In the early morning of this day, Bai Yixue and Shen Lingshan went to Tang Zhuo's residence and bid him farewell. Although Tang Zhuo was reluctant in his heart, the toxins on Shen Lingshan's body had not been removed, and it was important to seek medical treatment, and it was indeed inconvenient to keep it.

When Shen Lingshan went back to the room to clean up, someone knocked softly on the door, and when he opened the door, he saw that it was Sun Sichu. Sun Sichu sent fifty taels of silver, saying that he was entrusted by Tang Zhuo as a coil on the road between the two of them, chatting about the inch. In addition, he gave Shen Lingshan some facial cream, hand cream, fat powder, mirror and other things for girls. Shen Lingshan took the face fat and other things, and the tattooed silver resolutely refused to accept it, who knew that Sun Sichu was in a hurry, tears rippled, and Shen Lingshan saw that she was sincere, so she had to accept it.

The two sat down to talk, Shen Lingshan took out a pair of jade bracelets, and said with a smile: "Sister, this is a long way to the water, the future is uncertain, I don't know when we will meet in the future, my sister is worried that it will be difficult to eat the wedding wine between you and the Tang sect master." This pair of jade bracelets is the right to be your newlywed Fei Yi in the future. ”

Sun Sichu was embarrassed, took the jade bracelet and took a look, the bracelet was transparent and moist, did not contain any impurities, and was very happy. When saying goodbye, Sun Sichu had red eyes and suddenly said: "Sister Shen, we say goodbye today, I don't know when we will see each other, maybe ...... Maybe we'll never see each other again in this life. There is a saying, I don't know whether to say it or not?"

Shen Lingshan smiled and said, "Sister, please speak." ”

Sun Sichu said: "It's easy to ask for priceless treasures, and it's rare to have a heart." Big Brother Bai is a loving and righteous person, if you miss it, I am afraid that you will regret it for the rest of your life. Shen Ling didn't expect her to say such a thing, leaning on the door, and after a while, he said in a low voice: "I understand, thank you, sister." ”

At noon, Tang Zhuo set up a feast, chickens, geese, fish and ducks, and set up a large table full of Bai and Shen to practice. Tang Ju, Tang Ran, Tang Xuan and other brothers of the fire generation all came to accompany each other. During the banquet, Tang Zhuo and Baiyi Xue passed the cup and made the lamp, talking and laughing, but everyone couldn't help but feel a little melancholy in their hearts.

There is no feast in the world that will not be dispersed. Before leaving, Tang Zhuo ordered people to bring two Sichuan horses from Jiazhou, Chengdu Fulu, and gave them to Bai and Shen as leg strength. Seeing that noon had passed, Bai and Shen immediately said goodbye and went on the road.

Leaving Tangjiabao, Bai Yixue and Shen Lingshan rode down the road and headed east. Along the way, the two crossed the mountains and rivers, stayed at the tip, and were cautious everywhere, but fortunately, they were safe. Bai Yixue has been moving in Tangjiabao for a long time, and this time she finally embarked on the road to the east, and she felt quite comfortable in her heart. Shen Ling's shirt was weak, but he also managed to support it, and galloped eastward with him.

After traveling like this for a few days, I came to Langzhou City on Lizhou Road, and the streets in the city were bustling. At the time of dinner, the two of them were so hungry that they were grumbling, and after a little discussion, they decided to find a wine shop first and fill their bellies.

Shen Lingshan said with a smile: "We are so busy these days that we haven't eaten a meal, and the gluttonous worms in your stomach have probably been dissatisfied for a long time." ”

Bai Yixue smiled: "I also have this intention, in the outside, no matter how bitter I am, I can't bitter my stomach." Since the two of them left Tangjiabao, they have returned to their hearts like arrows, and they have worked hard all the way. The weather has turned cold, and the saddle horse is tired all the way, Bai Yixue was quite worried that Shen Ling's shirt would be difficult to support, but unexpectedly, the pills sent by Tang Zhuo were very effective, Shen Ling's shirt was tired and tired, but his spirit was still vigorous, and Bai Yixue looked at it in his eyes, secretly happy.

The two wandered around the city for a while, and Shen Lingshan said, "I don't know what to eat in Langzhou City?"

Bai Yixue smiled: "This is easy. "I pulled a few locals to ask, and they all said that the hot pot in Taihelou in the city is the most famous. When Shen Lingshan heard that he was going to eat a warm pot, his eyebrows suddenly danced, and he shouted to go. Bai Yixue smiled secretly in her heart, and inquired about the specific location of Taihe Building, which was not far from Taihe Building, and the two of them led the horses and rushed straight to Taihe Building.

When he was about to arrive, he suddenly heard a loud shouting and scolding from the side of the road, and it turned out that a little beggar was hungry and unbearable, and stole two snow-white steamed buns from the store, and was accidentally found by the store. The shopkeeper scolded loudly and slapped the beggar's head and face with his hand. The little beggar looked stubborn, did not run away or fight back, and held the steamed bun tightly in his hand.

Shen Lingshan saw that the little beggar was only twelve or thirteen years old, unkempt, quail, shivering in the cold wind, and his face was haggard, but his eyes were black and white, very clear, and he couldn't bear it in his heart, so he stepped forward and said, "Shop, how much is a steamed bun?"

The shopkeeper scolded the little beggar for being on the rise, and he didn't raise his face, and said angrily: "One penny." ”

Shen Lingshan took out ten cents and handed it to the shopkeeper, and said, "You don't want to embarrass him, and give him eight steamed buns." The shopkeeper stopped scolding, took eight steamed buns from the cage drawer, and handed them to Shen Ling. Shen Lingshan took it, leaned over, and said softly to the little beggar: "Little brother, you can keep these steamed buns and eat them slowly." ”

The little beggar took the steamed bun, stared at Shen Ling's shirt with black and white eyes, and said in a low voice, "Thank you, sister." He turned and left, and disappeared around the corner in an instant.

The two continued to walk, and after a while, there was a building near the water in front of them, high and low, and the voices of people were boiling, it was Taihe Building. When they arrived at the door of the store, the enthusiastic bartender greeted them and led their horses to the stables in the backyard to feed and drink. The two were about to step forward, and suddenly found that not far from the fence, the little beggar just now was squatting in the sun, with a pair of dark eyes, staring directly at the two.

Bai Yixue smiled slightly and said, "Sister, you are a good person to the end, how about inviting your little brother to eat a warm pot?"

Shen Lingshan smiled: "Okay, it's pitiful to look at him." "Gently move the lotus step and invite the little beggar to go upstairs to eat together. The little beggar was at a loss on his face, shook his head slightly, obviously timid, Shen Lingshan persuaded him, and the little beggar finally nodded in agreement. The shopkeeper saw the two of them coming with a dirty little beggar, and although he felt disgusted, he couldn't stop them, so he led the three of them upstairs, picked a small pavilion facing the street, and sat down.

When Shen Lingshan was ordering food, the little beggar suddenly said: "The villain sees that my brother and sister are from other places and are not very familiar with the local area. Taihelou's rabbit meat hot pot is very famous, the weather is cold, it is better to order a warm pot, and then scald a pot of hot wine, wouldn't it be happy to eat?"

Shen Lingshan and Bai Yixue looked at each other, and after a moment, Shen Lingshan smiled and said, "The little brother is not a local, right?"

The little beggar said, "Yes." ”

China has a vast land and vast territory, and different regions, due to natural, economic, social and other reasons, have constructed different regional cultures and many dialects. In order to facilitate communication between people who speak different dialects in different places, a common standard language is needed. As early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Luoyi (now Luoyang, Henan) was the place where King Wu of Zhou set his dingding, and the place where King Cheng of Zhou "Zhaizi China" became the capital of Zhou, with developed civilization and respected status. Confucius traveled all over the world and encountered no obstacles in language communication, and I think he used most of the elegant sayings that were common in all countries.

Since the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties, the national capitals of China's unified dynasties were either Chang'an or Luoyang and Kaifeng, so the common language of the government was nothing more than "Shaanxi dialect" or "Henan dialect". Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Luoyang accent has been particularly respected and has become a status symbol for scholars and nobles. Since the end of the Tang Dynasty and the fifth dynasty, Kaifeng has gradually replaced Luoyang and become the new political center of the country because of its location in the plain, fertile land, and vigorous luck.

At the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin, according to the old system, the capital was set in Kaifeng, but he felt that Kaifeng was located in the plain, there was no danger of mountains and rivers, and if he wanted to ensure its safety, he could only take the army as a risk. However, the number of forbidden troops is getting bigger and bigger, and the military expenditure is very amazing, Zhao Kuangyin clearly realized the hidden dangers behind it: "In less than a hundred years, the people of the world will be exhausted." Luoyang takes the mountain as the plug, the river as the pool, the situation is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, according to the danger of the mountains and rivers to redundant troops, so Zhao Kuangyin once considered moving the capital to Luoyang, but the then Kaifeng Mansion Yin, Zhao Guangyi, who had selfish intentions, clearly opposed the relocation of the capital, and proposed that the safety of the national capital "is not in danger in Germany". Soon after, Zhao Kuangyin died violently on the way to the Northern Expedition, and Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne as emperor, and the Northern Expedition was suspended, and the matter of moving the capital to Luoyang was also over.

After the Zhao and Song dynasties opened the capital, the official dialect of the imperial court was based on Kaifeng dialect, which was roughly similar to today's Mandarin. At that time, in the officialdom, if someone spoke a straight and round Kaifeng dialect, not only would his colleagues be envious, but even the opportunity to be promoted and promoted would be much greater than that of others.

In the first year of Jianyan (1127), Zhao Gou crossed to the south and established power in Lin'an, and the Central Plains Shishu migrated south. In the early days of the establishment of the new regime, the local southern Shi clan gradually rose to power, and the Kaifeng dialect was challenged by the Hangzhou dialect. After a fierce confrontation, the royal nobles, civil and military ministers, and scholars and merchants who moved south were too powerful, and Kaifeng dialect gained the upper hand and became the most powerful language communication tool in the officialdom.

During the Song and Liao periods, Liao Taizong promoted the original Youzhou (now Beijing) to the Youdu Mansion and built Nanjing, also known as Yanjing, as the capital of Liao. In the fourth year of Song Xuanhe (1123), Song and Jin jointly invaded Liao and captured Yanjing, and then Song and Jin made peace, Yanjing returned to the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Song court built Yanshan Mansion here, so the Song people called Beijing "Yanyin".

Shen Lingshan smiled: "Okay, just rely on the little brother, let's eat the warm pot." ”

The shopkeeper stood by and listened dumbfounded. Bai Yixue said with a smile: "The little brother of the shop, just serve the food according to what this little brother said." He also told him to add a few snacks and cold dishes. The shopkeeper thought to himself: "The little ghost head met two wronged heads today, why don't you kill you severely?" and went downstairs as promised.

The little beggar swallowed his saliva and said, "'Taihelou, warm incense pot, eat a bite without moving the nest.'" 'My brother and sister don't know, the people of Langzhou City, even those of us who are called Hanako, don't know that his hot pot is delicious. ”

Shen Lingshan said: "Little brother, where are you from?

The little beggar opened his dark eyes and said, "The villain's hometown is in Yanshan Mansion, because of the disaster of war, my parents took my brother and I to the south to join our relatives, and I don't want them to get sick on the way...... It's all ...... He's dead...... I'm here alone......" said as he burst into tears and sobbed quietly.

Shen Ling's nose was sour, and he said, "Ouch, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." I thought, "My mother died when I was very young, and it was my father who brought me up, and now my father's life and death are uncertain, and my life is not much better than yours at that time." ”

Bai Yixue sighed: "The troubled world is chaotic and displaced. Rise and fall, dynasties change, and it is always the common people who suffer. ”

The little beggar put away his tears, lifted his shiny sleeves, wiped away his two long snots, and said, "Brother and sister, where did you come from, and where are you going?"

Bai Yixue said: "Our brother and sister also came from the north to do some small business. I wonder what the little brother plans to do in the future?"

The little beggar sighed and said, "I have a distant cousin who married to Guangnan West Road a few years ago, and I ...... I was looking for her. ”

Bai Yixue took out one or two lines of silver, stuffed them into the hands of the little beggar, and said: "This is going to Guangnan, the mountains are high and the road is far away, you can use these silver taels on the road." ”

Shen Lingshan said: "Yes, little brother, after eating this meal, you will go to find your sister, so that you can have a place to live as soon as possible." ”

The little beggar sat on the stool in a daze, his eyes full of tears. After a while, he stood up suddenly, fell to the ground, "knock", "knock", "knock", kowtowed three times, and said: "Brother and sister's great kindness, villain...... It is difficult for the villain to repay it for a lifetime. Bai Yixue hurriedly helped him up and sat down again to speak.

Taihelou customers are endless, business is very prosperous, the store prepares food very quickly, and between the three of them, the store partner has already come upstairs with wine and food. It is the early winter season, the charcoal fire in the warm boiler is burning vigorously, the steaming hot pot is covered with meat and vegetables, the meat and vegetables are matched, the color is bright, it has been eight or nine minutes cooked, the rich soup is under the power of the charcoal fire, the small pavilion is suddenly full of aroma, tempting and salivating.

The little beggar looked at the steaming hot pot with intent, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and said, "Birds are like partridges, and animals are like rabbits." Every time the villain begs and passes by Taihe Building, his favorite smell is the smell of this rabbit meat hot pot, and this smell alone can make the mouth flow more than three feet long. ”

Shen Lingshan's heart was sour, and he smiled: "Can the saliva still flow for so long, don't you drag it to the ground?" picked up a bowl, filled it with meat and vegetables, handed it to the little beggar, and said softly: "Little brother, eat quickly." ”

The little beggar's eyes were red, and suddenly he began to cry, and tears fell into the bowl. Shen Lingshan said, "Little brother, what's wrong with you?"

The little beggar burst into tears and cried, "After my father and mother died...... The villain has ...... For a long time...... No one has been so nice to me...... Whining...... Brother and sister...... You are the best and best people in the world...... Woohoo......"

Shen Lingshan smiled sadly and said, "Little brother, don't cry, you cry so much that my sister feels very uncomfortable." The dishes are cold, so let's eat them quickly. ”

The little beggar slowly put away his cry and said, "Yes, let the villain serve a bowl for his brothers and sisters." As he spoke, he stood up, took the meat and vegetables from the warm pot, first put a bowl and handed it to Shen Lingshan, and then a bowl and handed it to Bai Yixue before sitting down.

Bai Yixue said with a smile: "'Taihelou, warm incense pot, eat a bite without moving the nest', let's taste this Taihelou warm pot together, how wonderful is the taste?"

Suddenly, someone outside the curtain of the small pavilion said coldly: "I don't think it tastes great, but it's eight or nine times out of ten." ”

The little beggar's face changed greatly when he heard this, a pair of dark eyes showed a pin-like look, and his slightly childish face was also instantly filled with the vigilance of the yin owl. I only heard his sympathetic sneer, and said: "Your fate is big today, and the Seven Poison Boys will come to visit you another day!"

A person outside the curtain flashed in, with a long figure and high forehead, and the white-clothed snow knew that it was Tang Xuan of the Tang Sect. The three of them saluted each other and sat down to talk.

Bai Yixue was frightened, and said: "Thank you Brother Jiu for saving your life, it is really dangerous! If Brother Jiu comes one step late, I am afraid that you and my brother will never see each other again." Shen Lingshan's face was pale, and he also had palpitations.

Tang Xuan wiped the beads of sweat from the corners of his forehead and said, "Yes." ”

Bai Yixue said: "I don't know how Brother Jiu is so coincidental......"

Tang Xuan said: "How can there be such a coincidence in the world? I was ordered by the sect master of Tang Zhuo, I was afraid that the two of them would make a mistake on the way, so they secretly followed all the way, and when they walked halfway, they found the figure of the Seven Poisonous Boy Beggars. ”

Bai Yixue raised her eyebrows and asked, "Seven poisonous beggars?" secretly rejoicing in her heart: "If it weren't for Tang Zhuo's thoughtfulness and sending Tang Xuan to protect him secretly, my sister and I of the Shen family would have died at this moment, and our bodies would be on the ground." ”

Tang Xuan said: "The Seven Poisonous Child Beggars were brought from the countryside by Tang Wai a few years ago, learned art in the Tang Sect, were insidious and cunning, and there were not a few famous people who died under him. ”

Shen Lingshan was so shocked that he almost jumped up, and said, "A few days ago, the 'Thousand Hands Spirit Ape' Ling Zhangmen mentioned this matter, although we expected it to be Tantra's doing, but we didn't expect it to be a ...... The poison of the child. After a pause, he said apologetically to Bai Yixue: "Big brother Bai, I all complain about my little sister, which gave the seven poisonous beggars an opportunity." ”

Bai Yixue said: "Everyone has compassion, and I can't complain about you, a wicked person like the Seven Poisonous Child Beggars uses the kindness of others to harm people, making it impossible to prevent it." ”

Tang Xuan smiled and said: "Yes, if you don't use such a ghost trick, with Bai Shaoxia's skills, how can the Seven Poisonous Beggars get close?"

Shen Lingshan thought of the needle-like eyes of the Seven Poison Child Beggars, only to feel goosebumps erupting all over his body, and he couldn't help but shudder, with a disgusted look on his face.

Bai Yixue said: "Ninth brother, when the Seven Poisonous Child Beggars started to serve the vegetables, the younger brother was on the side, but I don't know when he did it?"

Tang Xuan smiled slightly, and said: "The Seven Poisonous Beggars are very smart, and they have to be taught by Tang Cry himself, and they have only been learning the art for two or three years, and the kung fu of poisoning is already superb. He took out a silver needle from the sac around his waist, and took out a pair of thin and soft suede gloves, put them on his right hand, stretched out his thumb and index finger, and carefully pinched the tail of the needle, and the tip of the needle was pointed downward, and slowly put it into the warm pot.

Shen Lingshan covered his chest with his hands, and was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time, and he couldn't remember when the Seven Poisonous Child Beggars were poisoned in the dishes without knowing it. Bai Yixue also felt a chill on her spine, and she was shocked and angry in her heart: "The Seven Poisonous Boy Beggars are also vicious, if that piece of rabbit meat is put in the mouth, it will be killed on the spot, and I will go to see Lord Yama in a daze." ”

Tang Xuan said: "I know Tang Siyou's old monster best, the Seven Poisonous Boy Beggars lost their hands this time, and I expect that he will not give up on it." ”

Bai Yixue and Shen Lingshan both thought in their hearts that poisoning was the specialty of the Tang Sect Tantra, and even if the two of them didn't eat or drink on the road, they couldn't prevent it, and they couldn't help but look at each other.

Tang Xuan said: "I was ordered by the sect master of Tang Zhuo to escort Brother Bai and Miss Shen out of Sichuan safely, and I should do my best, but now there is a way, I don't know if it will work." ”

Bai Yixue said: "Brother Jiu's idea must be excellent, please say." ”

Tang Xuanwei groaned and said: "Langzhou City and Mountain are surrounded on all sides, and the water surrounds three directions, so that four or five miles to the west is the boat dock of the Jialing River. I think you are in the light, and Tantra is in the dark, and if you go by land, I am afraid that there will be many twists and turns along the way. According to the meaning of the following, Brother Bai and Miss Shen might as well go out of the river by waterway, catch up with the good weather, sail with the wind, go down the river, and travel more than 100 miles a day, and within more than ten days, you can go straight to Shashi Town in Jiangling. ”

Bai Yixue's eyes lit up, and she said happily: "This is very good, thank you Brother Jiu for your guidance." Pondering: "It's a long way to Lin'an, and Miss Shen's quality of Puliu can't stand the fatigue of driving and horses, so she takes the waterway instead, which is better for her body." ”

Tang Xuan said: "Without further ado, we will go and prepare more dry food and drinking water first, so as not to cause trouble for no reason when the boat docks to replenish supplies." The Seven Poisonous Boy Beggars had just revealed their traces, and they were already cowardly, and they didn't dare to show up for a while, so when we had prepared enough dry food, we went to the dock. Bai Yixue and Shen Lingshan saw that he was thoughtful, and agreed in unison. The two of them were hungry, and after this shock, they had no appetite at all. Bai Yixue called to the shopkeeper, settled the account, thought about it, added another 800 yuan, and said to the shopkeeper that his warm pot tasted very good, and he should pack the pot with the soup and take it away, enjoy it slowly, and return the warm pot another day. Seeing that the meat and vegetables in the pot were almost untouched, although he was puzzled, the money paid by Bai Yixue was enough to order a few more hot pots, so he didn't say much, packed the dishes, and sent them downstairs diligently.

When they had bought enough food and water in the city, they rode them on horseback, and then they set out to the west of the city. The wharf is only a mile or two away from the city, and it is a blink of an eye, but I see a forest of masts, boats gathered, and the wharf is a busy scene.

During the Song-Jin confrontation, the Sichuan-Shaanxi Theater was one of the most important strategic points in the Southern Song Dynasty, and its scope was roughly equivalent to the border area of the three provinces in today's northern Sichuan Province, southern Shaanxi Province, and southern Gansu Province. Because the Sichuan-Shaanxi Theater was very important to the safety of the Song court, the number of garrisons in various places was also very large, and the cost was staggering. The imperial court used money to buy grain and rice from the people to supplement the supply of military rations to tens of thousands of local garrisons, but the Sichuan-Shaanxi Theater was surrounded by dangerous mountains and passes, and land transportation was extremely inconvenient, and more than eighty percent of the military rations were transported by relying on the Jialing River and taking the waterway.

During the Song Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, the Jialing River has abundant water, the water quality is clear, it is suitable for ships to come and go, at that time, the commodity economy is increasingly prosperous, the Yangtze River shipping is unprecedentedly prosperous, for a time on the river surface merchant ships, passenger ships, pleasure boats, fishing boats, boats, ships of all kinds of sizes are connected to the oars, thousands of miles away, extremely prosperous.

Tang Xuan said: "The two of you are waiting here, and I will go to find a boatman." Half an hour later, Tang Xuan brought a middle-aged man, who was dark-skinned, cold but thinly dressed, stepping on a pair of straw sandals, cuffs, several green tendons on his arms, and his body was very strong.

Tang Xuan said: "This is Brother Lu, who has been sailing here for more than 20 years, with skilled skills and rich experience, he is a veteran on this river." ”

Bai and Shen said in unison: "There is Brother Laolu." ”

The man grinned, his smile was simple, and he said, "You're welcome, you're welcome." ”

Tang Xuan looked up at the sky and said, "The ship fare has been paid off, the hour is not early, and there will be a farewell for thousands of miles." Brother Bai, Miss Shen, the green mountains do not change the green water, we will have a period later. ”

Bai Yixue knew that he didn't say much, and the other didn't want to stay at the dock for a long time, so as not to expose his whereabouts, so he arched his hand and said, "Thank you, Brother Jiu, there will be a period later." The two took the dry food and luggage, boarded the boat with the man, untied the cable and hung the sails, and left.