The most convenient way to go eastward from Quzhi City to the Central Plains is to pass through Tiemen Pass, pass through Xi, Yi, Sha, Gua and other Longyou prefectures, and arrive at Yumen Pass, which can be said to be the lifeline connecting the Central Plains and the Western Regions.
road.
These four prefectures were also the westernmost prefectures and counties of the Great Xia imperial court. However, compared to Quzhi City, which was located at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains and had abundant water and grass, although these four prefectures and counties had water oasis, they were not considered fertile and vast.
What the passing merchants see in their eyes is often a few isolated cities and military towns, standing in the endless sand sea and Gobi, and they can't help but feel that the world is vast.
"Sir, there is an inn ahead!"
After Maocaishe's camel team left Quzhi City, they headed east, passing through Tiemenguan and Yanqi Town, and then arrived at the border of Xizhou. They stopped for one night in Gaochang and Puchang respectively, and then continued eastward.
Although the two prefectures of Xiyi are adjacent to each other, the two prefectures are separated by a sea of sand of five hundred miles. Although there are military towns and post offices in the two prefectures, they are still far apart and it is difficult to find a place to rest.
In order to ensure that there would be no accidents when escorting Mani Zhu, Wu Maocai brought more than 200 people under his command, including corresponding horses and camels. Even if he missed the time and could not enter the city, he could still camp in the wild to guard against invading enemies.
However, apart from a few scattered horse thieves, Wu Maocai and others did not encounter any enemies along the way.
After all, there are more than two hundred warriors and thugs, equipped with bows and horses, and there is also Mr. Changqing who is a master of Taoism. This kind of formation is definitely not something that the horse thieves in the Western Regions can challenge.
"Sir, how about we stay at this inn tonight?" Wu Maocai was cautious along the way and did not dare to waste his strength just to rush. Everywhere along the way, he had to send out scouts to inquire about the situation before he dared to take most of his troops with him.
People and horses move forward.
In addition to scouting, Wu Maocai also relied heavily on Mr. Changqing and asked him for advice on almost everything.
Mr. Changqing, who looked like a scholar in white clothes, rode a green horse and said with a calm smile: "It is not a good man to open an inn and inn in such a barren land. If you want to go, please don't use the inn to win or eat."
"The camel team has enough food, sir, don't worry." Wu Maocai made up his mind and said to his left and right: "We will rest at the inn tonight and arrange for people to take turns to keep watch and be careful!"
Just as the camel team was setting off again, Mr. Changqing suddenly reined in the horse, turned around and looked around, with some doubts on his brows.
"What did you find, sir?" Wu Maocai stepped forward and asked.
"Someone has been following us these past few days." Mr. Changqing raised his hand to make a seal, and muttered something in his mouth. There were several points of light spinning like stars on his fingertips, and then he raised his hand and flew away.
Although Wu Maocai could not see the subtlety of the spell, he still vaguely felt an invisible and intangible ripple rippling along the ground.
After a while, no one saw anything strange around him. Mr. Changqing frowned and muttered: "Strange, why is there no response?"
"What's wrong?" Wu Maocai asked with concern.
"Young master, you know that those of us who practice Taoism are especially dedicated to cultivating the gods. If our skills are deep, we can penetrate into the deep caves, detect unexpected things, sense things that ordinary people cannot detect, and even predict events before they happen.
, the prophet of uncertainty." Mr. Changqing explained: "Just now, I vaguely sensed a hostile gaze, staring at me with eagerness, so I used the Guxu method to try to find the lurking enemy. However, for some reason, the magic prediction seemed to be in a fog, and I couldn't help it.
Hear the echo."
Wu Maocai raised his eyes and looked around. The surrounding areas were either Gobi rock mountains or undulating sand dunes. From the perspective of marching and fighting, there were indeed places suitable for hiding.
"Do you need me to send more scouts to investigate?" Wu Maocai spoke carefully, lest Mr. Changqing think that he doubted his magic ability.
"No need." Mr. Changqing just smiled softly: "Since we left Quzhi City, more than one group of people have been secretly targeting us, so there is no need to make a fuss. I will make some arrangements tonight, and I will definitely make the intruders suffer the consequences of defeat!
"
Wu Maocai praised him repeatedly, and Mr. Changqing rode forward amidst a burst of compliments. Although he didn't say anything, he felt a little uneasy in his heart because the spell didn't work.
However, the more it was like this, the less it could be expressed. Mr. Changqing could only comfort himself. It was just because the mountains and rivers were in a foreign land and the weather was different, which made the prediction fruitless. Other spells would probably not go wrong.
…
Cheng Sanwu pulled out his head that was half buried in the sand dunes. His face was covered with sand, and he cursed fiercely at Afu:
"Smelly bitch, dominatrix, what are you doing?!"
"You were almost exposed. I was saving you just now."
Afu was still dressed in red. She didn't seem to like the sun. Now she put on a veil and headscarf, which gave her a unique style. She lowered her head slightly and looked at her hands, her green eyes showing a proud look.
"Then do you need to press my head into the ground?" Cheng Sanwu cursed, slapping the sand off his face and head.
"Your eyes were so fierce that the fake Taoist priest noticed it." Afu stretched out two fingers and looked at Cheng Sanwu from a distance.
"What's wrong?" At this time, Su Wangting came on horseback. Behind him were forty or fifty horsemen, all of whom were seconded from the Gaochang City Bow and Sword Club.
A few days ago, they learned that Maocai Society had left Quzhi City with Mani Zhu, so Cheng Sanwu and others secretly followed them all the way. When they passed through Gaochang City in Xizhou, they met up with the Gongdao Society's men.
However, there were more than 200 people in Maocaishe's camel team. Su Wangting did not dare to take the risk and could only follow them secretly, waiting for opportunities.
Cheng Sanwu and others also discovered that in addition to their group, there were other forces that had been spying and following each other. None of them had ever met each other, but all parties had maintained a wonderful tacit understanding and seemed to be waiting for others to take the lead so that they could gain advantage.
.
"The people from Maocai Society should be going to Huluo Inn." Since Cheng Sanwu and Afu were superb in martial arts, Su Wangting arranged for the two of them to follow Maocai Society closely and keep an eye on the trend at all times.
"This is this... stinky bitch, she is always causing trouble. She just pushed my head into the sand when I wasn't paying attention!" Cheng Sanwu was extremely dissatisfied, pointed at Afu and said, "Get her away quickly.
I can’t do anything good with her around!”
There was no anger on Su Wangting's face. He knew Cheng Sanwu's temperament very well. When he was in a mood, he would often do things regardless of other people's opinions. However, Ah Fu was an unpredictable woman, so it was naturally difficult for the two of them to get along.
"Miss Afu, what happened?" Su Wangting asked.
"I should have said before that there is a fake Taoist priest in Maocai Society who is proficient in magic, right?" Afu's tone was a bit like watching a show: "Just now Cheng Sanwu was so smart that he couldn't stop the camel team of Maocai Society.
I had to move closer to take a look, but the fake Taoist priest noticed me. I had no choice but to stop him, and that's what happened."
Su Wangting didn't say anything, he just looked at Cheng Sanwu silently.
"Why are you looking at me?" Cheng Sanwu argued: "It's not like I haven't dealt with these monks and Taoists. Their magic is somewhat capable, but it is by no means omnipotent. If he dares to come alone, I will still have
Find a way to deal with it.”
"Don't be careless." Su Wangting shook his head cautiously: "When I faced Wu Maocai, I didn't expect that he would be defeated because of the magic blessing on him. The spells are unpredictable and difficult for outsiders to predict. You don't know what they will do.
What kind of means... Miss Afu has something to say?"
Seeing the thoughtful look in Afu's eyes, Su Wangting said to him: "Actually, that fake Taoist priest just now did cast a spell to try to find the two of us. But for some reason, the spell didn't work as well as it should."
Su Wangting got off his horse, let the others rest for a while, and then took the initiative to ask: "What does this mean?"
"I can't tell clearly." Afu looked at the sun in the sky with some disgust: "I suspect that the Zoroastrian people have tampered with it to make the Western Region intolerable to pagan magic."
"Zoroastrianism actually has such strength?" Even if he was as well-informed as Su Wangting, he couldn't help but change his face after hearing these words.
"What's so strange about this? Whether a spell is effective or not, and how effective it is, is related to the region." Afu looked to the east: "Taoism originated in the Central Plains, and all kinds of Taoism are basically inseparable from the mountains, rivers, climate, and physics of the Central Plains.
It’s normal. But not only the scenery and weather in the Western Regions are very different from those in the Central Plains, but the customs and people are also completely different, so Taoist magic is naturally not very effective."
"No, it's still wrong." Su Wangting shook his head repeatedly: "I have made friends with several Taoist priests in the army in the past, and they also said similar things, but most Taoist methods can still be used without hindrance. What's more, in addition to Zoroastrianism, there are Jialan Buddhist temples all over the Western Regions.
If we really look into it carefully, Zoroastrianism may not be considered the largest religion in the Western Regions."
"So I said, it is possible that Zoroastrianism used some other means." Afu looked at his palm and tentatively made a fist: "I can vaguely feel a suppression. Although it is subtle and difficult to detect, it is very vast.
It seems to have enveloped the entire Western Region...Cheng Sanwu, don't you feel it?"
Faced with Afu's doubts, Cheng Sanwu spread his hands and said, "No, I ate well and slept well, and I don't feel anything else."
"Interesting, Zoroastrianism's methods are interesting, and you are also very interesting. It rarely arouses my appetite." Afu looked at Cheng Sanwu, the look in his eyes was the hunger for finding prey.
"I have feelings now." Cheng Sanwu shuddered: "You are a dominatrix, you are really not a good bird."
"Let's not talk about this for now." Su Wangting saw this and interrupted the two of them: "The people from Maocai Society are staying at the inn tonight. They must be heavily guarded. I'm afraid it will be difficult to attack again."
"I don't think so." Cheng Sanwu smiled: "I've also stayed at the Huluo Inn they went to. It's a proper black shop. The shopkeeper can make steamed human meat cakes... Oh, they can also make wine. You
Would you like to try it?"
Cheng Sanwu's last words were obviously meant for Afu.
"Since it's a black shop, why were you able to walk out intact?" Afu wasn't angry either.
"I thought the drugged wine had a strange smell, so I smashed the wine bowl on the spot and kicked the shopkeeper's leg off." Cheng Sanwu made no secret of his past actions.
A Fu chuckled lightly, and Su Wangting said helplessly: "Okay, make full preparations tonight. This kind of desert black shop usually colludes with the horse thieves and gangs. Maybe some forces can't sit still and plan to take action tonight. We
Perhaps we can take advantage of the chaos of the battle between the two sides to recapture the Mani Pearl!"
…
When Wu Maocai came to Huluo Inn with all his men, a shopkeeper with handicapped legs and feet hurried forward to warmly entertain him.
"Oh, there are so many guests, the small shop may not have enough rooms and the reception will not be good enough!" the shop owner complained repeatedly.
"You don't need to worry, we will take care of it ourselves." Xu Yan, whose face was still injured, threw a bag of coins directly to the store: "Don't entertain other guests at your inn tonight, we've taken care of it!"
"Definitely, definitely!" The shopkeeper said with a smile on his face: "By the way, the shop is good at making steamed pancakes, and a few new sheep were slaughtered today, so they will be served later. There is also good wine in the cellar, so if you want
Don’t you want to moisturize the throats of the guests first?”
"No need, you don't have to bring anything, just clean the guest room." Xu Yan waved his hands impatiently. He has been traveling in the Western Regions for many years and has always distrusted these inns and inns on the edge of the desert. Is the wine and food sold here good?
If you touch, don’t touch.
Seeing that Wu Maocai and others were carrying swords and bows, the store owner did not dare to say anything, so he quickly ordered someone to clean the guest room. Wu Maocai took a cursory look inside and outside, thinking about how to arrange manpower for precautions. Mr. Changqing chuckled and said: "What a dead spirit.
It is so popular that resentful spirits linger in Shura fields. No wonder people in the Western Region believe in Hu religion. It turns out that after committing evil acts, they seek the Hu god to pray for blessings."
Mr. Changqing said this without any concealment, and the smiling store owner nearby also heard it, and the smile on his face suddenly froze.
Wu Maocai didn't have much to say. He knew that Mr. Changqing was always aloof and arrogant, did not take ordinary people seriously, and often spoke arrogant words.
But seeing the atmosphere fell into silence, Wu Maocai also understood the situation of this inn. When he saw that the innkeeper with limited legs and feet was still talking, he waved his hand and said: "Innkeeper, just go and do your own business, there is no need to wait for me all the time."
The shopkeeper bowed and turned to leave. Wu Maocai immediately made a gesture towards Xu Yan, who nodded slightly and quietly followed the shopkeeper with a few good hands.
After a while, there was a sound of fighting and fighting in the inn, and pots and pans in the kitchen were knocked over and broken.
Not long after, Xu Yan came back and reported: "Sir, there are a total of eighteen people in the inn, and there are several armed thieves hiding in the back kitchen. They have all been killed."
"The body is buried in a hidden place, and the place will be burned down before leaving tomorrow." Wu Maocai gave the decisive order.
"Yes." Xu Yan turned and left.
"As Mr. expected, the journey was not peaceful." Wu Maocai couldn't help but sigh.
"Young master, don't worry. I predict that there will be a murderer tonight." Mr. Changqing took out a stack of talismans from his arms and said, "Please order someone to put up the doors and windows to protect you from arrows and stones."
Wu Maocai did not dare to neglect and immediately handed it over to his subordinates. Then Mr. Changqing took out two more talismans and swiped them with his fingers to make them spontaneously ignite without fire. As he whispered a blessing, he directed a few wisps of green smoke to surround Wu Maocai.
"What kind of spell is this?" Wu Maocai felt something was different from before.
"In addition to the Five Weapons Killing Technique, there is also a skillful hidden treasure technique." Mr. Changqing rolled his sleeves and said with a smile: "Young Master said that the last time he fought with Su Wangting, he accidentally tripped him, and now he has been blessed by this technique.
, which can keep the five bodies in balance and prevent them from tipping over.”
"Is there such a profound miraculous art in the world?" Wu Maocai was shocked again: "With the blessing of this art, wouldn't it mean that I would be the first to fall into an invincible position?"
Mr. Chang Qing raised his head and said proudly: "Those ignorant warriors will never be able to reach this level in their entire lives. You can do whatever you want tonight!"