On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Pan Long and Han Feng played all day in Wugong Town.

Coincidentally, the first day of the new year is the beginning of spring, and the New Year and the Spring Festival are the same day, so it is particularly lively. Competitions, fairs, and festivals are being held one after another. Han Feng dragged Pan Long around and rushed everywhere.

They gathered into the procession of sacrifices in the fields outside, and were sprinkled with willow branches with a few waters, and everyone laughed together.

They walked around the bazaar, buying a lot of all kinds of food, and Pan Long could barely hold it with his hands - he didn't eat much snacks, these were all eaten by Han Feng, who boasted that "my ancestors must have gluttonous blood".

They watched the games, watching the strong men shirtless on a cold day carrying the statues of the gods, shouting "Guotai Min'an" while walking up and down the streets, cheering with the crowd.

It was a lively day.

But no amount of excitement will eventually pass, and on the second day of the Lunar New Year, they set off with the caravan and headed south.

The number of caravans in Wugong Town is not large, only fourteen or fifteen people. Their means of transport are donkey horses and unicycles, not to mention donkeys and horses, although the carrying capacity of unicycles is poor, but they are better adapted to rough and narrow terrain than ordinary vehicles, and can be used to climb over the plank road of Jungnam Mountain.

Of course, relying on such transportation conditions, it was naturally impossible for them to go very fast, and they stopped and stopped along the way, and it was not until the evening that they only walked twenty-five or six miles.

"This is too slow!" When camping at night, Han Feng said to Pan Long in private, "I can't even walk thirty miles a day, and now it's still a flat road." This is going to the plank road, won't they be like turtles crawling!"

Pan Long also felt that these merchants were really walking a little slowly—when they followed the Chang'an caravan before, they had to walk forty miles a day.

The two discussed it for a while, and then resigned to the leader of the caravan.

The leader did not stop him, on the contrary, he was quite happy to part with the two young men.

When you go out, pay attention to harmony and make money, endure if you can endure it, and let it go. But these two young men carried bows and swords, their movements were vigorous, and their eyes were keen, and they knew at a glance that they were young warriors who roamed the rivers and lakes. This kind of person is young and vigorous, he can't afford to lose anything, he can't swallow half of his breath, and with them, he will cause trouble if he is not in trouble!

He didn't refuse Pan Long and Han Feng's request to join before, but he was just in the habit of "not causing trouble". Now that the two of them offered to leave, it was too late for him to be happy.

Early in the morning of the third day of junior high school, Pan Long and Han Feng had breakfast and set off.

They rode two horses bought in Wugong Town, and walked leisurely on the road. Naturally, the horses can't go fast, but they are much faster than the caravans. Soon, they left the caravan far behind.

At the end of the day, according to the milestones on the side of the road, they had already walked thirty-five or sixteen miles, a lot faster than the caravan.

Unfortunately, when they rested at night, both horses looked tired, and it was obvious that they could not travel so much anymore.

"This horse is really bad!" Looking at their listless appearance, Han Feng said unhappily, "Compared to our previous horses, it's too far behind!"

But there was no way around it, and their horses had already been sold along with the wagon. In Wugong Town, you can't buy any particularly good horses.

Although it is said that good horses come out of the northwest, good horses have naturally been monopolized by large mule and horse chambers of commerce, and they are transported to the Central Plains in groups to be sold. Want to buy a good horse in a small place like Wugong Town...... It's not impossible, it's just that the price is too unreasonable.

In the days when Han Feng was drunk and asleep, Pan Long had already visited all the shops in Wugong Town, and naturally asked about the price of horses. He was going to buy two good horses, but after some consideration, he decided to switch to a colt.

"If you can't run, you can't run, tomorrow we'll walk and lead the horse. Listening to Han Feng's complaints, he said lightly, "Or we can walk for half a day and ride a horse for half a day...... Anyway, everything is thrown in the bag, and there is no need to carry weights, so it is quite easy to walk. ”

Han Feng pondered for a while, and felt that it seemed to be okay, so he didn't complain.

For the next few days, they walked and rode horses, alternating between the two, and the pace was not slow.

The horse could not run fast and could not carry heavy loads. But normal walking, without weight, is effortless for them, and on the contrary, they can regain some strength. In this way, they are not tired, Pan Long and Han Feng can also rest for a while from time to time, and the trip becomes easier.

But when they walked through Shanbei Town at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain and began to walk on the road of mountaineering, the situation was finally different.

Mt. Jungnam is not a particularly steep mountain, and its mountain path is not particularly rugged. At least compared to the Ghost Gate Mountain that Pan Long and the others had walked before, this famous mountain was much friendlier.

Not only that, but the road over Jungnam Mountain was also built quite wisely.

It is said that this mountain road was planned by Emperor Jiazi himself in the past, and it is winding to walk on the lower ground as much as possible. Although the road is long, the mountains are relatively not that high.

The mountains are not high, the climate is naturally not too cold, and the air is not too thin. For those who have to go over the mountains, it is totally worth it to go the extra mile in exchange for this benefit.

Of course, if a martial arts master is in a hurry, he can naturally walk along the old mountain road before the establishment of the Great Xia Dynasty, in that case, maybe it only takes two or three days to cross Zhongnan Mountain.

Just like when the caravan of the Chang'an Chamber of Commerce crossed the Guimen Mountain, it was a little more difficult, but it was indeed fast enough.

Generally speaking, roads like the old mountain road of Jungnan Mountain and the mountain road of Ghost Gate Mountain are common sense. Roads like the Zhongnan Mountain Plank Road are relatively rare.

The plank road is long, the construction is difficult, and the maintenance cost is also high. This approach is not in line with people's long-standing habits.

If it weren't for the prestige of Emperor Jiazi and the fact that everyone obeyed his command, this kind of long plank road that went around and around would not have been able to be built at all.

It wasn't until the plank road was repaired and it became easy and safe to pass through Zhongnan Mountain along the plank road that people understood how far-sighted Dijiazi was.

It's a pity that with the passage of time, the maintenance of this plank road by the imperial court has gradually decreased, and this once safe "Zhongnan Smooth Road" is no longer as smooth as it was back then.

The horse neighed because the plank was broken, but it couldn't stabilize its body, and it crooked out of the plank road, and fell down with a neigh, falling into the woods not very far below, and in an instant only the sound of collision was left, and no horse could be heard.

Pan Long and Han Feng looked at each other, and cold sweat was on their foreheads.

They were supposed to be strong in martial arts, but they were only leading horses on foot, and neither people nor horses were burdened, so they were completely lightly armed, and they should be safer. Who knew that it had only been half a day before this situation was encountered.

"Just now...... I even wanted to pull it. After a long time, Han Feng came to his senses and said in a trembling voice, "If I had pulled it just now...... I'm afraid it's ...... Did you fall down?"

Pan Long nodded solemnly: "A horse is not light, you can't hold it." And even if you hold it, God knows if the plank under your feet will hold it...... On this road, I'm afraid we won't be able to take the horses with us. When this plank road is finished, we will release it back into the mountains and forests, so as not to bury its life in vain. ”

The two of them tried to move forward with trepidation, and the road of just five or six miles took most of the day, until the sun set, and they were considered to have completed this plank road.

Along the way, they encountered three or four times when the planks were rotten and broken, but fortunately, they were prepared to avoid danger.

Naturally, this way is very depleting to the spirit. As soon as they got out of the plank road, they couldn't help but gasp for air, as if they wanted to vomit all the thrilling excitement of the day and let themselves settle down.

The section of the mountain road between the plank roads is built on a relatively gentle hillside. Not to mention the wide road, there are several open spaces paved with stones, and at a glance you can see that it is used for pedestrians to rest. In the clearing, there are even a few wooden houses that look almost identical, enough to shelter from the wind and rain.

Pan Long and Han Feng released the lucky horse, watched it unload its harness and happily walked into the mountains and forests, then put away its things and chose a wooden house to enter.

The hut was much stronger than they had expected, and it looked like it had been repaired. It may be that passers-by are maintaining it, or that mountain people who go into the mountains to collect medicine and hunt are keeping it in good condition.

They even saw some chopped dry wood, soft grass, and ready-made fire sickles and velvet next to the stove.

"This is the so-called 'hunter's hut', right?" Lighting the fire, Han Feng sat down by the stove to roast the fire, and said happily, "Every pedestrian who passes by can spend the night here." As a price, help replenish the firewood before leaving...... I've only heard people mention it before, but I didn't expect to see it with my own eyes today!"

The bitter cold of the Northland, the danger lurking in the wilderness, there is no room for long-term residence, and naturally there is no "hunter's hut". Zhongnan Mountain may not be safe, but it is close to the hinterland of Kyushu, and there are many people who go into the mountains to hunt and hunt for treasures. After all, it's still close to the outside world, and it's not surprising that there are well-maintained hunters' huts.

The two closed the doors and windows, tightened the latch, took turns sleeping, and spent the night in peace. At night, only the mountain wind could be heard, and there was a faint sound of wild beasts roaring, which made people a little uneasy.

When the shift was changed, Han Feng suddenly said, "Brother Long, the horse we let go...... Could it be eaten by some beast?"

Looking at his somewhat melancholy appearance, I am afraid that he has been on duty for several hours at night, thinking about it.

Pan Long was stunned for a moment and replied, "Being eaten can only be regarded as unlucky." Besides, it doesn't have to be eaten. Anyway, at least it's better than walking with us and falling to your death like the previous horse. ”

Han Feng thought about it, smiled reassuringly, and then went to sleep, snoring as loudly as a drum.

"This kid looks heartless, but in fact, his mind is quite slender. Looking at his sleeping appearance, remembering his frowning and worried look just now, Pan Long couldn't help but smile, "After all, it's still a child, even if it's a horse, after so many days together, there will be feelings." ”

He looked at the flames in the furnace and listened to the mountain wind and the sound of beasts outside, but he couldn't help but think of the two worlds he experienced in the fragments of the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

(Do those two worlds really don't exist when I'm away?)

(What will happen if they continue to exist?)

(Fragments of the Book of Mountains and Seas, Kyushu Ding, Emperor Jiazi, my ancestors...... What kind of story does it have between them?)

Thinking about it, he suddenly smiled.

Life is full of unknowns, and there are enough secrets waiting for you to explore, which is interesting!

Isn't this life full of dangers but also opportunities exactly what I have always wanted to pursue when I lived in a peaceful world?

(It's nice to be able to travel to such a world and have such an opportunity!)