From Zhaozhou to Hengxiang, it takes two days by water and two more days by land.
At noon, Lao Tong stopped by the clear lake to enjoy the cool air. The sky was clear and the water was clear. The green forests on the other side were like the sea. When the wind blew, waves of green waves rolled over each other, making it vast and boundless.
The tea shop on the roadside set up a large shed to block the sun. The waiter brought tea and cakes. Old man Qi wanted to drink, so he ran outside the carriage and asked Xia Zhaoyi if he could, but Xia Zhaoyi refused.
Old Man Qi muttered and cursed in a low voice. When he heard the sound of carriages coming from behind, Old Man Qi turned around and saw an unusual horse team walking down the road.
They were all fat and strong horses, with six guards leading the way. The carriage behind them was luxurious and luxurious, and even the clothes on the driver's body were made of very good materials.
The carriage slowly stopped at the tea shop, and the people on their way in the tea shop quickly moved away to make room, knowing that this was someone not easy to mess with.
The attendant who followed the carriage whispered to the curtains of the carriage, and then went to the tea shop to find the shopkeeper.
Everyone looked at them in silence.
"It's so public," Old Man Qi said to Zhi Changle and Old Tong after he came back, "I wonder who is on the carriage."
"It's not necessarily flamboyant," Zhi Changle said, "Maybe it's the most ordinary and low-key trip, but it's just that person's natural class."
Old Man Qi gave a thumbs up: "As expected of someone who has been with Ah Li for a long time."
After drinking tea and taking a rest, Lao Tong and Zhi Changle returned to the carriage and continued on their way.
At nightfall, they arrived at the mouth of a mountain stream on the outskirts of the city, only seventy miles away from Hengxiang. They stopped at an inn at the foot of the mountain.
As the water rushed down the mountain stream, Xia Zhaoyi ate some cakes and wanted to go for a walk, so Old Man Qi hurriedly followed.
"This old guy keeps talking to Ah Li about the quality of stones and soil." Lao Tong looked at their backs and said dissatisfiedly.
"Our Ah Li is well-informed and knowledgeable. Who wouldn't love chatting with her?" Zhi Changle said proudly.
As he finished speaking, he saw the team of carriages and horses coming back on the road they came from.
There are only a few inns here. When the horse teams come to stop, just like the tea shops seen during the day, the people in the inns give in one after another.
The entourage opened the car curtain and reached out to pull out a person from the car. Everyone stared curiously. He was a thin man about forty years old, wearing rich clothes and jade robes.
The man is dignified and strong, with bright and sharp eyes, a solemn face, and a commanding presence without anger.
He didn't look at anyone else. Several guards cleared the way, and he followed them into the inn.
"Actually, there are people like this everywhere," Zhi Changle said. "Every one of the high-ranking officials we saw in the capital had such a pomp."
"That's right." Lao Tong said.
"But there is only one Ah Li. Who in the world doesn't want Ah Li."
Lao Tong held up his chin and gave Changle a sideways glance: "You're getting better and better at flattering me every year."
A row of lanterns under the eaves of several inns were swaying in the wind. The group immediately went to an inn to rest. After a while, the open space in front of the inn became lively again.
Xia Zhaoyi and Old Man Qi came back slowly half an hour later. The sky was filled with stars, the moonlight was cold, and smoke-like clouds occasionally drifted by, like a thin gauze covering the moon.
Old Man Qi saw the horses and carriages parked there and said, "What a coincidence, we bumped into them again."
Xia Zhaoyi glanced casually and looked away.
The next day, they got up early and set out. They stopped to rest at a tea shop in the suburbs of Hengxiang at noon. Not long after, they met this group of people again.
Xia Zhaoyi did not get off the carriage just like yesterday. The curtains were rolled up and she was leaning on the carriage reading a book.
The horse team behind slowly stopped. The entourage following outside the carriage saw the carriage, then looked at Zhi Changle and Lao Tong over there, and whispered to the middle-aged man in the carriage.
Old Man Qi said while eating peanuts: "Their goals are big, and our goals are not small either. The carriage is not as luxurious as theirs, but in these troubled times, those who have a carriage are not ordinary people, and they will definitely remember us."
.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the follower approaching. He cupped his hands and said with a smile: "We have met several strong men many times. It is really a chance."
Lao Tong and Zhi Changle proudly raised their hands and cupped their fists: "Easy to say!"
"Seen it!"
"You brave men are also going to Hengxiang?" the entourage said with a smile.
"Yes, let's go to Hengxiang." Lao Tong said.
"What a coincidence, we are also going to Hengxiang. Are any of you from Hengxiang?"
Xia Zhaoyi raised his eyes from the scroll and looked out the window.
Zhi Changle shook his head: "We are not going to Hengxiang to meet an old friend. What about you? Are you from Hengxiang?"
"No, we are also looking for people from Hengxiang," the entourage said with a smile, "the two warriors have such thick arms and strong strength. If they become soldiers, they will definitely be able to accomplish something."
Zhi Changle and Lao Tong's expressions froze and they did not answer.
They were originally soldiers, but they were deserters.
And during those few years as a soldier, I didn't accomplish anything.
The atmosphere was frozen for a moment, and Old Man Qi waved his hand: "Let's go, let's go quickly. We have rested enough and want to hit the road. You can go quickly too. Let's go our own way."
The entourage was not embarrassed, he held up his hands and said with a smile: "If we meet again by chance in Hengxiang, we will really hit it off. Then don't rush the kids anymore. Let's sit down and drink tea and make friends."
Old Man Qi looked impatient and waved his hand again: "Let's go quickly."
The entourage said goodbye with a smile and left.
Lao Tong and the others did not stay long. After eating and drinking for a while, they came back.
Old Tong and Zhi Changle were driving outside. Old Man Qi got into the car and told Xia Zhaoyi that the group had bad intentions and seemed to want to recruit Old Tong and Zhi Changle into the gang.
"A person like this who goes around recruiting soldiers and horses is definitely not a kind person," Old Man Qi emphasized. "Ms. Zhao is very popular. If we go to the city to find her, we may cause trouble again."
Xia Zhaoyi smiled lightly and put away the book.
The carriage is bumpy and it is not appropriate to watch anymore.
She looked out at the color of the lake. The sky reflected the large lake, clear and transparent, and the sky and the earth seemed to be parallel to two large pure white clouds. She felt relaxed and happy.
"When I mentioned this, I suddenly thought that there is another mysterious thing about Hengxiang." Xia Zhaoyi said.
"Mysterious?" Old Man Qi noticed her choice of words.
"A few years ago, we had an encounter under the Dragon Abyss," Xia Zhaoyi looked out the window, "later we escaped death, and someone wrote me a letter. She asked me to protect myself, preferably three
Do not go to Hengxiang and Zhenzhou within a month, and try to avoid the nearby state capitals of Hengxiang and Zhenzhou."
"Escape from death and protect yourself," Old Man Qi frowned, "Ah Li, does that sound serious?"
"It's okay, but there were more important things to do at the time, so I forgot about this letter."
