The outskirts of Chang'an.

The pheasant outside the broken temple had already chirped three times, and Chu Liusheng scratched his butt lazily and turned over comfortably on the bed.

"Get up, when will you sleep?" Lu Chuan's scolding reached his ears, and then he kicked Chu Liusheng on the buttocks.

"Oops...... It's just dawning...... I've been learning your sword-breaking technique for the past few days, and I don't have the strength to get up. Chu Liusheng buried his head in the straw pile, and the urn sounded angrily.

Lu Chuan sighed and said to him: "I can tell you, if you want to go to see the master and ask about your life experience, you must go to participate in the selection of the guest secretary of the Qin State, and only there can you meet the master, why don't you get up quickly!"

"Why?" Chu Liusheng hurriedly turned over, looked up at Lu Chuan, who was glaring at him angrily, and asked.

"Otherwise, do you think that a person like Master can be seen whenever you want? Then hasn't he become a street vendor? Let me tell you, the purpose of Master's return from his travels is to test the Qin State Guest, and if you want to see Master, come as I say. ”

After hearing this, Chu Liusheng couldn't help but sit up with a sad face, and said, "That's why you let me learn swordsmanship?" But what's the use of me holding Buddha's feet like this, I can't even learn a sword." ”

Lu Chuan smiled and said: "You don't care about it, you listen to me, I promise to give you the opportunity to see the master, as long as you follow what I say, there will be no problem at all, wearing a sword is just the simplest and most basic action, and there will be opportunities to practice slowly in the future." ”

"Oh. Chu Liusheng replied casually and lay back on the straw softly.

As soon as he lay down, his ass was hit with a strong kick, and Lu Chuan said sharply to him: "What are you sleeping, hurry up!"

"What are you doing? Chu Liusheng rolled over impatiently and turned his back to him.

"In a few days, it will be the time for Keqing's first test! Today we are going to leave for Qin, if you delay the time, the king of heaven and Lao Tzu will not be able to help you, I am all for the sake of you to find your life experience." Lu Chuan said indignantly.

"First attempt?" Chu Liusheng turned his head and showed a sad look at Lu Chuan, asking, "How many more attempts?"

Lu Chuan crossed his waist and said angrily: "Nonsense! Qin State's selection of Keqing is one of the strictest in the world, and the strong people on the world's swordsman list will gather together, after the assessment of the preliminary examination and the re-examination, half of the people will be eliminated, and then after the master's personal selection, a group of people will be selected to be placed on a desert island, and only those who finally stick to it on the desert island after a year can be selected as the guest secretary." ”

Chu Liusheng listened, stared, looked at Lu Chuan in disbelief, and asked, "What?

"Of course, the guest secretaries of the Qin State all have hereditary titles, and they are even more promising than entering the court as officials, and even the prime minister has to give three points above the court. It can be said that in the Qin State, the person who is the guest secretary has half of the Qin State. Lu Chuan raised his head and said to him proudly, as if he was the guest in his mouth.

Chu Liusheng struggled to get up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and sighed.

Lu Chuan turned around and cleaned up the pile of broken copper and iron that he relied on for a living, and the short man was very busy.

In the morning of Chang'an City, the blazing sun hung in the east early, illuminating the earthy yellow road surface and making people unable to open their eyes. Chu Liusheng carried his ancient sword on his back, picked up his small package, followed behind Lu Chuan, and staggered out of the gate of the broken temple listlessly.

Lu Chuan was in a good mood, holding a shabby map and comparing it on it, repeatedly calculating the route to the Qin State.

He turned around and said to Chu Liusheng, who was leaning on the threshold and dozing off: "That's right, go all the way to Xijingzhou from here, and then from Xijing to Huyaguan, and then call a car to Chaozhou in Qin State the day after tomorrow...... Hey, can you be refreshed. ”

After speaking, he turned around and gave Chu Liusheng a kick, and scolded: "Young man, why can't you wake up every day, can you learn from an old man like me, it's like smoking a big cigarette." ”

Chu Liusheng yawned, pretended not to hear, and walked under the scorching sun.

Lu Chuan shook his head helplessly, put his package on his back, and chased forward.

An old man and a young man greeted the morning sun in the early morning and embarked on the journey to Xijing.

At this time, Xijing was about to make a pot of porridge.

Xijing

Inside the inn.

In the dimly lit corridor of the inn, a muscular and sturdy man from the Western Regions was shirtless, with teeth and claws tattooed on his chest. There was a hint of determination in his determined eyes, and his resolute face was angular.

He walked slowly out of the hallway, his steps heavy and loud, and the morning sun shone in through the windows on either side, reflecting on his strong arms.

At the end of the corridor, the old woman behind the counter who was in charge of collecting the accounts sat alone on a futon, her eyes closed, quietly waiting for his arrival.

The man looked at the old woman solemnly, walked up to her, and knelt on one knee.

He put a hand on his chest, saluted the old woman, and whispered to her in a rough voice like sand, "Grandma, please bless your beloved children to go out bravely and return victoriously." ”

Grandma heard his voice and opened her cloudy eyes, her wrinkled face squirming. She stared silently at the face of the man in front of her, tears in her eyes.

"Today is not the day of Elladin, child. With a sad look on her face, Grandma said to him, "I'm afraid Ella won't bless you, but I'll go to him and let me hear the news of my child's safe return." ”

"Grandma. The man raised his head and said in a low voice, "It's too late, the people of the Central Plains are hurting our people, I know we may not be ready, but as the leader, I can't watch this atrocity continue." ”

With that, he knelt on his knees and slowly kowtowed to Grandma.

Grandma's tears flowed down as if she couldn't stop it, and her chapped lips trembled, as if she was muttering something.

The man saluted, stood up, turned around, and walked out of the inn.

He had a long, thick braid on the back of his head, swaying from side to side with his steps. This is the traditional style of the people of the Western Regions, and since a large number of refugees entered the Central Plains, this style has been gradually phased out.

The man left, and Shen Mengxi, who was hiding behind the door, watched this scene through the crack in the door, the sunlight in the corridor was gradually expanding, and the grandma at the end choked in a low voice, her voice was like a roaring beast.

The two people in the room had already changed into neat men's clothes, packed all their luggage, and were ready to escape in the chaos when the Qi soldiers attacked. But now it is unlikely that the soldiers of the Qi army will come here, because there are already hundreds of strong people from the Western Regions gathered at the door of the inn, all of them have a long black and bright braid on the back of their heads, and they are shirtless, holding sharp knives in their hands, and they are waiting for battle.

The leader of the people of the Western Regions walked out of the inn and glanced at everyone with a burning gaze, and everyone's eyes were focused on him, waiting quietly.

"Ella bless, help me to have the power of heaven and earth, slay demons and demons, may my people be free from illness and disaster from now on, and I am willing to give my insignificant life to your people in exchange for my soul that I surrender to you. ”

The leader lowered his head and muttered in a low voice, and the people of the Western Regions around him looked at him without saying a word.

With that, the man raised his head and said to the people around him: "For my supreme lord, Ella." ”

"Ella!" everyone roared in unison, a thick voice that seemed to crack the earth beneath their feet.

And not far from them, on the eastern street, the work of driving away the crowd and maintaining order continued, and the Qi soldiers brandished knives and slashed at the resistants. Unwilling people gathered in groups and threw stones at the soldiers.

The chief steward sat on the stone steps next to the horse, hiding in the shade and shaking his fan, his bloated head already beaded with sweat. He opened his official uniform a little wider, heard the movement coming from the west side of the street, his face wrinkled, and asked the others, "Why is it so noisy there, what's going on?"

The soldier next to him saluted him and said, "Lord Steward, that is the place where the people of the Western Regions gather, we have to arrest the women there and bring them here to identify, they don't obey, and they plan to resist." ”

"Shhh Manager Gao gasped, looked at the west street from afar, and said, "What's the matter, and I didn't want to raid their house, isn't it just to arrest someone, how long can it be delayed? ”

"Your Excellency, Steward. The soldier said, "It should be just a small fight among the people of the Western Regions, I'll take someone there to take a look." ”

"Hold on, hold on. Manager Gao shook his fan impatiently and said, "You see that the day is bright, looking for a girl's job, and it has been delayed until now." It's just the one in the west, you bring more people to bring all the women in the west, and if there is any resistance, you can directly rectify the Fa on the spot, and you don't have to talk nonsense with these people from the Western Regions, and they are stubborn. ”

With that, he tilted his head, crossed Erlang's legs, and leaned lazily against the wall.

The soldier was ordered to leave, and not long after, a soldier hurriedly ran to the head of the high level, and said breathlessly: "Lord Steward...... West side of the street...... A group of people from the Western Regions are ...... The one who killed us. ”

When Mr. Gao heard this, he straightened up in shock, pointed a fan at him and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Back to my lord. The soldier gasped and said, "A large group of people from the Western Regions, there are hundreds of people, with knives in their hands, all men, are attacking here!"

Mr. Gao's eyes widened, his mustache trembled, and a few words came out from between his teeth: "Anti-...... It's the other way around. ”

When he heard what the soldier had to say, he trembled with anger and shouted, "Come on, let's go there and see what's going on!"

"Yes!" said a dozen soldiers in unison, mounted their horses and ran westward, kicking up a puff of dust.

Regardless of the hot weather, Manager Gao came to the sun and muttered to the west: "If you let the upper authorities know, will you pay it back?"

With that, he turned around, rode his jujube red horse with great difficulty, and instructed the soldiers below: "I'll go and see what's going on there, you stay here, continue to block the city gate, and if anyone from the Western Regions doesn't listen to the greeting, kill them directly!"

"Yes!"