After staying one night in Yumen Town, the group arrived at the Yumen Pass Pass on the second day.
When it was shipped from Liangzhou to Changxingfang in Anxi, it had a customs clearance and an official certificate issued by the governor's office, so the customs office simply checked the document and released it.
After passing through Yumen Pass, the Jin family caravan packed up their gear, covered their carts and mules and horses with canvas, and prepared to set off towards the Western Regions.
When Zhou Jun was leaving, he told Uncle Shen about following him again.
Uncle Shen said to Zhou Jun: "Erlang, do you still remember that not long ago, the Jin family had a Changxingfang that disappeared on the way to Anxi and was not found for a long time?"
Zhou Jun nodded.
Uncle Shen: "Afterwards, I thought again and again, fearing that someone was jealous of the Jin family's long-term business and deliberately designed a trap. Therefore, if the group went to Anxi this time and got the news, they would definitely repeat their old tricks and plunder again.
"
Pointing to the team at Changxingfang, Uncle Shen said: "Before heading to Anxi this time, the Jin family divided the three hundred soldiers into several teams. On the surface, the guards were less than a hundred people, but in fact, those servants,
They are all disguised as soldiers and wearing iron armor, ready to join the battle at any time. In addition, there are several large carts in the long convoy, which are filled with sufficient food and weapons, enough to fight against a large number of enemies."
Zhou Jun felt a little relieved after hearing this.
The Jin family said goodbye again and set foot on the road to Anxi.
Zhou Jun led his personal guards, led by Tuoba Huaisu, and followed the Mingshui Branch Line all the way north to Daze.
Different from the yellow sand Gobi hundreds of miles away, Daze is a vast lake with blue sky and white clouds reflected on the lake, coupled with the sparkling lake water, it reminds people of the lake scenery in the south of the Yangtze River.
There are hundreds of tents next to the south bank of Daze, and there are rangers patrolling the outside.
Seeing Zhou Jun and his party, the knight first blew the conch shell and then approached cautiously.
When they saw clearly the triple sacred fire on Tuoba Huai's plain robe, the knights were shocked and all jumped from their horses to the ground, and then dismissed their troops and knelt down, not daring to raise their heads.
Tuoba Huaisu did not go to see these people, but drove his horse all the way to the tent.
After a while, a group of Sogdian soldiers ran out of the tent and knelt in front of Tuoba Huaisu's horse head, shouting for blessings from the holy fire.
Tuoba Huaisu still didn't stop and walked along the lake shore towards the center of the south bank of Daze.
The group of Sogdians followed respectfully and followed suit.
After walking for almost three miles, Zhou Jun looked forward and saw a courtyard made of wood and stone appearing on the lakeside.
The courtyards are lined up one after another, and there are warehouses, wine shops, guesthouses, docks and other buildings. It is endless as far as the eye can see. It is prosperous inside, but it is a densely populated settlement.
Several believers wearing sacred fire robes were waiting at the intersection early. When they saw the saint, they knelt down and praised her.
Wearing a mask, Tuoba Huaisu drove his horse along the street and entered the settlement. He walked all the way to the northeast for more than a quarter of an hour, and finally stopped at the entrance of a magnificent Zoroastrian Temple.
Seeing Tuoba Huaisu looking at the Zoroastrian Temple and saying nothing for a long time, Zhou Jun's heart moved and he asked: "Is this the Mingpan Ancient Temple?"
Tuoba Huaisu got off his horse and said, "Yes, this is also where I grew up."
Zhou Jun was stunned for a moment, and when he saw Tuoba Huaisu walking away, he followed him with his soldiers.
When we entered the ancient Zoroastrian temple, we saw that the architecture and sculptures were obviously different from those in the Central Plains. The ten-meter-tall giant statue of the goddess Nana stood in the middle of the ancient temple, with corridors on both sides extending toward the rear.
Following the corridor to the backyard of the ancient temple, in front of a huge stone gate, Tuoba Huaisu signaled Zhou Jun to follow him alone.
Zhou Jun declined the company of Sun Aying, Qiu Yong and others, followed Tuoba Huaisu alone, entered the stone gate, and followed the downward stone steps to a place similar to the Hidden Palace under the lake.
place.
After passing through several winding underground corridors, Zhou Jun finally came to the door of a stone room filled with the smell of medicinal herbs.
Several Zoroastrians saw Tuoba Huaisu and quickly got out of the way.
Zhou Jun got closer and finally saw Long Qi lying on the stone bed, dying.
Long Qi closed his eyes tightly and fell into a coma. There were several strange-shaped wounds on his body, either half-moons or staggered.
The texture under the wound was black and purple, spreading like a spider web, with blood and pus seeping out.
Tuoba Huaisu asked some questions to the Zoroastrians in Sogdian. After getting the answers, he said to Zhou Jun: "He has been poisoned, and his wounds have begun to worsen. He does not have much time left."
Zhou Jun: "You can't save him?"
Tuoba Huaisu: "There are no less than a hundred types of Zoroastrian poisons. I don't know the name of the poison that hurt him. Preparing the antidote hastily will only make him die faster. Therefore, now I can only use life-sustaining pills for the time being.
Keep him alive, but you can also see that the wounds have begun to deteriorate and he cannot hold on for long."
Zhou Jun thought for a moment, took out the garlic essence he kept with him from his arms, and said to Tuoba Huaisu: "This medicine can suppress the toxicity of trauma. I don't know if it will be effective on him. Let's try it first."
Tuoba Huaisu looked at the porcelain bottle in Zhou Jun's hand with doubts on his face, but thinking that a dead horse would be a living horse doctor, he simply gave it a try.
After using the garlic essence, Zhou Jun and Tuoba Huaisu waited for half an hour.
The Zoroastrians came to report that the deterioration of Long Qi's wound had stabilized.
Tuoba Huaisu was a little surprised when he heard this. He walked into the house, checked on Long Qi, and said to Zhou Jun: "The poison in his body has not been eliminated, but the deterioration of the wound has been suppressed."
Zhou Jun: "In other words, his life will not be in danger in the short term, but if there is no antidote for a long time, he will still die?"
Tuoba Huaisu: "Yes."
Zhou Jun glanced at Long Qi again and asked, "I have something to ask, when will he wake up?"
Tuoba Huaisu waved, and a Zoroastrian brought a small amount of medicinal powder.
Tuoba Huaisu picked some with his nails and flicked them on Long Qi's nose.
After a while, Long Qi looked painful and slowly woke up.
Tuoba Huaisu said to Zhou Jun again: "He is weak and cannot hold on for long. If you ask questions, remember to move faster."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Zhou Jun asked Long Qi: "How did you get injured?"
When Long Qi saw Zhou Jun, he struggled and whispered: "I hunted down the Zoroastrian traitors and sneaked into a horse bandit stronghold."
Zhou Jun was confused, how could a Zoroastrian traitor mix with the horse bandits?
Long Qi continued: "Behind the stronghold, there is an underground Zoroastrian Temple and a Holy Fire Altar. Those horse bandits captured many living people and locked them in the dungeon of the Zoroastrian Temple. Every once in a while, they would take people to the deep
It is said to be offered to the gods."
Zhou Jun suppressed the matter for the time being and asked Long Qi: "Where can I find your people?"
Long Qi: "Shazhou is to the north of He Cang Feng and to the west of Luo Tu Hai."
After saying this, Long Qi's body twitched and he fainted again.
Zhou Jun straightened up and looked at Tuoba Huaisu.
The two exited the room.
Tuoba Huaisu came to a deserted place and said to Zhou Jun: "My senior sister betrayed Zoroastrianism and was wanted everywhere. I originally wanted to order Long Qi to kill her, but unexpectedly, this Zoroastrian traitor...
He actually colluded with the horse bandits. Moreover, I got a tip from the Zoroastrians, and the Sogdian clan was also involved."
Zhou Jun remembered what Long Qi had said earlier that the horse bandits were ordered by the Kang family to massacre all the dragon tribes in hundreds of tents, so he asked Tuoba Huaisu: "Is the Sogdian clan that colluded with the horse bandits a member of the Kang family?"
?”
Tuoba Huaisu nodded lightly and said to Zhou Jun: "However, the Kang family's affairs are secretive and there is no evidence left. If we attack rashly at this time, I am afraid that we will alert the enemy, so I have kept it secret."
Zhou Jun thought for a long time and asked Tuoba Huaisu: "What are the three forces of the Kang family, the horse bandits, and the Zoroastrian traitors entangled together?"
Tuoba Huaisu shook his head and said: "I don't know... but the place where Long Qi was rescued is at the junction of Guazhou and Shazhou. The camp of the horse bandits is not too far away."
Zhou Jun paced in place and said: "The head of the Kang family is a Zoroastrian Sabao. He has a noble status and great power, but he got together with the Zoroastrian traitors and the group of horse bandits, and slaughtered hundreds of dragons.
Department, if there was no great reason, he would never take such a desperate risk."
Tuoba Huaisu: "The Sogdians value commerce and regard wealth as life. If the Kang family colluded with horse bandits to attack caravans in order to monopolize trade routes, it would be understandable... But I don't understand why they would
Hanging out with my senior sister, the traitor wanted everywhere by the Zoroastrian Church?"