The night is dark and the waning moon hangs high.
A team of mules and horses passed along the path at the foot of the mountain, and the dull sound of horse hooves made the mountain ground even quieter.
The leader is a tall woman, dressed in black silk, with wheat-colored skin. She looks like she is used to sleeping in the open.
Her facial features are not as soft as those of Jiangnan women. Instead, she exudes a wild nature. There is also a small silver pot hanging on her waist. It seems that it has been passed down for many years, and the outside is dark.
Gu Nianqing watched the movements around her with vigilance. She had not read many books, but she also knew the meaning of a dark night and a high wind, killing people at night. Especially in this situation where she was unfamiliar with the place, she had to be alert. Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses came from ahead, making the stones on the ground tremble.
"Xu~"
Gu Nianqing immediately pulled the reins and raised a hand to signal the cavalry to stop.
Not long after, the person finally came closer, but it was a familiar face: "Da Guotou, there is a mountain temple in front of you, let's rest there tonight."
"If we go on any further, humans can't stand it, but horses can't."
He San is the best sentry horse in their caravan, and the advice he gives is always very pertinent. Gu Nianqing looked back at the people and saw looks of approval on their faces.
After driving for a day and a night, it was really too much.
But she shook her head and said: "No, Huainan Road is not peaceful recently. If you persist, you can rest when you get to the nearest county."
As soon as these words came out, there was a small commotion in the cavalry team, but it subsided in an instant.
When going out, no one dares to challenge the authority of Da Guotou. Even if they don't want to, they can only obey Da Guotou's command. This is the eternal rule of the caravan.
The mule and horse team set off again, immersing themselves in their journey without haste.
Until a scream broke the silence.
"Ah, my legs!"
For some reason, a pack horse suddenly foamed at the mouth, its hooves gave way, and its body fell straight to the side. The man beside it couldn't dodge, and one of his legs was directly pressed under the cargo and broke instantly!
Gu Nianqing quickly dismounted, walked to the man in three steps, and easily grabbed the batch of goods with one hand: "Uncle Bai! Look how his injuries are!"
Hearing this, a rickety old man stepped forward and pressed on the man's leg a few times, then said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid I'll have to rest for half a year."
Gu Nianqing had a gloomy face and said nothing.
"I just knew I was on my way, but something happened..."
"Keep your voice down, we'll just listen to Da Guotou."
"That's right, say less!"
……
She has good martial arts skills and her senses are far beyond ordinary people. Those comments that she thinks are secrets cannot escape her ears.
If you want to manage the caravan well, you can't just rely on force...
Gu Nianqing sighed and had no choice but to compromise: "Let's spend the night at the mountain temple tonight. As usual, I will stay the first half of the night."
"Also, I have to ask Uncle Bai to take care of Hu Hao."
The rickety old man responded: "Please rest assured, Big Potou."
Everyone in the caravan was overjoyed when they heard that they could rest. They swept away the previous decline and speeded up a lot.
After making many twists and turns on the mountain road, a dilapidated mountain temple finally appeared in front of everyone.
But what was unexpected was that there was firelight inside.
Gu Nianqing's face changed slightly, and he said seriously: "He San, why didn't you tell me earlier if there was someone in the temple!"
"I don't know, there was no one there when I first came here..."
He San was also a little panicked. He had not made such a low-level mistake for several years. He hurriedly added: "I swear! You have to believe me, Da Guotou!"
Now that things have happened, there is no point in blaming him anymore. Gu Nianqing's eyes flashed, and he took off his saber from his horse.
"Wait for me here."
After that, she walked directly to the mountain temple.
The appearance of the temple was similar to what she had imagined. It was in disrepair and was covered with cobwebs, so it could barely protect it from the wind and rain.
Under the mountain god statue, three people were sitting around.
There is a man with a tall build, wearing a gray robe, a beard, and high temples. He should be a practicing practitioner.
One person was wearing a gaudy mask and the clothes were made of excellent fabrics, as if he came from a wealthy family.
The last person has a long body, tall jade, and eyes like bright stars. He has a good appearance, but his body looks a little thinner. He is a standard weak scholar.
Three people with very different styles are now gathered together, holding square pieces of paper in their hands, shouting loudly as if no one else is watching.
"Shunzi."
"You, I only have one card, prepare to pay!"
"Don't worry, I haven't left yet."
"What a joke, can you beat me with seventeen cards? If you can beat me, I'll eat the mountain god statue on the spot!"
Three weirdos.
Gu Nianqing thought of this.
She knew that various gambling games were popular in the south, and their playing with paper squares was probably a kind of gambling game. She had no intention of exploring at the moment, seeing that there was no danger, and blew a long whistle.
The three people seemed not to be affected by her whistle and were still immersed in the game. However, the words she prepared were of no use.
Not long after, people from the caravan came in one after another. Gu Nianqing directed them to arrange the mules and horses, and gave some careful instructions before finding a clean place to sit down.
The night was long, but she couldn't rest, and had to guard the caravan for half the night.
Anyway, he couldn't sleep, so Gu Nianqing took out a storybook novel to relieve his boredom.
She doesn't have many hobbies except reading story books. Every time she goes out on the road, she always buys a set of novels and novels and reads them as a pastime when she has free time.
It's just that her literacy is limited, so she was quickly stumped by the uncommon words in it. But when she happened to see the exciting parts, she would inevitably feel a little itchy.
After much deliberation, Gu Nianqing shouted to the trio of weirdos: "Hey, scholar!"
The frail scholar was studying how to eat the mountain god statue with a bitter look on his face. When he heard the voice, he turned his head blankly and pointed at himself: "You called me?"
"Yes, um, I don't know a few words. Can you read them to me?" Gu Nianqing raised the book in his hand and added: "I can give you money."
"No need for money, it's just a piece of cake." The scholar muttered a few words, walked over to her and sat down cross-legged. He took the script and flipped through a few pages before revealing a strange expression: "Prisoner Zhen swallowed the secret medicine in vain, and the spring flower girl accidentally leaked it.
Fengqing...are you sure this is the one?"
"Yes, is there anything wrong?"
"Nothing..."
Then they started a discussion about popular literature, and the two became very familiar with each other.
While we were chatting, the scholar suddenly asked: "Do you have any extra horses? Can you sell us three of them?"
"We ran into a little problem when we were crossing the river and lost our horse..."
Gu Nianqing thought of the rumors from the past two days and asked, "But is it because of what Hengjiang Village did?"
The scholar smiled: "It doesn't matter. Anyway, the problem is solved. It's just too troublesome to rely on your legs to go anywhere."
Gu Nianqing sympathized with their plight, but due to the special nature of the caravan, he had to politely refuse: "Although we have many horses, every one of them is useful, so I'm afraid it won't work."
But the scholar said inexplicably: "It doesn't matter, someone will be available soon."
"How can we see it?"
"There is a traitor among you."
Gu Nianqing narrowed his eyes slightly and said with an unkind expression: "Who are you?"
The scholar arched his hands: "Mingzhou, Ning Yan."