While Qi Ziyin and others stopped to rest, they were blocked by the falling black ice. Yu Li and Zi Yuan, who had to find another way, were still trapped in the large and small subglacial rivers.
It's hard to find a way out of this maze.
What makes their situation even worse is that in this underground labyrinth, in the ice layer of unknown thickness, there are several overlapping layers, and countless forked roads as dense as a spider web. Now, even if they look close,
There is a way out to the ice just a short distance away, but there is a thick layer of black ice between it and everyone. It is impossible to cross it. We are even more afraid of going to the deeper and more elusive depths of the maze, so we dare not
Easily go around.
"Damn it, I don't believe I can't get out of this hellish place!"
Yu Li slammed the broad-backed saber in his hand onto the ground, causing ice shards to fly, but there was nothing he could do.
Zi Yuan on the side took the idea seriously and leaned into his ear to offer advice:
"How about starting from now on, each brigade in the army will take turns to use the long sword in their hands. When passing through each fork in the road, they will carve the surname of the brigade commander, the capital of the post, the name of the captain and the rank on the ice as a mark. Then replace it with
The next team, and so on, is better than running around like headless chickens!"
"What a great idea! You are truly my lucky star!"
Yu Li's frown quickly relaxed as the girl whispered, and he immediately passed on the order. However, what he was waiting for was not the Pengguo army that lined up neatly after receiving the order, but dozens of people.
He is famous for being a junior officer who huddles in a crowd in front of him.
"What? Where are the others?"
Yu Li immediately widened his eyes and looked behind those people, only to see the rest of the Pengguo army standing at a fork in the road fifty steps away, refusing to step forward to take orders. He vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
He immediately shouted:
"Do you want to rebel against the general's orders?!"
One of the low-ranking captains was pushed forward and bowed his hands in a salute. However, he did not dare to raise his head to look at the ferocious face of the young general. He just lowered his head and said to himself:
"General, I - I came here on the orders of the brigade commanders to tell the general that we have traveled thousands of miles to the north, but now that we have lost our troops and generals, we are at the end of the road..."
"Stop talking nonsense, what do you want?!"
Before the other party could finish speaking, Yu Li ran out of patience and interrupted him sharply. The captain was frightened on the spot and knelt down with a plop:
"General, calm down. This - this is what the brigade commander ordered us to say - we, the Pengguo brothers, will never...never listen to the general's orders again..."
The captain's voice became weaker and weaker, and he no longer dared to raise his head. When Yu Li saw this, he did not step forward to use violence as everyone had guessed. Instead, he suppressed his anger and tried his best to maintain the relationship.
Keep your last bit of dignity in the Pengguo army:
"Do you know that this is a mutiny? I, the general, can issue an order now to punish you, as a warning to others! To be honest, why are you acting like this?"
The captain across from him was stunned for a moment, wondering why this young and violent general suddenly changed his gender. However, he who still didn't dare to look up actually didn't realize that the reason why Yu Li was so restrained was because of his sudden change of gender.
Because Zi Yuan was holding her hand firmly beside her.
"Right now, all our remaining dry food has been exhausted. Even the dry wood and tinder used to make fires to keep warm and melt snow to quench our thirst are gone. Now if we turn around and go back, we may still have a glimmer of hope. And if we continue to follow the general.
Running aimlessly, maybe everyone will be trapped and die on this ice sheet..."
"This general can promise that we will definitely be able to find some food tonight. If you give up here, you can forget about your treason just now. But if you continue to be obsessed with it, there is no way I will let you leave alive!"
Hearing what the captain said, Yu Li still said coldly, but he took a step forward, used the scabbard to lift the opponent's chin, forcing him to lift his drooping head and look behind him.
And behind the young general, there were eight hundred half-grown children holding firebolts and muskets, staring eagerly. As long as Yu Li gave an order, they would kill without hesitation.
The captain hurriedly lowered his head, bowed and saluted, stuck out his buttocks, and backed out ten steps away. Just then, he ran wildly with his companions and fled back to a group of Pengguo sergeants in the distance.
"Does the method you taught me really work?"
Yu Li then turned around, looked at the girl who had always been in his ear and offered advice, and asked.
Zi Yuan smiled and said: "You only know how to threaten, but you don't understand that when people are in extreme despair, no matter how much they threaten, it is useless. Now these Pengguo soldiers are just worried about the lack of water and food, and they will not be able to escape.
They died here, but they made this decision because they had no way out. Now, for them, advancing or retreating means death, but you suddenly promised that there will be food tonight, and even a fool should be able to clearly distinguish the pros and cons."
"But now it's less than an hour before sunset. If I can't bring out food tomorrow, but the soldiers on the opposite side still insist on leaving, what should I do?"
Yu Li couldn't help but shook his head. But the girl next to him gave it away: "Don't worry about this. If there is no new food for supplies tomorrow, I am afraid that the eight hundred 'orphan troops' behind us will not be able to
, and will soon eat you and me alive."
The young general did not ask any more questions, but looked at the Pengguo army formation in the distance, which triggered a heated debate.
Half an hour later, the sergeant who delivered the message returned to the young general, but he changed his worried look before. Instead, he smiled with a smile on his face, as if he was afraid that the other party would regret it and said solemnly:
"General, after the Brigade Commander discussed with us, we decided to continue to follow the general. I hope the general can ignore the past grudges and lead the brothers out alive!"
Yu Li snorted noncommittally, waved his hand to signal the other party to leave, then turned his back and grinned at Zi Yuan. Unexpectedly, the girl in front of him frowned attentively, signaling him not to be happy too early. Then
She took half a step forward, hugged the other person's neck with a pair of graceful jade hands, and whispered into the young general's ear:
"Tonight, I need to borrow you to use with the 180 'orphan troops' under your command to prepare dry food for tomorrow..."
Soon, the sky became dark. The originally bright moonlight became dim after passing through several layers of black ice. In the dimness, one could only vaguely see the bodies curled up and sleeping in the river under the ice.
Although they are in human form, it is still easy to distinguish where are the remnants of the Peng Kingdom and where are Yu Li and the 800 "orphan troops" under his command.
Yuli, who had fallen asleep hugging his broad-backed saber, was woken up by a light hand on his face.
"It's past midnight. Hurry up and call the selected children. It's time to go to the Pengguo army formation!"
When Zi Yuan spoke, his breath blew on the young general's face, which immediately made him feel drowsy and sleepless. Amidst the snoring, the group of people tiptoed into the narrow river where the Pengguo army rested.
The differences in their armor revealed the brigade commander who had instigated the mutiny during the day, and the mid-level officers who had sent messages on his behalf.
During the day, after quelling the attempted mutiny, Yu Li and Zi Yuan began to carefully select a dozen people from more than 800 children who were strong and agile. At the moment, these children all had a stick in their mouths.
A dagger that is short in hand but extremely sharp. And their goal is to get rid of those officers in the Pengguo army who dare to take the lead in provoking trouble.
As Yu Rei's raised hand waved down from the air, the "orphan soldiers" who were tens or even a hundred steps away from each other almost simultaneously stabbed the sharp blades in their mouths accurately and ruthlessly into the sleeping people at their feet.
The Pengguo brigade commander, as well as the captain and captain, were on the side of the neck.
Under the severe pain, the stabbed people woke up immediately and struggled desperately. However, their mouths and noses were blocked by the thick strips of cloth wrapped around the palms of the "Orphan Army", and they could not make any sound at all.
. And the blood on his neck that was cut by the knife began to gush out, and soon it gathered on the ground and soaked his clothes and armor.
In the cold, the steaming blood quickly solidified and froze into ice, and the breath of the injured quickly weakened.
Seeing that he succeeded successfully, Yu Li immediately waved his hand, and the "Orphan Army" worked in pairs, picked up the body and left the Pengguo army formation quietly.
The next day, at dawn, Yu Li immediately sent a few more people to the Pengguo army, taking with them more than ten kilograms of fine meat finely chopped into strips, skinned and boned.
According to the "Orphan Army" who delivered the meat, the meat came from a lost giant-antlered deer found during the day yesterday. It is not known how it survived in this barren land of ice and snow, but it eventually became a food for everyone.
The food you come here to satisfy your hunger is worth it.
But what Yu Li didn't expect was that among the more than two thousand Peng soldiers, not one of them raised even the slightest doubt about such an unbelievable explanation. It was as if after eating the meat, they were attacked by a
Invisible hands grasped the tongue and stuck it in the throat.
Soon, the mighty army set off again and continued to march in orderly formation in the underground river. Even though there was a night watchman who was lazy last night in the team, he vaguely noticed something strange around him while dozing off;
Not to mention that some people saw clearly identifiable bright red blood stains where the missing persons lay; even after the army set off, they could still be seen in the section of the river where Yuli and the "orphan army" slept last night
Several human bones still stained with blood, and the skin and flesh could not be peeled off.
However, all the Pengguo soldiers were indifferent to the disappearance of their comrades. It seemed that what they had swallowed whole before was actually the giant-antlered deer of unknown origin that the general said.
Zi Yuan's path-finding method soon proved to be quite effective. Although this maze under the ice seemed complicated, after leaving marks on the forks, the army quickly found a route around the obstacles. After a while, the front was
The air in the river gradually became warmer, and the rumbling sound of the water made everyone excited.
Another day and night passed, and everyone finally found the underground hot spring and continued to head upstream against the spring water. The soldiers who had been hungry and cold for many days cheered and jumped for joy, reaching out to scoop up handfuls of warm water from the spring water.
The hot water moistened their faces and lips that were cracked by the knife-like north wind. Some people even took off their clothes and jumped into the water. It seemed that they had not been so comfortable and relaxed for a long time.
Ziyuan also squatted down alone in a secluded corner by the spring, quietly looking at her hazy reflection in the water. All the delicate features on her face were hidden in the shadows, but they could not restrain themselves from radiating outward.
Cold and ruthless killing intent.
"This time, I have to thank you."
Yu Li walked slowly behind the girl, but the girl who was deep in thought was startled all over. She reacted immediately and hurriedly put a sweet smile on her somewhat overwhelmed face:
"Why thank me? It all depends on the general's courage and knowledge."
While speaking, the girl suddenly turned her back, raised her hands to untie the belt on her chest, opened her front, and let her clothes slide off her shoulders, revealing her round shoulders and white back, and she said shyly:
"I haven't washed myself for many days, and I feel a little uncomfortable. Can the general bring some water up for my little girl and wipe her back and neck?"
Ziyuan said, and threw a small handkerchief with body fragrance behind her. Even if her back was turned to the other party, she could imagine that the expression on Yuli's face at this time was the same as that of those who had been in the Shihua Pavilion.
She was no different from the lecherous men she had served before. Even just thinking about that appearance would make her feel extremely disgusted and hateful.
But even so, for her who has been wandering among men all year round, acting on occasion is as common as breathing, and she will not be easily seen through by the tall and thick general behind her.
Yu Li couldn't believe what he heard. He was excited but also a little shy. He clutched the handkerchief tightly and dared not move forward. When the girl by the spring saw this, she turned around and covered her mouth with a smile:
"Didn't I already agree to marry you when I get back? I'm already yours, so what's there to be ashamed of?"
Yu Li nodded, and finally stepped forward to soak in the water, and wiped the girl's back carefully, but still did not dare to look around.
The young general didn't know what to say. After hesitating, he suddenly smelled a fragrance in his nose. When he turned around, he saw that several Pengguo soldiers had raised a bonfire by the spring in the distance.
The distributed meat slices were roasted on the fire and tasted extremely sweet with the spring water.
He was eager to find something to talk to the person in front of him and said without thinking:
"Miss Ziyuan, apart from drinking some boiled water these days, you haven't taken any pellets. Do you want to eat some meat later?"
"I'm not a beast, I don't eat human flesh."
Before she finished speaking, Ziyuan frowned, stood up and put her clothes back on her shoulders.
The atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward. Yu Li knew he had made a mistake, but he didn't know how to resolve it. He just kneaded the wet handkerchief in his palms.
At this moment, human flesh was roasting by the spring, and the several Pengguo soldiers who were feasting raised their heads and stood up, pointing to a bright spot upstream and began to whisper.
Yu Li and Zi Yuan also noticed something unusual. They no longer cared about comforting each other, and immediately looked in the direction pointed by the soldiers. On the ice above their heads, they saw a large group of black figures moving forward.
It was Qi Ziyin and his party that they were looking for! Only then did they discover that there was a majestic city looming in the hazy mist in front of them!
"Everyone, get up, get up quickly! The Ancestral City is ahead of us, we must not let that brat from Ye Kingdom get there first!"
Yu Li shouted loudly, then looked at the girl next to him, decisively picked up the broad-backed saber at his feet, and followed the footsteps of the figure on the black ice above his head.
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