Yangzhou, the first day of August.

The sun slowly rises below the horizon, and intense gold and red gush out like a tide. The loquat trees in the courtyard were covered with a canopy, and a handful of clear dew slid down and hit the back of the snow skull.

Chu Zhixia rolled up his sleeves and vigorously brushed Xue Cheng's fur. Xue Cheng let her grind, and her temper was not like a fierce horse. Chu Zhixia brushed out a hot sweat, and a drop of crystal sweat rolled down on the tip of his nose.

"Take down the history of Li Tingshi, and give the businessmen who rely on him as a prestige in the whole of Yangzhou to get off the horse. Your plan has worked. Bai Ziche stood under the eaves with his robe draped, his long hair scattered, as if he had just gotten up, "How do you know that he is greedy for ink?" ”

"Although Li Yu's surname is Li, he has nothing to do with the famous Li family in Longxi." Chu Zhixia said in a loud voice, "He came from a humble background, studied hard and was proficient in human affairs, and it was he who climbed to the name of 'student' of Zhuang Songbai, the first assistant of the cabinet, to get to his current position." ”

Chu Zhixia put down the horse brush, turned his head to Bai Ziche and smiled helplessly, "Whether he is greedy or not, I don't know." But I know that the salute he sends to the Shoufu Mansion every year is by no means something that a thorn can afford. ”

Chu Zhixia said vaguely: "This kind of thing can't stand up to inspection." The difference is only between more and less, whether it is private or embezzlement. Your Highness will know later. ”

Bai Ziche wanted to say that in fact, I am not as simple as you think, but he was silent for a moment, and just asked, "Are you going out?" ”

"I'm going to Binzhou." Chu Zhixia Zhengse said, "Yangzhou is a good place, with mountains and water, medicine and grain. Yu Linwei stayed two-thirds down, and I took Cheng Yuan and the others away to escort the doctor. His Royal Highness stayed in Yangzhou to prepare medicinal materials and food, and did not have to go to Binzhou, where the plague was rampant. ”

Bai Ziche knew that this was the most appropriate arrangement, Chu Zhixia took care of everything in an orderly manner, no one could find fault, and there was no room for him to refuse. Bai Ziche sat down under the porch and silently watched Chu Shixia wash his horse.

"I know, like you said before, I don't have to charge, I just need to be in charge of feeding the grass. Right? Bai Ziche showed a very faint smile, but it was not happy, but with a little melancholy as light as a cloud.

There was only less than ten steps between him and Chu Zhixia, and it seemed to be separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.

It is the distance between the swifts that live under the eaves and the falcons that soar over the grasslands.

Chu Zhixia didn't notice it, and casually responded "yes". Xue Xue suddenly attacked, shook off the water droplets on his body, and splashed Chu Zhixia's face. Chu Zhixia grabbed Xue Cheng's mane and slapped it on the back lightly and heavily—so he naturally ignored Bai Ziche's thoughtful "return safely".

——

Binzhou.

On the third day of August, torrential rain poured.

The sunken boat threw off his coat and hat and walked into the thatched hut full of pots and pots, and there was almost nowhere to put his feet. The rain trickled down into the utensils, mingling with the cacophony of rain outside. The smell of damp rain mixed with the bitter smell of wormwood burning choked people to tears.

"I've found herbs."

Shen Zhou covered his face with a black scarf and handed the soaked cloth bag in his hand to Luo Shuangyi. The lady on the bed burned her little face red, and the white cat anxiously stepped on the bed, licking her face from time to time, so that she would not fall asleep completely.

"It's useless to find herbs, do you think there's a place to make a fire in this house?" Luo Shuangyi said helplessly, "And this little herb is only enough for a pair of medicines, and drinking it may not be able to reduce fever." ”

"Fry her first," Shen Zhou stretched out his cold hand and touched Yuan Niang's hot forehead, "I'll send her to Yangzhou tomorrow." ”

"Are you crazy?" Luo Shuangyi was stunned for a moment, and said without thinking, "The people of the Mountain Ghost Clan have already taken over a business, and they are waiting for you in Yangzhou City." Are you going back to die? ”

"Otherwise, let me watch Yuanniang die?" Shen Zhou's fingers were grabbed by the sleeping Yuanniang, a thin hand, weak and weak.

Luo Shuangyi looked down at Yuan Niang, her eyes full of murderous intent.

"I'm going to keep her. I've been away from home for so long, and with her alive, I feel like a person. Shen Zhou noticed Luo Shuangyi's eyes, but he just covered Yuanniang's forehead with a wet handkerchief soaked in cold water, and his movements were clumsy.

Luo Shuangyi was speechless, and turned her head to look for a place in the house where she could start a fire.

"There's a new piece of intelligence." Luo Shuangyi suddenly said, "The minister of the imperial capital has come to Jiangnan, and he is now the eldest lady of the Qi King and the Chu clan in Yunzhong. Maybe you'll be able to go home soon. ”

After she said this, she ignored Shen Zhou's stunned expression and left directly.

——

The sixth day of August.

Dark clouds weigh down on the city.

Pale dendritic lightning flashed among the mountain-like black clouds, and thunder ran through the valley. The raindrops of beans hit people's faces and hurt, it was clearly daytime, but the rain completely blocked the light, and the sky and the earth were dark and dreary.

A team of horses travels through a rugged mountain road.

"Binzhou has steep terrain and loose soil. It would be bad if the heavy rain washed down the rocks and mud and blocked the mountain road. Chu Zhixia shouted in the rain, slammed the reins, pulled out the torch soaked in fire oil from the side of the saddle, and lit it in the dark rain curtain.

"Miss, it's not appropriate to rest here." Cheng Yuance came immediately and said.

"I know."

Chu Zhixia raised the corner of the hat, pointed to the foot of the mountain, and said loudly: "Through this road, there is an abandoned post house at the bottom of the mountain. We picked up speed and waited in the inn for the rain to stop. I lead the way, after you break off, it doesn't matter what else, medicinal herbs and food can't be soaked in water. ”

"Yes!" Cheng Yuan grabbed the horse's belly and informed everyone of this order, and then lit torches soaked in fire oil and hurried to the end of the group.

Before the daylight was completely engulfed by the torrential rain, the group rushed to the abandoned post house. The copper lock hanging on the door of the post house was rusty and dusty, and Chu Zhixia easily unscrewed the lock, but an angry and vigilant voice came from inside: "What person? ”

The door of the post house was slowly pushed open, and there was a "bang" on the wall. There was a fire burning in the largest room of the inn, and the light of the fire was faint, and it was completely invisible two steps away.

Chu Zhixia twisted the dust on his hands, looked at the short and sturdy man who walked to the door with a knife and a vicious look, and did not forget to have a delicate smile on his face, "We are a caravan to Binzhou to sell medicinal herbs, and when we wanted to take shelter from the rain here, we never thought that there were people in this abandoned post house." Offended. ”

"Who doesn't know that there is a plague in Binzhou and they come here to peddle medicinal herbs?" The man said suspiciously.

"My family offended people in Yangzhou, so I had to go to this dangerous situation to seek wealth." Chu Shixia smiled heartily, took out a silver ingot from his waist and stuffed it into the man's hand, "I hope that my eldest brother will help me say good things, if my truckloads are soaked in water, it will be ruined." ”

The man was dazzled by the ingots of silver, picked up the oilcloth on the car and took a look, and the strong smell of herbs came to his nose. He nodded and ran to the inn.

Cheng Yuan, who was at the end of the team, quietly stepped forward and looked at Chu Zhixia a little uneasily, "Miss, there seems to be something wrong with these people." ”

Chu Zhixia motioned for him to be silenced.

Chu Zhixia went south this time, and only Yuzhu and a few guards were left in the Curie of Autumn Leaf Mountain, and all the remaining guards were taken away. At present, half of these people are in the team escorting medicinal materials, and they have broken up and been assigned to Yu Linwei, and all of them are good at killing people and stealing goods.

"Come in." The man who had received Chu Zhixia's silver greeted him from afar.

——

Although the inn looks dilapidated on the outside, it does not leak rain. The room was dry and warm, and there was a bonfire burning on which fragrant broth was boiling. A dozen fierce men sat around the campfire, their bare tops and knives, bows and arrows scattered in the corners, and hay piled up in the deepest part of the inn.

"It's still a girl." I don't know who sneered.

Cheng Yuan twisted his eyebrows and looked at him unhappily.

Chu Zhixia raised his hand to block in front of him, and asked politely, "Dare to ask what Your Excellency is called?" ”

"My surname is Zhao, and my name is Zhao Hu." The man sitting in the middle looked up at Chu Shixia and said contemptuously, "We are all surrounding hunters, don't be afraid." Little girl, is there no one at home, how can you let you run the business alone? ”

"Now that business is not good, do you still divide men and women into businesses that make money to support their families?" Chu Zhixia sat down in the empty seat in front of the fire by himself, roasting his wet and cold hands.

The Northland woman was ravaged by the wind and cold, and although her color was not delicate, her complexion was fair. When Chu Zhixia is not powdered, there is a kind of ice and snow as clear white. She stretched out her hand to the firelight, and the Buddha beads on her wrist shone a deep purple, and the skeletal wrist was like frost and snow.

Several people's eyes stuck to her wrists and couldn't be torn off.

"Business in Binzhou is even more difficult." Zhao Hu barely held his mind, handed her a kettle, and said, "There are more dead than alive, those who have a way have run away, and the rest are waiting to die." If you go to Binzhou to sell medicine, it is better to sell coffins. ”

"Sell the coffin," Chu Zhixia raised his eyes and smiled softly and skillfully, his watery eyes rippled, "Sell it to you?" ”

Zhao Hu's face changed, "I kindly took you to shelter from the rain, what do you mean?" ”

Chu Zhixia raised his hand and poured all the wine in the kettle on the ground. More than a dozen men by the fire jumped up with knives, Cheng Yuan took the lead in drawing his knife to block in front of Chu Zhixia, and Chu Zhixia sat like a mountain.

"The smell of blood under the straw can't be suppressed, what kind of hunter." Chu Zhixia said lightly, "Binzhou has encountered a complete natural and man-made disaster, the fish swimming in the water is less than a finger long, and the hares in the mountains die of disease before they grow up, where is the prey to hunt?" ”

Zhao Hu suddenly realized that this was not a caravan.

The door of the inn was kicked open, and the damp wind carried the smell of fresh blood in. The guards strode in, and the rain trickled down their armor to the ground. He knelt down and saluted Chu Shixia, and then threw the huge cloth bag in his hand.

A few dead heads rolled out of the cloth bag.

The room was filled with the sound of air conditioning.

"Returning to the eldest lady, these people intended to kill people and steal medicine, and we dealt with them." The guard said respectfully.

"Well done." Chu Zhixia raised a harmless smile and said to Zhao Hu, "Get to know the Chu clan in the lower clouds, Chu Zhixia." Which hill are you from? ”

Zhao Hu looked at the bloody human head on the ground, and his eyes were red. He took two steps back, raised his head sharply and stared at Chu Zhixia, raised his big sword and roared angrily: "Avenge your brothers!" ”