He was a strong man of eight feet, and his convex muscles held up his leather armor to the brim. His hair was braided into a thick braid, fastened at the top of his head with a gold ring, revealing his bulging neck. As she carefully arranged her saddle, she heard the plucking of the bowstring and glanced up at her opponent.

Chu Zhixia was wearing a white hunting suit, with crane feather patterns painted on his wristbands. Chu Zhixia raised his head in the wind and tied his long hair with a red hairband. The lines of her neck were exposed as she looked up, soft and white like a snow-covered ridge.

Baba's Adam's apple rolls unconsciously.

Chu Zhixia noticed his gaze and showed a malicious smile.

Yu Linwei on the sidelines rang the golden gong, and the sound of the gong ran through the racecourse.

Chu Zhixia turned over the snow skull, reached out and patted the snow skull's neck.

The snow skulls ran wildly against the edge of the racecourse, like a white hurricane. Xiao Da'er cautiously kept a distance from Chu Zhixia, and kept firing arrows at her. The speed of Chu Zhixia's continuous shooting was very fast, and some of Xiao Da'er's arrows missed because of the high speed of Xue Cong, and some were shot down by Chu Zhixia.

But apart from dodging, Chu Zhixia didn't make any more superfluous moves, and he didn't even have the intention of attacking.

"Is Mo Xue planning to avoid the war?" Bai Ziche breathed a sigh of relief.

It is best for Chu Shixia to be soft, now it is an eventful time, and more is better than less.

"No," Shen Zhou denied, "she's observing. ”

Chu Shixia suddenly stretched out his hand and pulled out three arrows from his quiver, and all the generals present held their breath in unison.

The Great Zhou is riding and shooting, and there is no one left or right in the Chu clan in Izumo.

In addition to the superior bloodline of Beidi horses, endurance and speed, the Beidi people are also stronger, can draw heavier bows, have a longer range and are more powerful.

In order to restrain the strengths of the Beidi people, the Chu clan in the clouds trained the soldiers in the technique of continuous shooting, that is, continuous arrows. With a shorter attack interval and higher attack speed, it makes up for the archer's lack of range and lethality.

It is said that the fastest archer in the clouds can make five consecutive beads, and the slowest is at least three consecutive beads.

Xiao Da'er obviously also thought of the Chu Clan's beaded arrows in the clouds, and her face became serious.

Three short arrows rang out in succession, and she immediately made a judgment and shot down the most dangerous arrow. When he touched the second arrow with his hand on the quiver, the horse was hit by an arrow in his front leg and immediately fell to his knees.

She barely grabbed the reins and was not thrown out, but she suddenly felt a cold and light on the top of her head.

Shocked, she touched her head, only to see a strand of hair that had been cut off by the roots. Piercing eyes, she turned her head to look at the slightly trembling feathered arrows nailed to the fence, and the severed hair from the arrows. The braids were scattered, and the black strands of hair were falling gracefully.

The young and vigorous aristocratic teenagers erupted in cheers and screams.

Chu Zhixia bowed slightly in a cheer, looked down at Xiao Da'er with insufficient humility and arrogance, and said: "Facing the first warrior of the Blue Eagle Clan, the female flow of the Chu clan in the clouds is enough. ”

On the high platform on the sidelines, Hongji Thorn congratulated the emperor calmly, and the faces of the envoys behind him were not good-looking. The emperor barely pulled out a smile and brushed away with a gloomy face. Yan sighed secretly and chased after the emperor.

——

Inn.

He knelt on the ground with a face full of shame, slammed his head to the ground, and said loudly: "Bada Er has failed the Khan's entrustment and disgraced the Green Eagle Department, please forgive the Khan!" ”

Hiroyoshi stood in front of him, sideways out of the way, his face respectful.

The guards who always stood behind Hiroyoshi's sashimi on various occasions took off their helmets and armors, revealing a heroic face. He was covered in hot sweat from his helmet and visor, and his eyebrows and eyes were wet, like a harmless elk on the prairie.

"Get up, it's just an inconsequential contest." Erdan drank a cup of herbal tea and said lightly, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's the strength and attitude that the Chu clan in the clouds has shown in this competition is important." ”

Hongji Thorn nodded and said, "King Zhenbei doesn't seem to believe us. ”

"Chu Mingyan is not as naïve as these princes and nobles in the imperial capital." Erdan smiled and said, "But it doesn't matter, the king of Zhenbei is only the king of Yanbei. And in the world of the Great Zhou, it doesn't matter what the Chu family says, as long as the emperor believes in us, it is enough. ”

From the first moment when the Beidi envoy stepped into the imperial capital, there were people from the Central Plains who were bribed to bring the gold, furs, horses and beauties of the Beidi envoys to the mansions of the important ministers of the court to give gifts, and the beautiful name was to thank the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty for promoting peace talks between the two countries. Some people accept it, some people prevaricate, and some people violently kick them out of the door.

The name of each of them is recorded.

"What kind of person is the eldest lady of the Chu clan in the clouds?" Erdan suddenly looked at another person at the edge of the table, "I remember you said that she was a hostage in the imperial capital for six years. ”

The man curled up under his blue-gray cloak, revealing only a scarred hand clutching the teacup. He sat in the most remote and dark corner, the candle flame shining on his hand, not an inch of warm tones.

His lungs were like a tattered bellows, barely squeezing out a broken hoarse voice: "The change of ownership of the East Palace, the rebellion in Jiangnan, and the fall of Shoufu are all closely related to Chu Zhixia, and she secretly supports Bai Ziche to sit in the position of the prince, and she is a scheming person." ”

"Embarrassment of foreign envoys in public doesn't sound like something that a scheming person can do." Erdan perceives the contradictions, and it is intriguing.

Hongji Thorn answered at the right time: "Maybe it's because it's about Chu Mingyan? The attitude of the Chu family towards Chu Mingyan is very strange, he is obviously a sick man who has not lived long, but everyone surrenders to him. With Chu Mingxiu's ability, it would be easy for him to seize the throne, but he never did so. ”

"Interesting."

The Beidi people believe that the strong are respected and the fittest survive, benevolence is the icing on the cake decoration of the monarch, and force is the only condition for conquering subjects. Chu Mingyan has always been a dispensable existence in the eyes of the Beidi people, and he is not even as eye-catching as the generals under Chu Mingxiu.

"Actually, it's very simple for you to deal with the Chu Clan in the clouds."

Erdan looked at the man in the shadows.

"Kill Chu Mingyan."

Before he could speak, he heard a loud noise outside the door, and arrows fell on the roof. Erdan slammed back against the table, shoved the man into the hands of the Hongji Thorn, and screamed to the Hongji Thorn to retreat with him.

In the next moment, the door panel was smashed by the Beidi warriors who flew in, smashing the wooden table to pieces. Bada quickly stood in front of Erdan, and everyone in the room gathered in Erdan's direction. Erdan glanced in the gap at the unconscious warrior on the ground, who was as strong as a tiger and wolf, but there was a dark red mark on the top of his head—he had been killed by someone who had smashed the Heavenly Spirit Cover.

The man in the silver ghost mask shook the blood from his sword and looked at them lightly. Chu Zhixia uncovered the hood with the hilt of his sword, and his gaze passed through the room full of shocked, angry, and panicked people, and fell straight on Erdan.

"The first envoy of the Beidi mission was killed in the north of the country, and more than 50 troops of the north of the country who escorted the mission were involved." Chu Zhixia wrote lightly, "I will ask for this blood debt today." Are there fifty of you here? ”

"Miss Chu, I have admired my name for a long time." Erdan bared a mouthful of snow-white teeth and said with a smile.

"Erdan Khan, don't come unharmed."

The corners of Chu Zhixia's eyes and eyebrows were as cold as frost and snow: "Which brother is the one who said that he wanted to kill the king of Zhenbei?" Why don't you come out and see me, and say it again in front of me. Stepping over my corpse, I not only gave him this opportunity, but also recognized him as an ancestor. ”

Xiao Da'er had already held his breath after being humiliated during the day, and Chu Zhixia's disrespectful words made him even more annoyed. She was about to make a move, but Erdan pressed her shoulders and pushed her back to the same place. Not only did Erdan's face not change, but he also put the knife back into its sheath and stretched out his hand to invite Chu Shixia to come in and sit.

"The Chu clan and Beidi in the clouds have been enemies for many years, fighting and killing, isn't Miss Chu used to it?" Erdan said, "I have come here, according to the hospitality of the Central Plains, should I invite you to a cup of tea?" ”

"You're not afraid I'll kill you?" Chu Shixia raised his eyebrows.

"Do you dare to kill me now?"

Erdan couldn't hide his laughter, and beckoned his men to bring a new table. Chu Zhixia waved his hand and motioned for Shen Zhou to go outside to guard, and Erdan also ordered everyone to retreat. Soon there were only two people and one lamp in the room where the smell of blood had not dissipated.

"How do you know I'm Erdan?" Erdan looked at Chu Zhixia with interest, "I have never shown up in the Central Plains. ”

"Guess." Chu Zhi Xia Pi smiled and said with a smile.

Chu Zhixia had only seen Erdan a few times in his previous life, all on the battlefield, and the two of them looked at each other from a distance across the mountain of corpses and the sea of blood. The last defeat at Yongxue Pass was the first time that Chu Zhixia observed Erdan, a handsome and bright young man, from such a close distance.

Erdan immediately had a plan in his heart, he had never appeared in the Central Plains, but Chu Zhixia could easily recognize him, either the spies in the clouds went deep into the grassland, or the thirteen tribes of Beidi had a traitor. Chu Zhixia ignored Erdan's twisted intestines and let him speculate and suspect.

"Are you only here tonight to collect your debts?" Erdan pressed the doubts in his heart and looked at Chu Zhixia.

"That's just a pretext." Chu Zhixia said half-truthfully, "After all, the two countries are about to negotiate peace, aren't they, I always have to meet the big people who contributed to this legendary story, and I have a long experience." ”

"Is it appropriate for you to give me the lives of my men as a gift?"

"You're still going to take my brother's head, did I say anything?" Chu Zhixia tilted his head to look at him, his smile cold-blooded.

Erdan pressed his temples and laughed, and said, "Miss Chu, the person you should hate the most is not me." ”

Chu Zhixia put on a posture of listening attentively.

"If it weren't for your honorable emperor, you could have killed me right now. Whether it is the old hatred of the Chu clan and Beidi in the clouds, or the new hatred between you and Xiao Da'er, it can be written off. Erdan said mockingly and pityingly, "But you can't, not only can't, but you have to smile and toast to the sworn enemy of the Chu clan in the clouds—maybe you will marry the princess of the Great Zhou or your sister as a sign of friendship." ”

Erdan watched with satisfaction as Chu Zhixia's face changed and changed.

"It's all because of your emperor." Erdan provoked, "If you kill me today, the peace talks can be suspended, but the Chu clan in the clouds will also give me a funeral." I know that the emperor is now in power, and the person he fears the most is the king of Zhenbei. Do you really want to bury your family for such a decadent dynasty and a dim-witted emperor? ”

Chu Zhixia stared at his flickering eyes, and suddenly laughed, and said, "It's really rare for a Beidi person to speak so well. ”

Erdan was not angry, and looked at her with a smile.

"Then you say, what should I do?" Chu Zhixia folded his arms on the table, leaned forward slightly and leaned a little closer to Erdan.

"Open the Snow Pass, let me enter the hinterland of the Central Plains, and go straight to the imperial capital." There was temptation in Erdan's voice, "I guarantee that the Chu clan in the clouds will always control the four states of the northern part of the country, and the Beidi Iron Cavalry will not hurt the people of the north of the country at all." Your brother is still the king of Zhenbei, and you don't have to be a hostage outside. ”

Chu Zhixia's indifferent smile did not change in the slightest.

Erdan continued: "A loyal courtier like you, if he is in Beidi, deserves all the best rewards, pastures, slaves, gold, everything. Instead of being suspicious, humiliated, and precarious, as is the case now. ”

Chu Shixia let out a long sigh.

There was a hint of surprise in Erdan's gaze.

"Your words are indeed very tempting to me," Chu Zhixia's pupils reflected a faint light, and his smile was innocent and harmless, "It's a pity that I am past the age of listening to bedtime stories." Otherwise I would definitely applaud you. ”

Erdan's expression went blank for a moment.

But Erdan persevered and said, "Chu Shixia, I appreciate you and your brother. I'm not kidding, as long as you are willing, the Chu clan in the clouds will soon be able to get out of the current situation, and we will be the best allies. ”

"Beidi wants to rule the world with the Chu clan in the clouds?" Chu Shixia made his ambitions even more explicit.

"Why not?"

Erdan stood up and spread his arms, as if there was not a dark post house behind him, but a great river, mountains and rivers. Chu Zhixia sat quietly in place, staring at Erdan's face flushed with excitement across a table.

"We Beidi people ride the fiercest horses, carry the fastest knives, and draw the heaviest bows, but we have to guard the barren grasslands and live in pursuit of water and grass. Every time there is heavy snow and drought, countless cattle, sheep and people starve to death. For a mouthful of food, you kill me, I kill you, bury the bones of the enemy under the grassland, and wait for the grass to grow in the next year; We burned down the enemy's tents, snatched the enemy's women, and forced them to give birth to the enemy's children. In a few decades, when there is a natural disaster and famine, who knows if the person killed is his blood relative? ”

The more Erdan spoke, the more angry he became, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth. The bloody hatred and unwillingness in his words were about to erupt, like a bonfire, almost igniting the silent and cold night of the imperial capital.

"The people of the Central Plains were just born in a rich land, but they are selfish, greedy, and cunning, and they don't deserve to occupy this place at all. It's like the emperor you are loyal to, but you were born with royal blood, so you have to obey him. And he is not worthy of being the emperor at all, and he is not worthy of the loyalty of the Chu clan in the clouds. ”

Erdan raised a glass of wine to Chu Zhixia, and said solemnly and frantically: "People like us should be the masters of the world. ”

Chu Zhixia stared at Erdan's invitation for a moment, smiled happily, picked up the wine glass and touched it with him.

"You have a saying that is very right, he is indeed not worthy of being the emperor of the Great Zhou."

Erdan's face was slightly pale.

But the next moment, Chu Zhixia raised his hand and poured the wine on the ground.

"But you won't be the master of the world either."

Chu Zhixia threw away the wine glass, stood up and looked at Erdan. Chu Shixia held the sword, but it was not unsheathed, she had never faced this old enemy of the two worlds so calmly, as if facing a stalemate chess game, a respectable opponent, not a lingering nightmare.

"Erdan Khan, you have expanded your territory for your subjects, and I will guard the rivers and mountains for my people. There may be conspiracies and blood feuds between us, but there is no misunderstanding and there is no need to understand. ”

The glittering lights on the table were like the Chu River Han Realm, and the light of the waterfall was cutting through the darkness. Chu Zhixia, dressed in black, is like a straight and slender ink bamboo on an ink painting, upright, tough, and indestructible.

"See you on the battlefield in Japan, and then tell me where the world belongs."

Chu Zhixia turned around and left, leaving a stunned Erdan and a bean lamp in vain.