to the hunting house and returns to the small courtyard of the city, he will have such a conversation with the little girl in the courtyard of the house, and this year in the forty-seventh lane of Chang'an City is no exception, but there are two more words of young master in the middle.

The dinner before the departure was nothing new, and although the bowl of amber chicken soup expressed a certain solemnity, there was really nothing to say.

Since there was nothing to say, after washing his feet and turning off the lights, Ning Que lay down on the bed and began to sleep.

He didn't say anything to the little girl on the other side of the bed. Although this will be the first time he has been separated from Sangsang for so long, he believes that the little girl can take care of herself, because the little girl has been taking care of the lives of two people all these years, and now that she is less troublesome and picky, she should live a faster and easier life.

In Chang'an City at the end of summer, the temperature at night is no longer so annoying, the cicadas on the trees are gradually fading, and the starry sky is shining on the quiet leaves, and then reflecting through the windows, painted all over the walls and beds in the favorite silver of the two.

There was a sound of shattering, and Sang Sang crawled over from the other side of the bed in thin clothes, her thin knees pressed the silver futon into a rut of different shades, and then she lay down in Ning Que's arms.

Ning Xie opened his eyes and said, "I have said many times, you are now a big girl." ”

Sangsang hummed, adjusted his angle, rested his head on his chest, and refused to move again.

The night before parting was the same as many nights in previous years.

The morning before parting was the same as the morning of the previous year, and there was no difference. After eating a bowl of hot and sour noodle soup bought by Sangsang, brushing his teeth with the toothbrush handed over by Sangsang, washing his face with Sangsang's twisted towel, and putting on the autumn clothes of the academy under the service of Sangsang's little hands, Ning Que picked up his heavy luggage, pushed open the door and walked out.

The morning light was clear, and he waved his hand to the little girl at the door of the shop, and the carriage moved slowly.

The black carriage stopped at the edge of the large meadow in front of the academy, and then turned back the way it came, today the coachman Lao Duan did not need to wait for Ning Que to return to the city, because Ning Que would not return to the city.

The meadow was already full of people, and the students of the academy said goodbye to their parents with excited and nervous expressions, and the parents seemed to have endless words, and the luggage prepared for the children always seemed to be missing, while the young students' minds had already drifted to the far north, as if they saw a good future for their achievements.

Of course, not all the academy students were so excited and looking forward to the next journey, such as Yang Youxian, who was surrounded by a wealthy merchant in Dongcheng with several concubines in the distance, and his face was full of complaints and fear.

Ning Que looked over there and smiled, then turned his head to look at Situ Yilan, who was wearing a red arrow suit and looked heroic, and said curiously: "I really didn't expect that no one would send you." ”

Situ Yilan smiled and said: "The name is practical cultivation for the expedition, my father only encouraged me to go into battle to kill the enemy, but he didn't mean to let people send me, besides, you are different and no one will send it?"

Ning Que shook his head and said, "I have no father or mother, and I don't even have any relatives, who will come to see me off." ”

Situ Yilan looked at the two people who came out of the academy and said, "It seems that someone will still come to see you off." ”

Out of the academy were the third senior sisters Yu Curtain and Chen Pipi, the academy students on the meadow and those elders, who knew the identities of these two people through the teaching and learning office, and hurriedly respectfully moved out of the way.

The autumn breeze softly brushed the hair on the woman's forehead, making the female professor who was arrogant and never saw her real age and had a unique flavor look a little younger.

Since entering the second floor of the academy, Ning Que and the third senior sister have rarely had the opportunity to talk in private, and at this time, when I saw her come to see her off, I couldn't help but feel a little surprised, and said: Thank you, senior sister. ......

Yu Curtain handed him a small thing, and said with a smile: "Senior sister doesn't have anything to give, just send you a word, no matter what happens, you only need to start from your heart, then you can easily get over." ”

"Thank you for your advice. ”

Ning Que turned to Chen Pipi, looked at this friend who had brought infinite help to his cultivation career, and after a moment of silence, he smiled and said, "What are you going to give me?"

A gust of morning breeze came to the meadow, wrinkling Chen Pipi's face, and he said seriously: "I've been here...... East"

Ning Que shook his head and sighed and said, "You are becoming more and more shameless. ”

Chen Pipi said with emotion: "Learn from you." ”

Ning Que replied with a smile: "Enter the Purple ...... together"

Chen Pipi also laughed, and then asked seriously, "Is there anything you have to explain?"

Ning Que wanted to say that what should have been explained had been explained, but after thinking about it, he still said, "You know. ”

"What do I know?"

"I have a little maid at home. ”

From a young soldier from the border city, who climbed the building to win the third prince of Xie, was forgotten by the academy and was silent, and then he forgot the academy, climbed the mountain to win the prince of Longqing, and finally became the only person in this class of students to enter the second floor, and then led all his classmates to Yanbei Wasteland to participate in the practice, and now Ning Que has undoubtedly become a legendary figure in the eyes of ordinary students of the academy.

He had already attracted a lot of eyes when he spoke to Situ Yilan, and then more eyes also fell on him with the arrival of Professor Yu Curtain and Chen Pipi, these gazes were extremely complicated, or awe or envy or jealousy dared not hate.

And when Ning Que picked up the large pile of heavy luggage under his feet and walked in the direction of the meadow, there were many more shocks and doubts in the dozens of eyes that had been watching him silently. With so much luggage, so heavy it looked, what kind of horse could bear it?Why did he go to the meadow?

Three simple knives, a disassembled iron bow and thirteen runic arrows in a quiver, the usual boxwood hardwood bow and ordinary feather arrows, and even the things necessary for the journey include a small folded tent and a large black umbrella tightly wrapped in coarse cloth.

The luggage was carefully sorted out by Sangsang last night, and the volume has been reduced to the point that it cannot be reduced, but because there are so many things, it still looks extraordinarily spectacular when put together, like a hill.

Ning Que walked to the meadow fence with his heavy luggage, and raised his eyes to look into the distance to find his target.

At the other end of the fence, the military horses on the meadow that had been picked up by the academy students were grazing or resting silently with their heads down, and it was not obvious whether there was any discouragement, but in the wide meadow farther away...... The black shadow of the road was rushing back and forth, like a black thunderbolt, and the sound of hooves was loud.

When the black shadow slowed down, it turned out to be an extremely strong black horse, the big black horse kept chasing and squeezing and slamming into the companion beside him, and the other horses scattered in fear in all directions, but it continued to chase and bite, and from time to time it roared a few times proudly, which seemed particularly domineering and lowly.

Ning Que looked at the big black horse and smiled, put his finger into his lips and whistled.

The whistle was heard above the meadow.

The big black horse, who was bullying his companions with recklessness, suddenly stiffened after listening to the whistle, and his four feet were like nails nailed into the soft grass, and he couldn't move half a step anymore, looking like a wooden horse that had been painted black, only two big black eyes were turning rapidly, and the fear inside could be clearly seen.

It twisted its stiff neck with difficulty, looked back at the figure by the fence in the distance, and finally connected the worst memory in its mind with the man.

Another whistle sounded, as if urging.

The big black horse lifted the horse's hooves with difficulty, hung his head and walked slowly towards the fence in pain, every step was so reluctant, so clinging, as if he was going to marry a female star who had a bad reputation and didn't know what the future was.

Walking slowly to the fence, the big black horse looked at Ning Que behind the fence, shook the horse's head slightly, and at the same time turned his thick lips comically and ridiculously, as if to express absolute surrender and flattery.

It has been more than a year since the admission test of the academy, and the temper of this big dark horse has not improved in the slightest, and it is still violent, but in front of Ning Que, it still does not dare to have the slightest temper.

It's just that when it saw the mountain-like luggage under Ning Sha's feet, it couldn't care about the fear in its instinct anymore, let out a frightened hiss, turned around and prepared to run away.

Ning Que stared at it and said, "Old rules. ”

The big dark horse stopped.

Ning Que continued: "If you don't obey, I'll kill you. ”

The big black horse hung his head and turned around.

Ning Que hung the mountain-like luggage on its saddle.

In the late summer and early autumn of the 14th year of the Apocalypse, the academy began the practice of this session.

The leader of the team was the second-story disciple of the academy who had not even seen the teacher and senior brother, and could be called the weakest in history.

In the backyard of Lao Bizhai, Sang Sang stared at the clucking old hen in a daze, thinking that he should have slaughtered you yesterday so that he could eat more, otherwise what if he was hungry on the road?

On the suburban road of Chang'an, Ning Que looked at the picturesque scenery of the cottage village on the roadside, thinking that he didn't know how many days he would not be able to drink the chicken soup she made, and as soon as he left, he began to miss it.

The empire of the early morning, shrouded in a faint shimmer.

The sound of horses' hooves, Tsing Yi vibrates.