The caravan left the boundary of Guzang and traveled west for two days before they saw a small city surrounded by rammed earth walls ten feet high.

This place is called Panhe County. It was originally a county in Hexi during the Han Dynasty and governed the three counties of Panhe, Xianmei and Liqian. However, during the Five Hus and Sixteen Kingdoms, Panhe County suffered from wars and experienced successive

Li Qianrong rebelled, Houliang was in civil strife, Tuwugu rebelled, Houliang built Nanliang, Northern Liang destroyed Nanliang, etc.

The mutual attacks between many forces caused the population to decrease significantly, which was far lower than during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Then at the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Hexi was involved in a great chaos that lasted for eight years. By the Northern Zhou and Sui Dynasties

, Panhe abolished the county and turned it into a county, so it became the small town it is today.

It was midsummer, and the sun was scorching, making people hot and sweaty. Even so, when the people of Panhe County heard that a large caravan was coming, they went out of the city to welcome it, scrambling to welcome the caravan members into their homes.

at home.

Because the land in Panhe County is barren and most people work in the fields, even if there are no disasters, the food earned in a year cannot guarantee food and clothing. Therefore, the people of Panhe County provide food and clothing for business travelers based on the purpose of convenience for others and their own convenience.

They can earn some money and supplies by staying in the hotel, but they have not seen business travelers for a month, and many people are almost in trouble at home.

He Panyi, Li Yao, An Sanniang and others were welcomed by a shopkeeper with a yellow beard, a tall nose and deep eyes to the largest restaurant in Panhe City, "Ligan Pavilion". When Li Yao saw the name of the shop, he felt that this shopkeeper was very special.

It is possible that he is a descendant of "Li Qirong".

After settling into the room and taking a quick shower, Li Yao, An Sanniang, and Yu Qiaoqiao, led by the shopkeeper's wife, came to a large tree with a thick shade like a canopy outside the door of "Ligan Pavilion".

To escape the summer heat and enjoy the coolness under the locust tree, this

It was the hottest time in the afternoon, and the cicadas in the trees were noisy, making it difficult to calm down. However, there were many mats spread under the trees, and the wind would blow from time to time, so it was considered the coolest place nearby.

.

Li Yaozhen sat on the mat, gently shaking his fan, chatting with An Sanniang and Yu Qiaoqiao. When the waiter brought fruits and buttermilk, Li Yaozhen saw the waiter's face.

The appearance was somewhat similar to that of the shop owner, so he smiled and said: "The name of your shop is very good, it is very artistic."

Upon hearing this, the store clerk was very pleased and said with a little pride: "To be honest, we are Liqian people, descendants of Tuwusi, the great Chan of the Zhizhi branch of the Xiongnu. We have lived here for generations since Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty.

It has been more than six hundred years, and in the entire Panhe territory, we Liqian people have the largest number of registered residences..."

"Man, what are you dawdling about? Why don't you hurry up and get me a few jars of drinks!"

As the store clerk was talking, he suddenly heard a roar like thunder coming from nearby. He quickly nodded and bowed in response, and then ran back to the store to get a drink.

Li Yao looked around following the sound and happened to meet the eyes of a big man. He saw that he was about thirty years old, with a beard all over his face, a strong back and a strong back. He had five fingers spread out on his right hand, grabbing a bamboo hat and fanning himself hard. His body was covered with wind.

When he blew, the dust flew up. He held a horizontal knife in his left hand and looked at Li Yao with eyes full of surprise and strong possessiveness.

Li Yao quickly looked away, feeling immediately wary. He then looked around and saw that there were four people nearby who were dressed similarly to the bearded man. All of them were holding bamboo hats in their hands and carrying horizontal knives at their waists.

There is a hint of cruelty hidden in him, and he doesn't look like a kind person no matter how he looks.

At this time, An Sanniang took a piece of cantaloupe, sat next to Li Yao, and said with a bright smile: "Mingzhen, come and try this honeydew melon. It's very sweet."

Li Yao thanked her, but he didn't expect that just after he took the melon, An Sanniang's mouth came close to her ear without any trace, and whispered: "I see something is wrong."

As she spoke, she naturally raised her voice and asked with a smile: "What do you think?"

An Sanniang found that although the five bearded men looked like a group of people, they did not speak to each other or even make a single exchange of glances. They just looked around casually and even had their own drinks. Then she

It was also discovered that Li Yao seemed to be aware of it, so he quietly came over to ask.

Li Yao tacitly knew that the "something wrong" mentioned by An Sanniang was referring to the five men with knives including the bearded man. He nodded lightly and said: "Not bad."

After the waiter had set the drinks for the big man with a long beard, Li Yao left the table, picked up a plate of melon, and walked towards the big man with a long beard, waving his fan.

The big man with a beard removed the seal from the small wine jar, held the jar and started drinking. He took a big gulp. Unexpectedly, when he raised his head, he saw a face as fair as jade. He immediately choked on the wine and coughed violently.

Li Yao covered his lips with his fan, deliberately smiled, placed the plate of melon in front of the bearded man, sat down on the mat, gave a slight salute to the bearded man, and said with a half-smile: "Blessings are boundless."

Heavenly Lord, please forgive me for disturbing you. I have a strange face, and there is a faint evil look between my eyebrows. If I am not mistaken, I will soon encounter a catastrophic disaster, and I am afraid my life will be in danger."

The big man with a beard had just taken a breath, and when he heard Li Yao's last words, he choked again. His face turned red, and his big eyes were about to pop out. It took him a long time to catch his breath.

, coupled with the fact that he had never seen a woman who took the initiative to strike up a conversation with a man, he couldn't help but sigh.

She said angrily: "You little nun, don't think that everyone will believe your Taoist stuff, my life will be in danger? What a joke! On the contrary, you are beautiful and you are so close, aren't you afraid?

Can’t you bear to take advantage of me?”

Li Yaowan shook his fan lightly and said calmly: "I'm just here to give you a warning. It's up to you whether you believe it or not. Your life is yours. As for me, I will never be afraid of you doing something excessive."

The big man with a beard snorted coldly and said, "I really don't know where your confidence comes from."

Li Yao glanced at the left hand of the big man with a beard that was holding the handle of the knife, and said: "You never leave your hand with the knife. You are obviously a person who is used to doing dangerous things."

The big man with a beard did not change his expression and said sarcastically: "Everyone can see what I look like."

"You are right." Li Yao was noncommittal, but smiled slightly and said: "But most people don't know that your life is in the hands of others. That person can kill you at any time, just like trampling to death.

Just an ant."

The big man with a sharp beard immediately asked with vigilance: "What do you mean by this?"

Li Yao picked up a neatly cut piece of melon, handed it to the bearded man, and said, "I won't tell you until you eat this melon."

The big man with the beard felt a slight suddenness in his heart. He felt that this female crown was too weird. A few understatement words successfully aroused the curiosity and uneasiness in his heart. He couldn't help but secretly stabilize his mood, put down the bamboo hat and stretched out his right hand.
Chapter completed!