To protect against wild beasts at night, several men took turns on duty.
The bedding that Xia Zhaoyi slept on was specially roasted by Lao Tong. To avoid the smoke from the fire, Lao Tong specially used the herbs that Xia Zhaoyi had roasted before.
Xia Zhaoyi only discovered it before she went to sleep. The little girl raised her hand and rubbed the quilt. Her hair was hanging down, covering most of her face, and she showed a very shallow smile.
She slept until past midnight on the second day, but no one came to call her.
She put away her clothes a little and went out. It stopped raining and the men had already started working, roasting wood in the most spacious big house in the village.
In the side hall opened on the other side, Lao Tong and Zhao Daqian were measuring the dimensions. Seeing Xia Zhaoyi come in, Zhi Changle quickly put down his work and ran over: "Ah Li, you're awake."
"Yeah." Xia Zhaoyi nodded and looked at the collected wood. He didn't look very optimistic. Many of them were very wet.
"Would you like something to eat?" Lao Tong also came over, "The medicine is also frying over there."
"Okay." Xia Zhaoyi responded, "I can go by myself."
After coming out of the big house, Xia Zhaoyi did not go to the house over there immediately. She stepped on the mud puddles and water to walk to the end, where she stood on a small slope and looked into the distance.
The breeze is blowing, the air is fresh, the river is rushing past the ground beneath your feet, and the water is covered with weeds and branches.
Her thin clothes were lifted up by the wind, her back was thin, and she stood tall and straight.
"What are you looking at?" A male voice came from behind, and a tall man came over holding firewood with a short knife on his back.
Xia Zhaoyi's eyes did not move, always looking to the left front, and said in a deep voice: "Pang Yi, do you know how far away from Peifeng is this place?"
"It's less than an hour's journey," Pang Yi replied, "This is for me."
Xia Zhaoyi nodded and said no more.
"What's wrong?" Pang Yi looked at the little girl who only reached his waist.
"It's quite close," Xia Zhaoyi turned around, raised his head and smiled, "Then do you know who is currently stationed in Peifeng City?"
Pang Yi shook his head: "I don't know about that, but I know who the people at Wanshan Pass are."
"Wanshan Pass?"
"Ah Li, do you know what a rebel is?" Pang Yi asked.
Xia Zhaoyi blinked: "You mean, there are rebels at Wanshan Pass?"
Pang Yi nodded, looked up at the distant mountains, his dark face was clear-cut, and said in a deep voice: "I originally wanted to go there, but the road is too difficult. If it weren't for you, I might have gotten lost.
It’s in the mountains.”
"Then, how long have you been traveling?"
"It's been half a month."
"Is Zhao Daqian also together?"
"Yeah." Pang Yi responded without hesitation, without any cover-up.
To surrender to the rebels would be to be beheaded. Although he felt that this girl was not a simple girl, no matter how simple she was, she was still just a girl. He had no need to be on guard against her, not to mention that at this time, there was no need to be on guard.
Xia Zhaoyi withdrew his gaze, looked over there, and said softly: "Wanshan Pass."
"Ah Li?" Pang Yi also shouted like Lao Tong and Zhi Changle.
After a long silence, Xia Zhaoyi suddenly smiled lightly and said, "Don't seek refuge, it's useless."
"Um?"
"The terrain is not good. There are wolves in front and tigers behind. If it hadn't been for the heavy rain, these rebels might have succeeded. But the rain will continue to fall for several days. In the end, less than 20% of them will survive."
Saying that, Xia Zhaoyi stretched out his hand.
The wind suddenly became biting and blew against them. Her thin little hands spread out to catch a few drizzles.
"Look, it's going to rain again," Xia Zhaoyi said softly, "This rain is God's destiny to continue Daqian and drag down the footsteps of these rebels."
She didn't know whether it was luck or sadness, but she was surprised to find that there was no wave in her heart at all.
She didn't care whether Daqian prospered or declined.
………………
Three days passed quickly, and there was not much food left in the city. The rescue they were waiting for had not yet arrived, and the heavy rain continued.
The night fell, and only the sound of water filled the sky. He Chuanjiang couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned until the middle of the night. He sat up from the bed, turned on a lamp, and came out to sit at the door and stare at the torrential rain in a daze.
The whole city was silent, and the lanterns were blown down by the wind or knocked out by the rain. The remaining ones glowed faintly, and there were shadows in the night.
At dawn, He Chuan Jiang Huo stood up, holding the lamp in his hand, holding an umbrella, and strode into the rain.
In the dark hall of Tianbu Mansion, the water flowed so fast that it submerged to the knees. The entire hall and cell had long been empty. The wind whimpered in through the iron windows, mixed with dense rainwater, and washed away the original rotten odor and sweat acid in the hall and cell. .
He Chuanjiang stepped on the water and stopped in front of the iron fence not far from the door: "Open the door."
The guard stepped forward to unlock the door, and the hanging chain was lifted and pulled away. The sound of metal collision was sharp and heavy.
The figure lying on his side facing the inner wall in the cell moved slightly and looked back.
He Chuanjiang walked over and called out: "Mr. Ji."
The figure on the bed has messy hair with a few strands of gray, and his clothes are old, washed out, and have several patches.
Ji Hong was a little annoyed when he was woken up. After seeing the person clearly, he stood up from the bed and smiled hoarsely: "Master He."
"It's been three days," He Chuanjiang looked at him and said directly, "Mr. Ji, can you inform He first of the three promises you made."
Ji Hong smiled, raised his hands to straighten his clothes, and then slightly arranged his hair. He leaned his back against the wall and said, "I really didn't expect that Zhao Ming is such a tough person."
He Chuanjiang lowered his head slightly and nodded: "Yes, General, he has always been like this."
"You want to know what conditions I want to offer, then I want to ask you, do you think you can persuade Zhao Miao?"
"Mr. Ji, tell me first, and then I will think about it. If it can be done, I can give it a try."
Ji Hong laughed and said: "That is very difficult. After all, it is not easy for me to solve your current problem, and I have always been a person who values equal exchange."
He Chuanjiang frowned, calmed down, and said, "Sir, speak first."
"Haha," Ji Honglang smiled, looked at him, nodded and said, "Okay, first, I want to find the body of a girl. Her name is Lin Youqing. She was born in the Jiaxu year and died on the 12th or 13th of June this year. At the Longhu Hall in Zhaoyun Mountain, Chongyi. It is said that the corpses were buried in the back mountain. You may need to hire more people, because there are no tombstones in those isolated graves, and you can't tell which one is new and which one is old."
"Dig the grave," He Chuanjiang raised his eyebrows, "I have been dead for more than two months. This body is probably..."
"It's nothing. What's even worse is the entire hilltop. It's said that there are piles of corpses on top of it. They've been exposed to the sun for so long, so you think..." Ji Hong smiled and stopped talking.
He Chuanjiang took a deep breath and said, "Then, what about the second thing?"
