Coming outside the oasis, Dong Ping was shocked, he saw the old and clear eyes again, and there were dozens of pairs at once.

"Camels. Dong Ping muttered softly, the eyes that appeared in the sandstorm belonged to an old camel. Yes, only a strange beast like a camel can be afraid of the bitter cold and wind and sand in the desert.

Each camel carried a weather-covered man, all dressed in a hooded yellow coat and a sheathless scimitar. Under the big hey, there is a tall body. In the hood is a dark and resolute face.

After seeing the men distributing the water and food in their hands to the big man on the camel with reverence on their faces, Dong Ping secretly said that this group of people should not be robbers.

A big man led by him had a deep scar on his left and right cheeks, and after talking to an old man without smiling, he shifted his gaze to Dong Ping. Dong Ping looked at him and couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. What kind of eyes are they, calm with a bloodthirsty ruthlessness, he is like a lonely beast. Dong Ping had no doubt that this big man would suddenly attack and tear him to pieces in the next moment.

After staring at Dong Ping for a long time, the big man turned his head again and shouted, "Let's go!" The group turned around the camel and headed west to meet the falling sun.

After they left, Dong Ping touched his head, and it was a cold sweat. thinks that he Dong Ping is also a decisive character, but he is still a lot worse than that big man. Judging from the aura emanating from that big man, he had at least thousands of names on his hands. Moreover, those big men seem to be all Han Chinese.

Dong Ping asked the old man who was talking to the big man where the group of people came from, and the old man didn't know Mandarin, he just kept repeating the words "protect the tower". Dong Ping pondered these two words and returned to his residence. Ruan Li had already prepared dinner, Dong Ping ate two bites randomly, and then sat on the chair at the door again, thinking about the way forward.

Although the days in this oasis are comfortable, Dong Ping can't stay long. There was so much unfinished business in the east that he would have to go back and settle it. The identity of the mysterious person who rushed into his army back then, Dong Ping also had a hint of it. But he can't get out of this desert on his own. The big men in yellow were a good help, but it would take some effort to climb their line.

"What's wrong? Brother Dong. Ruan Li brought Dong Ping a glass of water and pinched his shoulder.

Dong Ping took a sip of water and suddenly felt calm. When I arrived in the desert, I knew that this cold clear water was the most delicious tea in the world.

"It's nothing, it's just thinking about what we're going to do in the future. ”

Ruan Li paused for Dong Ping's shoulder pinch, and then pinched it for Dong Ping, she smiled: "When you get out, you owe me a red sedan chair, but no one is missing." ”

Dong Ping smiled and said, "Naturally, but you owe me the candle night in the cave room, and you have to pay me back." ”

Ruan Li slapped Dong Ping lightly, and Dong Ping was also happy in this kind of girlish feelings.

When the moon rose in the sky, Dong Ping practiced the knife again. In these more than ten days of tribulation, although Dong Ping has not practiced knives, when he picks it up again, he is more and more proficient. Dong Ping also gradually fused the deflated fingering technique with his own knife technique, and when he used it, it was really a big opening and closing, and there was a tricky and dangerous one. Dong Ping's qi palace is also full, and it is full of strong and solid true qi. At this moment, he was only one step away from the Heaven Stealing Realm. But even this step away is like a moat. If you step over, you will have the opportunity to step into the air and become the land immortal. If you can't cross it, then you can only be trapped in your state of mind forever in this life, and you can make small fights.

Dong Ping is also extremely cautious about how to take this step. If you want to break through, he can break through at any time. But I always feel that it will be a little less interesting. As for the difference, Dong Ping didn't figure it out.

In the wooden house, Dong Ping and Ruan Li slept in separate beds. Even so, when Ruan Li was asleep, he had to hold Dong Ping's hand tightly. Regarding Ruan Li's life experience and origin, Dong Ping has never asked. He doesn't like to ask about other people's past, just as he doesn't like people to ask about his past.

Halfway through the long night, a crisp bell rang into the oasis. Dong Ping opened his eyes, and after gently pulling out the hand held by Ruan Li, he put on his coat and tiptoed out of the room with a knife. As soon as I came out of the house, I saw the lights in the oasis. The men were looking inside the oasis from the outside, carrying things. Most of those things were pots and pans, and brocade of ready-to-wear. Dong Ping walked out against the flow of people, only to see that the group of camel swordsmen who came in the evening came again. Only this time, they didn't come to pick up something, but to deliver it. Some common objects outside are indeed rare things in this desert. For example, the salt on several camels.

This time, there was one more person. The man rode a dromedary white camel with a large bell around its neck. This camel is radiant, but it is quite a king's style. And the big man with particularly fierce eyes retreated behind the white camel at this time.

The man sitting on the white camel glanced at the crowd and then turned over and jumped off the camel. He walked straight towards Dong Ping's side, and while walking, he also ordered others not to step forward. Before anyone arrives, the sound comes first. With a hearty laugh, the man spoke: "It seems that my brother is recovering well." ”

Dong Ping hugged his fists and said: "Thank you, Your Excellency, for coming to your rescue." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man came a foot in front of him. The man lowered his hood, revealing a face full of the vicissitudes of time. This man is estimated to be in his forties, but his gaze is calm and restrained to the extreme, as if a hundred and ten years have passed. The man's eyes are bulging, his lips are chapped, and he looks like a farmer who has been working in the fields all year round.

The man seemed to be the leader of the group of camel swordsmen, but he didn't have the slightest arrogance. The man stepped forward and stopped Dong Ping's shoulder and said, "Let's find a place to sit down and talk." ”

Although Dong Ping was wary, he couldn't help but be infected by the man's arrogance, he took the man to the wooden house where he lived, and shouted to the house: "Mother-in-law, bring some fruits and dried meat." ”

With that, Dong Ping and the man sat down around the table outside the house. After a while, Ruan Li, who was neatly dressed, took the food and walked out with his head down. After she put it down, the man said aloud: "Sister, there are big bowls at home, take out two." ”

"Yes. Ruan Li answered, and quickly took out two large bowls from the house.

The man took off the water bladder tied around his waist, opened the stopper, and suddenly a mellow aroma of wine lingered in this world.

As soon as Dong Ping smelled the wine, Harazi almost fell out, and he smiled: "Good wine!"

The man poured the two big bowls to the brim, although Dong Ping had a lot to say at this time, but if he had anything to say, he would drink the three bowls first.

It's not just the alcohol, it's because I haven't drunk for many days. As soon as the wine entered his throat, Dong Ping felt faintly up, but his body was comfortable. In the blink of an eye, the two of them made three bowls in a row. As soon as he drank the wine, Dong Ping and the man chatted without saying a word.

Dong Ping said: "I haven't asked my brother Taizun's surname yet." ”

The man smiled: "Guo Yiwei, if my brother doesn't dislike it, call me Brother Guo." ”

"The younger brother's surname is Dong, and his single name is Ping. In distress in the desert, thanks to Brother Guo's rescue......"

Guo Yiwei interrupted Dong Ping and said: "It's just a trivial matter, why worry about it." Besides, I, Guo Yi, respected my brother's affection and righteousness before I came to the rescue. If my brother says thank you, he will humiliate me. Guo Yiwei said, and glanced into the wooden house intentionally or unintentionally. Dong Ping was relieved.

It turned out that on the day of the sandstorm, Guo Yiwei was hurrying on the desert. He inadvertently noticed Dong Ping and Ruan Li, and he was also attracted by the ugly and handsome people at first. Later, when the desert storm hit, he saw that Dong Ping would not abandon the ugly girl, and he couldn't help but admire Dong Ping, so he came to the rescue.

Guo Yiwei asked Dong Ping and Ruan Li why they came to this desert, and Dong Ping briefly told Shi Dingying how he and Ruan Li had been robbed here.

"Shi Dingying ......" Guo Yiwei thought for a while and smiled: "I have lived in the desert for a long time, but I don't know much about the Central Plains. ”

Dong Ping nodded and said, "Brother heard the people here call Brother Guo's subordinates "Tower Guard" before, could it be that this team under Big Brother is called the Tower Guard?"

Guo Yiwei shook his head and smiled: "The tower is the meaning of water in the desert language, and it can also be said to be their patron saint." ”

Dong Ping hugged his fists and said, "Brother has a word that I don't know if to say or not?"

Guo Yiwei waved his hand and said, "Although it is said." ”

Dong Ping stuffed a piece of dried meat into his mouth, chewed it twice, and slowly said: "This desert is sparsely populated, I don't know how Brother Guo can protect it." ”

Guo Yiwei smiled meaningfully and said, "Could it be that my brother suspects me of accepting the benefits of the people in this oasis, and then goes to rob the house for them?"

Dong Ping laughed twice when he heard this, and was almost stuck in his throat by the meat in his mouth, he took a sip of wine and said: "Big brother misunderstood, to put it badly, big brother's soldiers are strong and strong, if you really want some benefits from them, you can't exchange it?"

Guo Yiwei nodded and said slowly: "I don't know if my brother has heard of King Juxi." ”

Dong Ping nodded and said: "Naturally, I have heard that the Great Song Dynasty opened the country, and Song Zu knew the power of the vassal king's rebellion. Therefore, the Great Song Dynasty has always been a feudal king, but there are two exceptions, and the king of Juxi is one of them. Not only that, King Juxi was also the king with a different surname in the fiefdom of the Great Song Dynasty. His fief was in the two prefectures of Ningsu in the western soil. ”

Hearing Dong Ping's words, Guo Yiwei couldn't help but look at him with admiration. When the Great Song Dynasty was founded, in addition to the northern Liao, the Wolf Xia in the west was also extremely fierce. At that time, there was a general surnamed Han under Song Zu, so he was named king by Song Zu, guarding the west, and was named King Juxi. However, later, hurricanes and dust often occurred in the West, and in just a hundred years, a million-hectare desert stretched across the border of Song and Liao. This desert has also become a moat between the two countries. Since then, the king of Jusi has become an ornament. One hundred and fifty years ago, the Great Song Dynasty temple cut off the title of Juxi Palace. In the world, there is no more king of Juxi. There are only a few records of that cutting of the feudal domain in the history books. But Dong Ping knew that between his dozens of words, there must be a great deal of deceit.

Guo Yiwei opened his mouth and said: "Brother doesn't know, although the Great Song Temple picked up the brand of Juxi Wangfu back then, the old prince did not complain. But the Great Song Temple still has to kill the old prince. After cutting the domain, the old prince was idle at home. But a gold medal transferred the old prince to Yanlin. didn't think about it, but the old prince went to the Hongmen banquet. The old prince was beheaded in Beijing, and then the temple sent a large army to Ningzhou. But the disparity between the enemy and us, and the little prince was defeated, so he led the only remaining generals and soldiers to flee to the desert. ”

"Brother Guo is the queen of the Juxi Palace?" asked Dong Ping.

Guo Yiwei nodded and said, "I am the grandson of Guo Rong, the general of the Juxi Palace. After arriving in the desert, the little prince died of illness, and there was a group of dying soldiers and veterans left in the Juxi Palace, but fortunately the people of the desert oasis barely survived. After that, the soldiers of that time made their homes in various oases, married wives and had children, and survived to this day. ”

Dong Ping did not doubt what Guo Yiwei said. If it was the Juxi Palace's rebellion that year, then the history books of the Great Song Dynasty would have been exaggerated to the extreme. But now it seems that the cutting of the feudal domain back then was not glorious.

The birds are all gone, and the good bow is hidden. At this time, Dong Ping's heart felt a burst of empathetic grief.

After a while, Dong Ping asked tentatively: "Didn't General Guo think about waiting for the time to be ripe before killing him?"

Guo Yiwei smiled self-deprecatingly: "It's just a dream, my grandfather didn't have this idea, but after a foreign enemy attacked, he dispelled it." Guo Yiwei didn't go on, but asked Dong Ping if he knew how many oases there were in this desert. Dong Ping shook his head, and Guo Yiwei continued: "There are two hundred and forty-six places. ”

Hearing this number, Dong Ping was dumbfounded. There are 246 oases in the desert, which can be called creation.

Guo Yiwei said lightly, as if he was sad: "At the end of the desert west, there is Wolf Summer. The border guard of Wolf Xia will be named Li Xuanyuan, the second emperor of Wolf Xia. Li Xuanyuan is brutal in life, and he usually feeds on human brains. And his favorite food is the brains of the desert outcasts. At that time, my grandfather was training soldiers, but he suddenly encountered Li Xuanyuan's flying wolf rider who came to the desert to hunt and kill the abandoned people. So the ancestor led his army to confront it, and although he won, he was also defeated. Since then, the ancestors have decided to stay in the desert to keep the people safe. This battle is more than 100 years. Now Li Xuanyuan's old thief is not dead, and he has built a sand city in the desert, which often attacks. Just three hours ago, in another battle, I lost seven or eight of my brothers. ”

"Don't defend the society for the Son of Heaven, I will defend the common people for the people! Okay, what a big spirit! Brother Guo, I, Dong Ping, respect you and all the brothers for a drink!" Dong Ping raised the bowl. Guo Yi laughed heartily and said: "Good brother! The Son of Heaven is a fart, Lao Tzu's life is much more valuable than him!"

Listening to the sound of the two people banging bowls outside the house, they laughed. Ruan Li couldn't figure out how two people who had just met could be called brothers and sisters, so intimate. She really didn't understand, she didn't understand what kind of blood was flowing in Dong Ping's body.

Dong Ping and Guo Yiwei are actually flowing a kind of blood, which is called men's blood and the blood of a child! The friendship between the two has long been mixed into the wine and flowed in the blood.

Dong Ping's heart knot was gradually dissolved by spirits. He seems to understand his life, but he is actually the biggest fool in the world. He asked himself what he was fighting for. It is nothing more than to prove to the world and the temple that he, Dong Ping, can afford to support the backbone of the Great Song Dynasty! But in the past few days, he has been relieved that from now on, he will fight for the world. Fight for one family, for men and women to weave.

At the end of the drink, both of them were a little confused.

Guo Yiwei told Dong Ping: "If my brother wants to leave, my brother can send someone to escort you and your younger siblings out of the desert at any time." ”

Dong Ping looked confused, but in fact, he was clear in his heart, he said: "Don't hurry to go, if there is a chance, the eldest brother will take his brother to fight with that wolf Xia." ”

Dong Ping didn't want to be brave, he knew that although Daliao was fierce now, the western wolf Xia was also fierce. This time, he wanted to see what Wolf Xia was capable of.

At the end of the night, Dong Ping slept soundly for seven or eight hours. When he woke up, Ruan Li was frowning and wiping his forehead for him. Seeing that he woke up, Ruan Li said happily: "I cooked the decanting soup, and you sweated all night last night." ”

A small face, a delicate nose, red lips, bright eyes and bright teeth. Although it was a red scar full of burns on his face, it still couldn't hide the agility and loveliness that Ruan Li exuded. Dong Ping couldn't help but secretly think to himself, Ruan Li's parents should also be the appearance of the Venerable.

Ruan Li brought the decanting soup and sat at the head of the bed and said, "In the past, my father also loved to drink, so A-Niang cooked the decanting soup for him. I secretly learned it and wanted to cook it for him, but Daddy ...... it once."

The words came to an abrupt end, Ruan Li's eyes widened in disbelief and looked at Dong Ping's pasted face, she felt the warmth on her lips, and the fawn slammed into it, almost jumping out of her throat.

In an instant, it seems like ten thousand years. Ruan Li wanted to ask, has the rose in his hometown opened?

Dong Ping left Ruan Li's lips, smiled and whispered: "You are the most wonderful sobering soup." ”

The roots of his ears are red, his neck is red, and Ruan Li's palms are also red. Dong Ping picked Ruan Li's chin and smiled, "You're so funny." ”

A camel bell rang, interrupting the warmth of the two.

Ruan Li hurriedly turned his back to Dong Ping, and said intermittently: "That... That's Brother Guo...... I'll send you..."The decanting soup she was holding in her hand was almost spilled.

Dong Ping smiled, got out of bed and walked outside the house.

As soon as he went out, he saw a strange white camel. A white camel is tied to an iron post, this camel is also a unimodal, very similar to Guo Yiwei's camel, but the teeth are much younger.

Dong Ping stepped forward and patted the camel's neck, and the white camel also rubbed Dong Ping's body affectionately without recognizing it. Dong Ping said lightly: "When Brother Guo left, he didn't tell anything. ”

Ruan Li walked out of the house like a bullied little daughter-in-law, she bowed her head and said, "No... Nope..."

Dong Ping shook his head, how could he not understand Ruan Li's thoughts. Dong Ping turned to Ruan Li and smiled softly: "I will come back." ”