Winter turns to spring, the ice melts and the snow melts, Mulu City also ushered in the first Lantern Festival in more than ten years without any night ban. With the end of the war, the streets and alleys in the city were filled with laughter and laughter, and it seemed that it still Immersed in the strong flavor of the new year, spring has arrived in a blink of an eye, when flowers are blooming and insects and birds are waking up.
Qi Ziyin's schoolwork is becoming increasingly heavy, and Gou Qinghong will take exams every three days to recite various famous classics, which makes him very troubled. In addition to participating in training in Mo Ling Guard, Jiang Yan will hold a book every day as long as he has some free time. There were so many novels and unofficial histories about the great rise to the dynasty that I didn’t even think about food and drinks. I even didn’t go back to Jia Yunzhai very much.
With no one to play with, Ning Yue suddenly had a lot of free time in her hands. Just a few days after these days, she began to feel a little bored, and she always felt empty in her heart. Every night, she was endlessly occupied. The complicated dreams made him unable to sleep. Some of the dreams were about Jiang Yan and Qi Ziyin, but more often, they were about the home deep in the Chanying Sea that he once wanted to completely forget.
I wonder if my father, who is a high priest, has ever sent people to the mainland to look for me? I don’t know if my mother at home is well now, and if she is missing me.
Ning Yue gradually realized that she might be suffering from a disease called homesickness.
Ever since the last big riot in the Shihua Mansion, the homesickness has been increasing day by day, like a little wild mouse hiding in the backyard, emerging from the grass nest from time to time to remind the girl. However, there is no cure for this disease. The more free time she has, the more random thoughts she will have, and she can only fill herself up with more and more things.
So whenever she had free time, the red-haired girl would wander around the city alone. Sometimes she would go to Quyuan Street to spend some money and listen to the opera, and sometimes she would go to Zitong Street to taste some fresh snacks. And she liked cooking the most. The best thing to do is to go to the canal and listen to the chats of the travelers who came on the boat. Although Ning Yue could not understand many of the stories told by these people, only at this time could she put those complicated thoughts behind her. back.
On this day, the girl who had tossed and turned on the bed all night got up early again, sat on the stone pier used to tie the boat by the canal, and listened to the travelers talking about some strange things from all over the world. It lasted all morning. When her stomach began to growl and she woke up, she realized that it was already midday when the sun was rising and smoke was everywhere.
She could vaguely smell the fragrance of burning dumplings in her nose, tempting Ning Yue to walk towards the market with small steps. Today's Zitong Street is different from the past. Although it is not a festival, it is a lively scene with gongs and drums. At the City God Temple In the square in front of her, she unexpectedly saw a huge creature lying prone on the ground, and she couldn't even name it!
The animal was carrying a bamboo horse on its back. It was covered with long hair hanging straight down to the ground. It had a pair of flat and large heads on the sides. Its ears were like cattail leaf flapping gently, and its nose was as thin and long as a sea squid. Its tentacles are generally flexible. In its mouth, there are two curved tusks that appear to be much taller than Ning Yue. They look very powerful.
"Oh my god, what kind of monster is this? Can it eat people?"
The red-haired girl took a breath of air and was a little timid and did not dare to move forward. The same was true for all the vendors and lackeys in the market, who did not dare to come forward and take a closer look.
However, there was a team of nearly a hundred people, dressed very differently from the ordinary people in the city, who gathered around the strange animal without fear, as if they were not worried that it would hurt them.
There were men and women in the team, most of them seemed to be servants and maids, and there were 11 strong men who looked like warriors. The leader held two thick iron chains in his hand. The other end of the iron chain was worn at the other end. On the ears of large animals.
The warriors wore simple clothes and trousers made of various beast furs and linen. Even though the weather was cold, their breasts were still exposed, and large black tattoos were exposed on their bare arms. All their heads were shaved. Clean, with only a little finger-thick rat tail left on the top of his blue-gray head, he looked like he was fighting and fighting.
Ning Yue suddenly remembered that she had heard someone talking by the canal. Towards the north, on a vast grassland, there existed a small border country called Shuodi that had not entered the Central Plains for many years. Instead of calling it a country, , it is better to say that it is a wild and backward tribal alliance. The warriors there drink blood from hair, and when fighting, they will charge on tusked mammoths as tall as mountains. Moreover, they never wear armor, and they are not afraid of death. It's like the God of War descending to earth.
"Could this long-haired animal be the mammoth in the story? And those people with rat tails are the brave Shuodi warriors?"
Thinking of this, Ning Yue suddenly felt that she was no longer so scared. Instead, she became extremely curious about the team of people and elephants in front of her. Just as she stretched her neck to look forward, the man holding the mammoth The leader of Xiang's warriors also opened his mouth at the same time and shouted loudly to the crowd of onlookers, with a strange accent from the wild land evident in his words:
"My name is Dulie. I am going south this time on the orders of Hehan of the Muyun tribe to escort the princess Bakwuqin Tuya to the country of Ye for marriage. Before the king agrees to receive us, among you southerners If anyone thinks he can beat me, he might as well come forward and give it a try. If he can win, you can choose from the gold coins, gems, and cow and sheep leather materials we have brought!"
After the other party finished speaking, he stretched out his hand and pointed to the ten carts pulled by packhorses beside Mammoth. Their trip was huge, and in addition to baggage and yurts for camping, boxes and boxes were sent to Ye Guo on the carts. A gift from the king.
Only then did Ning Yue notice that there was a young girl sitting in the carriage with a curtain hanging on the back of the mammoth. She lifted up a corner of the curtain with her slender hands, seeming a little frightened. He glanced outside and immediately put it down. She must be the princess Du Lie mentioned.
"Are these Shuodi people here to get married? How come I've never heard of them before?"
"The barbarians don't understand the etiquette of my going to the country, and they thought that if I send a girl, someone will want it. But I heard that the Shuobei people have four tribes: Chuoluo, Onma, Qingzi and Yimu. They all have their own affairs, and no one obeys the other. .Where did this Muyun tribe come from?"
"Muyun was originally the most prosperous tribe in Shuodi, and was once the unparalleled overlord on the grassland. However, decades ago, Tianhehan, who was in power under his tribe, was assassinated, and his subordinates were also assassinated by the other four tribes. They were squeezed out and had to retreat to the desolate Yanluo Plain at the foot of Lancang Mountain in the north, and they have disappeared since then. If I hadn't seen them today, I would have thought they were all dead."
"But I will never marry that barbarian princess who looks like hair and drinks blood, even if she comes to my doorstep."
"Don't brag now. These warriors all look fierce, so they must be bad. Be careful if they listen to what you just said, they will drag you over and beat you half to death! And I heard that these Di people have always been
They only bow to the strong. So even if you take the initiative to come and get married now, the person who can marry the princess must be brave and extraordinary, otherwise he will not be able to control her."
"Speaking of which, this princess's name is quite nice - Tuya, it doesn't look like a name that some barbarians would choose..."
A discussion gradually broke out among the crowd, which was complicated and lively. The speakers deliberately lowered their voices, as if they were afraid of offending the group of foreigners in front of them who had penetrated deep into the hinterland of the Central Plains.
However, until sunset, no one dared to come forward to challenge. The Muyun tribe warrior named Dulie couldn't help but laughed and sarcastically said:
"What's going on? The princes in the south are said to have brave soldiers and strong generals, and they are even as famous as the Northern Guards and Wei Liang. It turns out that they are just timid young people who don't even dare to make a few gestures!"
"If a dog can't spit out ivory from its mouth, I'll come and give it a try, you Di!"
Being so excited by the opponent, someone in the crowd finally shouted loudly and immediately jumped forward, causing the silent spectators to burst into thunderous cheers.
I saw that the man was wearing coarse linen clothes and holding a short stick reaching his eyebrows. He seemed to be an ordinary vagabond in the market. However, he danced the short stick like a tiger, and he looked very brave.
.
However, before the ronin announced his name, the leader of Shuodi warriors had already raised his fists and attacked. Although the short stick was not fatal, it was an inch longer and an inch stronger. Logically speaking, it should be more than enough to deal with an unarmed person. But.
Du Lie was like an angry lion. He didn't care at all about the blows from the sticks that rained down on him. He rushed in front of the opponent in just three or two steps.
As a result, the short stick in Ronin's hand, which was not conducive to close combat, became a disadvantage. He quickly took two steps back, trying to regain the distance between them, but the Shuodi warrior seemed to be glued to his side, grabbing him step by step.
Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed Ronin by the collar with both hands and lifted him up from the ground!
Du Lie was so powerful that veins popped out on his arms. He actually lifted an adult man high into the air. Before the onlookers could react, he violently knocked the man in his hands to the ground. He just heard
With a click, the short stick hit the ground and broke into two pieces. Just this seemingly simple fall caused the rogue wielding the stick to vomit blood, and he immediately retreated in embarrassment with the help of several onlookers.
go back.
"Is there anyone who is not afraid of death and dares to challenge?!"
Warrior Shuodi raised his hand to show off the bloodstain in the corner of his eye that had been swept away by the eyebrow stick, and shouted again at the crowd.
"Hey, you've just defeated one and you're already arrogant? The guy with the short stick just now was too weak in attack. If he's a stammer, you can't even get within three steps of him!"
Seeing the fierceness of the Shuodi people, Ning Yue could not help but whisper to herself. However, as soon as she finished speaking, she heard another person from the spectators shouting and rushing forward:
"Don't let the barbarians speak arrogant words. I'm He Zhun, the martial arts master of Zhenjitang. Let's see how you move!"
The person shouting was a warrior wearing fine iron wrist guards. He could see two finger tigers clenched tightly in his hands. His arms were actually thicker than ordinary people's calves. He looked strong and had the aura to lift a mountain.
.
"Okay, okay, okay! I've heard for a long time that the martial arts gym in the south is amazing. Seeing it is better than hearing it a hundred times. Come and learn from it today!"
Dulie, who was standing in the middle of the crowd, also laughed loudly and waved his fist to meet him again.
The two of them were all using their bare hands to capture, and they fought back and forth for more than twenty times, but they were indistinguishable. Seeing He Zhun attack again, He Zhun attacked with twelve points of strength. The Shuodi warrior didn't intend to take this move. He suddenly dwarfed his body and rolled away on the spot. As he dodged, the dust brought up by the soles of his feet rose into the air, which happened to catch the opponent's eyes. .
The challenger immediately became confused and staggered. Du Lie did not show any mercy because of this. Instead, he rushed forward and punched the opponent twice on the door, then kicked him hard. He returned to the crowd. When he looked again, He Zhun had been beaten until he was foaming at the mouth and fainted on the spot.
"Take advantage of others' danger to win without using force!"
Ning Yue, who was watching, couldn't help but murmured in a low voice. She raised her head to look at the nearby spectators, and saw that most of them had angry expressions on their faces. However, under the momentum of the Muyun warriors who attacked two cities in a row, everyone only dared to There were whispers of criticism, but no one spoke up to accuse the tall barbarian of being rude.
"You are cheating and cheating, do you really think that our Ye country has no one? Gao Yang, the red feather guard, has come to meet you!"
Just as Ning Yue was fuming, a third challenger jumped out of the crowd. The man looked like he was in his early thirties, wearing red-painted rhinoceros leather armor, shooting a bow from left to right, and holding a pair of double-pronged long swords in his hands. , turned out to be a Red Ling Guard official patrolling Zitong Street.
"If you use weapons, you won't be afraid of being defeated, becoming disabled, or losing your life in vain?"
Du Lie spoke without restraint and viciously threatened the third challenger in front of him. Immediately, he turned around and pulled out a curved saber from the bag beside the mammoth.
Gao Yang was not willing to lose even half a point to his opponent in terms of momentum. He immediately clenched the long sword in his hand and retorted sarcastically:
"You don't have to rely on the fact that you have a customs clearance document stamped by the king, so that we can act arbitrarily in Mulu City. The country of Ye is a civilized place, how can we allow Man Di to act recklessly here?"
"What a loud tone! The descendants of the Muyun tribe have always obeyed the strong. If you have the strength to yell, you might as well win this round first and then talk!"
Warrior Shuodi was obviously angered by Gao Yang's words. He waved the saber in his hand and slashed at the opponent without mercy. Fortunately, the official of the Red Ling Guard was well prepared and deftly avoided the opponent's full attack. , the long sword in his hand stabbed the opponent in the heart.
Seeing this, Du Lie didn't dare to be careless at all. He poured 120% of his strength into the sword and deflected a fatal attack. Although the two were just competing, their moves were aimed at the vital point, and they did not hesitate to strike. .The sound of swordsmen clashing suddenly sounded like a battlefield in the street which was not open to begin with.
After all, Shi Li's martial arts skills were much better than those of the previous two, and they gradually forced Shuodi warriors on the opposite side into a corner. Seeing that victory was in sight, Du Lie suddenly no longer protected the vital parts of his body, but switched to defense. To attack, he waved the saber in his hand widely and launched the offensive as if he was desperate.
Although the swordsmanship he used was swift and fierce, Gao Yang was on duty in the city after all, and did not want to kill anyone because of a duel. Seeing that the sword was about to hit the opponent's body, he hurriedly stopped some of the strength in his hand, and then He deflected the sharp blade to one side. However, a moment of hesitation turned into an opportunity for the opponent. The Shuodi warrior raised his sword and cut it into his shoulder without hesitation!
Dark red blood suddenly burst out from the wound. Gao Yang hurriedly swung his long sword twice, forcing the opponent to retreat and suspend the attack. However, the wound on his shoulder was deeply visible, and his face was already pale. It was all pale and could no longer fight.
At this time, Du Lie was so furious that he took another step closer, planning to kill Gao Yang as if he was crazy. Ning Yue could no longer suppress the anger in her heart, and immediately rushed out from the crowd, blocking the way. In front of Shuodi warrior, who was half a foot taller than him, he stopped him sternly:
"That's enough! The competition should end at the end. How can anyone hurt others like you?!"
Shuodi warrior was startled for a moment, but then he shouted loudly on the spot, with a voice as loud as thunder:
"Little girl, since I was in the audience just now, I have heard you murmuring some unpleasant things. Do you also want to go on stage to compete? It's a pity that I, Du Lie, never hit women, please be more sensible. Just get out of here and don’t block me!"
However, he did not expect that this red-haired girl who came from nowhere not only dared to stop him, but also refused to give in even a step. In anger, Du Lie glared fiercely, raised his saber and tried to Come forward and use force!
Thanks for supporting my work, please welcome to follow the VX of the same name "The Fox Who Grows Barley" to follow the latest chapters