Cheng Sanwu raised the water bag high and shook it for a long time before the last drop of water fell into his mouth.
Although we have long expected the difficulty of the Hanhai North Trail, the current situation still makes people feel a little depressed.
After killing the corpse vulture, Cheng Sanwu led Peng Ning and the camel team for another five days without any supplies and never saw an oasis water source. During this period, two sudden sandstorms occurred and half of the camels were lost.
.
Compared with the loss of goods, the water and food carried by the camel team were more important. At this time, the two of them had not eaten or drank all day long. Even if they had martial arts skills, they could not withstand the exhaustion of the long journey.
However, Peng Ning suddenly contracted typhoid fever a few days ago due to a waist and abdominal injury. Although he was riding on the back of a camel, he could not bear the long bumps and the speed of the journey was greatly slowed down.
"I can still hold on, keep going forward." Peng Ning had just finished changing the dressing on the wound while avoiding the scorching sun at noon, and insisted.
Cheng Sanwu looked at the wound cloth stained with black blood and said: "There is slow poison on the horse thief's knife. If you don't use force, it may be able to delay for a while, but in order to deal with the corpse vulture, you let the poison spread. In fact, it is the most dangerous thing now."
The best thing is to turn north and go directly to Quzhi City, where there are the best doctors in the Western Regions."
"This kind of slow poison can't kill you, just grit your teeth and get through it." Peng Ning closed his eyes and said, "And Quzhi City is not safe."
"How do you know Quzhi City is unsafe?" Cheng Sanwu asked.
Peng Ning didn't answer. Cheng Sanwu guessed that he had a secret, so he didn't ask any more questions, so he calculated the distance: "If we speed up a little later, we might be able to reach Hongsha Town before dark, and we can rest there."
One night, while replenishing water and food."
"Where is that place?" Penning asked.
Cheng Sanwu said: "A small town that produces Danyu has many miners gathered. Do you know Danyu?"
Peng Ning seemed to be reciting an article: "Danyu is the blood marrow of the earth and earth. It has the ability to carry things and carry the Dharma and connect all phenomena."
"Uh... I don't quite understand." Cheng Sanwu scratched his head: "It is said that pill jade can be used to cast spells, and some Taoist priests actually use it to make pills. Anyway, when you get to Hongsha Town, you can have a good time
Have a night’s rest.”
"Are there any imperial officers and soldiers there?" Peng Ning seemed to be talking in his sleep.
"There must be some, so don't worry about horse thieves nearby." Cheng Sanwu wanted to say something else, but found that Peng Ning had fallen asleep.
…
When Cheng Sanwu arrived at Hongsha Town with his camel team, this small town in the desert was about to close its gates and impose a curfew. Cheng Sanwu had to bribe the city gatekeepers with a few silver coins and spent a lot of time to get in.
city.
After finding the inn, Cheng Sanwu settled down the camels and horses, and then asked the innkeeper to serve a juicy roast leg of lamb, paired with the cold sweet wine just taken out of the cellar, and ate it happily.
"I just asked the store. Although there is a doctor in the town, he can only treat some external injuries. I will buy some gold sore medicine tomorrow morning and hit the road." Cheng Sanwu ate the whole roasted leg of lamb and it was not enough. He asked for more.
I ate a big bowl of mutton soup cake and felt sweaty from eating it.
Peng Ning looked bad, so he reluctantly ate some soup and said, "I have medicine for my injuries, so there is no need to buy it elsewhere."
Cheng Sanwu didn't refute. Judging from Peng Ning's swordsmanship and words and deeds, it was obvious that he came from a good family and presumably had plenty of good medicine.
After washing up briefly, Peng Ning was about to lie down and rest. When he saw Cheng Sanwu leaving the guest room, he couldn't help asking, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to feed the horse some night food. It's been starved and thin these days." Cheng Sanwu scrubbed it with a cloth and went out to leave.
Peng Ning felt a little uneasy in his heart. He was not suspicious by nature. It was just that he was going to the Western Regions this time and he had important responsibilities. He was the only one left in the entire caravan. He had no one to help him except Cheng Sanwu. He felt like a piece of water in the vast ocean.
Ye Guzhou couldn't find any way out.
He took out a black jade box from his arms. It was exquisite and small, and could be held in one hand. On the outside of the black jade box, there were six-character Buddhist mantras written in gold paint. When he stared attentively, he could vaguely feel the Sanskrit gold characters slowly moving on the surface of the black jade box.
Putting aside unnecessary distractions, Peng Ning carefully put the black jade box into his arms. He originally wanted to wait for Cheng Sanwu to come back before falling asleep, but the injury and the bumpy and tiring work for many days made him drowsy as soon as he lay down.
.
In a daze, Penning smelled a soft fragrance, and before he could react, his thoughts fell into sleep.
…
Cheng Sanwu poured a basketful of beans mixed with wheat bran into the trough. He looked at the big red horse eager to eat and said with a smile: "It's hard for you this time. If it were normal, it would just be you and me walking along the Hanhai North Trail."
, it won’t take so long.”
The big maroon horse raised its head, still gnawing beans in its mouth, and emitted a strange whistling sound from its nose. Cheng Sanwu found a bucket and a brush, brushed the horse's body, and said at the same time: "That Peng Ning probably has something."
The important responsibilities are similar to those of Lao Su, they are all working for the masters in the court."
The big bay horse swung its tail, and Cheng Sanwu brushed the horse's back: "Do you think I am happy to do things for you? Isn't this a favor I owe to Old Su? If he hadn't come forward to protect me, I don't know how long I would have been on the run.
You might have to hide in a ravine... Lift your feet and I'll brush your hooves."
As soon as Cheng Sanwu lifted up the horse's hooves, the big maroon horse suddenly struggled to break free and began to stir on the spot.
"What? I'm not happy to serve you?" Cheng Sanwu was about to complain when he saw the horse shaking its head towards the height of the inn and snorting continuously.
Cheng Sanwu looked up and immediately realized that something was wrong. He threw down the brush, picked up the horizontal knife, cursed secretly, and ran towards the inn.
As soon as he returned to the inn, Cheng Sanwu smelled the smell of incense. Baochang Society was also in the spice business. He immediately noticed that the aroma had a sleeping effect, and ordinary people would naturally fall asleep after smelling it for a while.
Too lazy to pay attention to the shopkeeper who was hunched over his desk, Cheng Sanwu went straight to the guest room and kicked open the door. Sawdust and sawdust flew away, and he happened to see a slim woman in red leaning on Peng Ning with evil intentions.
The woman in red didn't seem to expect Cheng Sanwu's sudden appearance. She looked back with a bit of surprise. A flash of blue flashed across her eyes. Under the dim lighting of the oil lamp, she could vaguely see a beautiful Hu woman with plump red lips.
.
Cheng Sanwu said nothing, and took a step forward. The whole inn actually trembled slightly, and thunder exploded in the small room. Then, his figure was like an arrow leaving the string, and he drew his sword.
There was a flash of cold light in the room, and knife marks appeared out of thin air on the walls and windows. The passing of the knife blade could not be seen clearly by the naked eye.
However, such a sharp sword did not achieve any success at all. Cheng Sanwu was shocked when he saw the cut in the air, and the red-dressed Orchid suddenly hid on the ground.
"So fast!"
Cheng Sanwu was really surprised, and only one thought flashed through his mind. The red-dressed Orchid cleverly turned her hand, as if by magic, and revealed a horse-head dagger, which went straight to Cheng Sanwu's leg.
However, the more critical the situation was, the faster Cheng Sanwu reacted. His Dantian stimulated the drums, and his internal energy was transmitted inch by inch along the dragon's spine. He stood straight up from the ground, dodging a series of deadly and gorgeous swords, and then turned over and hung upside down with one leg.
He hooked the roof beams and slashed wildly with his sword.
The red-dressed Orchid has extraordinary skills. Faced with the swift and fierce offensive from above, she can still deal with it calmly with only a horse-head dagger. While dodging and blocking, she also showed a charming smile and looked at Cheng Sanwu seductively.
The secret glances are like playing among the swords and lights.
Cheng Sanwu was unmoved. He stepped on the beam and swept across with his knife. Orchid in red turned around to avoid it. Her posture was graceful and light. She leaned against the door and patted her chest gently and said:
"You are such a strong and brave man. You exerted so much force as soon as you came up. Your heart will be knocked out by you."
"Where did the snitch come from? Do you want your life?" Cheng Sanwu asked with his knife tilted.
"I'm curious, why do you know that my family is here?" Hu Ji in red played with her horse-head dagger, looking quite well-off.
"I have clairvoyance and an ear for the wind. If you don't accept it, just hold back!" Cheng Sanwu has been in the world for a long time. He knows that he can't talk to this kind of person too much, so he directly kills him with a knife.
"Oh, I don't understand the style." Orchid in red sighed softly, and turned around on her tiptoes. She seemed to be dancing gracefully, but there was hidden murderous intent. The horse-headed dagger seemed to turn into flying snow at night, filling the field of vision almost instantly.
Seeing this situation, Cheng Sanwu advanced instead of retreating. With the energy and blood in his body surging, he waved the horizontal knife in his hand wildly, pushed against the flying snow, and attacked brazenly.
Hu Ji in red was surprised that Cheng Sanwu was so brave in fighting for his life. The horse-headed dagger was slightly delayed, and a big hand directly grabbed the long goose neck, and then stabbed straight towards the chest with the horizontal knife.
However, the orchid in red was still faster. She climbed onto Cheng Sanwu's arm, raised her foot and kicked the horizontal knife away. Then she took advantage of the situation and raised her legs, clamped Cheng Sanwu's neck directly, twisted his waist, and tried to use his own strength to
The weight will knock the opponent down.
Faced with the sudden counterattack, Cheng Sanwu had no time to pay attention to the alluring fragrance of the red-dressed Orchid. He just swayed slightly, then grabbed her legs, used his strength to spin around, and threw her out.
Hu Ji, who was thrown out of the room, was also stunned for a while. This man's strength was so amazing that it was enough to break his neck and spine, but he only leaned slightly and relied entirely on his strong muscles to hold on.
Cheng Sanwu got excited about fighting and ran out in hot pursuit. He didn't even take back the horizontal sword and threw it at the red-dressed Orchid with his bare hands.
The evil wind blew in her face, and the red orchids narrowly avoided it. She relied on the ghost's swift movements to go around to one side, raised her feet lightly, and seemed to be climbing up like a snake. Her legs were wrapped around Cheng Sanwu's waist and her horse's head was daggered.
Stab towards the back of his neck.
Sensing the imminent murderous intent, Cheng Sanwu instinctively raised his hand and grabbed Hu Ji's wrist, trying to lift her up.
However, Hu Ji in red was well prepared, and her legs were locked tightly under Cheng Sanwu's ribs. If it were an ordinary warrior, she would have been pinched to the point of losing her breath.
"A good brother like you who is fierce and ruthless is what I like the most." Hu Ji in red had her hands restrained, but she still used her remaining strength to get close to Cheng Sanwu's ear, and with a soft and soft voice, she moved towards
He blew into his ears.
Cheng Sanwu was agitated, roared, jumped up with all his strength, turned over towards the ground, and used his own weight to hit the ground.
Who would have expected that Hu Ji in red turned into a ball of smoke and disappeared out of thin air, but Cheng Sanwu himself fell hard.
"Ouch, dear brother, are you hurt from the fall?" The green smoke drifted uncertainly, and the laughter of the orchid in red echoed in the inn.
"Walking in the mist, are you a flying yaksha?" Cheng Sanwu stood up and asked with full vigilance.
The green smoke gathered into a red orchids and floated down, with a slightly disgusted expression: "What are these names? In my hometown, we are called the Blood Clan."
"It is said that Yaksha makes a living by sucking blood. It seems to be true!" Cheng Sanwu moved his shoulders and secretly encouraged himself.
"What? My good brother, do you want to give it a try? I guarantee that you will reach bliss directly." Hu Ji in red stretched out her tongue and licked her red lips and teeth, her green eyes flashing with seductive light.
Cheng Sanwu snorted coldly: "Are you going directly to the Western Paradise? I won't accompany you!"
"It's really hard to get in." Hu Ji in red rolled her eyes, then seemed to notice something and looked away.
Cheng Sanwu was just thinking about whether to use force to force the opponent back, when he saw Hu Ji in red put away her dagger and said with a smile: "I don't want to play with you anymore, I want to see how many days you two can survive."
?”
After saying this, the red-dressed Orchid turned around and left the inn, quickly blending into the night and disappearing without a trace.
Cheng Sanwu originally wanted to chase him, but he was so hurt that he didn't dare to chase her. He had to go back to the house and saw Peng Ning still lying on the bed, unconscious.
"Sleep so soundly... Wake up, hey! Wake up!" Cheng Sanwu shook Peng Ning awake angrily.
Peng Ning woke up in a daze, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Cheng Sanwu with his hair disheveled and an injury on his body. The guest room was also in a mess, and there was a deep knife mark on the wall above his head.
"What happened?" Peng Ning immediately woke up and instinctively raised his hand to his arms to confirm that the thing was still there.
"I went to feed the horses just now, and a flying yaksha came in. I had a fight with her." Cheng Sanwu wiped the sweat from his face.
"A flying yaksha who specializes in sucking human blood?" Peng Ning found it unbelievable.
"Yes, she is still a dominatrix in human form." Cheng Sanwu held his waist and turned his head, grinning and saying: "Damn, this woman is so strong that she almost broke my neck. If any unlucky guy climbed into her bed, he would probably still
If he didn't get his blood sucked, his waist would be broken by her first."
Peng Ning raised his hand to his forehead and murmured: "There was such a big movement just now, and I didn't notice it at all?"
Cheng Sanwu explained: "The dominatrix used the incense first, and everyone in the inn fell asleep. She was about to suck your blood, but I stopped her."
Peng Ning still felt a little strange, and after thinking for a moment, he asked: "Since you used the incense, why can you stay awake?"
"Perhaps the incense is not powerful enough to stun the person awake." Cheng Sanwu casually excused himself.
"A small border town in the desert can actually have such a powerful monster. This is really..." Peng Ning couldn't describe it in words for a moment.
Cheng Sanwu also sighed: "Yes, I have seen monsters in the Western Regions over the years, but not as frequently as these days. They are all powerful characters that have been rare to see for many years. I almost lost my life...
…It’s time to tell you what exactly you are carrying, right?”
"What are you talking about?" Peng Ning pretended to be confused.
"Stop pretending, you can't deceive anyone with your skills." Cheng Sanwu sat on the bed opposite, waving his hands and said: "You insist not to go to Quzhi City, I guessed it. Now all kinds of demons seem to smell blood.
The smell usually comes one after another, I should figure it out when I take the heel."