When Xiang Shaolong and the Eighteen Iron Guards arrived at the west gate, they happened to meet Ji Yanran and other convoys returning to the city.
The carriage stopped at the side of the spacious Ximen Avenue. Xiang Shaolong jumped off the horse and first went to the carriage where Wu Tingfang, Zhao Zhi, Tian sisters and Xiang Baoer were riding to say hello.
Wu Tingfang and others all had pretty faces, which made Xiang Shaolong feel the vitality brought by their extensive exercise.
When Xiang Baoer saw Xiang Shaolong, he waved his little hand and called him daddy.
Zhao Zhi complained: "Are you very busy these days?"
Xiang Shaolong smiled and said: "After the field hunting, I will find a few days to accompany you."
Wu Tingfang said charmingly: "Sister Zhi, please don't worry about him. We are enjoying the sightseeing tours with Sister Qing. We don't know how enjoyable it is."
Xiang Shaolong reached into the window and pinched her and Xiang Baoer's equally tender faces. After saying a few words of concern to the Tian sisters, he walked to the carriage behind.
The curtain was lifted, revealing the peerless looks of Ji Yanran and Qin Qing. The latter's pretty face was slightly red, and she stared at him fiercely, seeming angry but also happy.
Xiang Shaolong's heart skipped a beat when he saw it.
Ji Yanran showed a charming and sweet smile and said softly: "Is Mr. Xiang going to the western suburbs?"
Xiang Shaolong nodded in agreement and said smoothly to Qin Qing: "There is a civil unrest in Pingyuan County, and the army to quell the rebellion will be out tomorrow. This matter is most likely related to Lord Gaoling. Now that Lu Buwei knows about it, I have full authority to handle it. Qin
You can rest assured, Taifu."
Qin Qing couldn't resist his gaze and lowered her pretty face. The situation was very subtle and full of attraction and tension between men and women.
Ji Yanran's delicate body trembled slightly and she whispered: "Has Lu Buwei been showing kindness to you these days?"
Xiang Shaolong remembered that he mentioned marriage again and nodded.
Ji Yanran leaned close to his ear and said in a voice that could only be heard: "He really wants to kill you, so he made various gestures so that no one would suspect him. If you don't believe it, you can test it with the Queen Mother and the Prince.
You will feel that Lu Buwei has clearly given them this illusion, alas, husband, you are too easy to trust others."
Xiang Shaolong's heart skipped a beat, but he still didn't believe it and nodded blankly.
Ji Yanran stretched out her hand and gave him a heavy hand on the arm, and said angrily: "Think about how clever Lu Buwei is, how can he not monitor Lord Gaoling closely? Why do you need to remind him? If Lord Gaoling rebels, he will be the happiest person."
Qin Qing also heard these words and showed a look of concern.
Xiang Shaolong's body trembled, and he finally woke up. He saluted and said, "Thank you, good wife, for your guidance. Xiang Shaolong has learned a lesson."
Ji Yanran looked at Qin Qing, who was staring blankly at Xiang Shaolong. When Ji Yanran's clear eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, she turned pale again and lowered her face.
Ji Yanran rolled her eyes at Xiang Shaolong and said affectionately: "Be careful."
After the convoy left, Xiang Shaolong gathered his emotions and rushed to the western suburbs. His mood was completely different from before.
After leaving the city, Xiang Shaolong braved the strong wind and led the eighteen iron guards along the official road towards the hunting grounds.
There was an endless stream of convoys transporting supplies to the hunting grounds, which was very lively.
Beside the road is a virgin forest area, with hundreds of years old pines and birches pointing straight to the sky.
About three miles away from the city, the terrain begins to become undulating. Every time you climb the hills, you can see the Jing River flowing in the southeast, and you can see the felled timber drifting down the river to the hunting grounds downstream for the purpose of building temporary camps.
At the turn of spring and summer, long winds blew across the grasslands and mountains, making Xiang Shaolong feel refreshed. Listening to the leaves responding to the sound of the wind, his heart became clear.
There are thousands of miles of fertile fields on both sides of the Jinghe River, criss-crossed by small rivers and clear streams.
The forests are vast, the grasslands are vast, and rare birds and animals can be seen in them.
After passing through a valley with slopes covered with spruce trees on both sides, our eyes suddenly opened up. The Jingshui River was rushing past in front of us. The trees were lush and lush, and the spiers of the pine trees were like countless sword blades pointing straight to the sky. On the lush green lawn,
Camps, large and small, were set up in an orderly manner. Thousands of cavalry and imperial guards were busy beside the river. Two wooden bridges spanned the Jingshui River.
Xiang Shaolong stopped on a hill and looked around.
The waves of grass undulate with the wind, and dense woods are spread here and there, with hills rising from time to time. Herds of deer, horses, sheep and other wild animals gather on the shore, chirping from time to time. No one knows what tomorrow will bring.
Will become the hunted prey.
As the sun moves to the west, the mountains rise one after another, which is the Xishou Mountain, which is rich in beasts.
Xiang Shaolong secretly thought that if he wanted to hide an army in a place like this, it would be a piece of cake due to the cover of hills and valleys and trees.
With an expert's eye, he silently examined the terrain, and when he felt somewhat confident, he ran down the hillside towards the main camp on the high ground near the river.
The sound of dogs barking and horses neighing rippled in the air.
The large scroll embroidered with the word "Qin" is fluttering in the wind, competing with the floating clouds in the sky.
When the people at work saw him as the commander-in-chief, they all paid their respects solemnly.
He and the other iron guards rushed past the barracks with clearly marked flags and belonging to important generals and ministers with their respective statuses, before arriving at the main camp rising in the middle.
Chang Wenjun was supervising his men to set up two-foot-high wooden fences on the top of the surrounding slopes to strengthen the protection of the main camp.
On this flat-topped hillock, more than ten tents were set up. Except for Xiaopan and Zhu Ji, the others were for the use of the royal family.
Xiang Shaolong jumped off his horse and said, "Why are we adding Gao Muzha now? Isn't time a little tight?"
Chang Wenjun said: "It's Prime Minister Lu's wish. After receiving the news of the civil uprising in Pingyuan County this morning, he ordered me to supervise the construction of the wooden fence and told me to complete it before tomorrow morning."
Xiang Shaolong secretly shouted that it was dangerous. Ji Yanran was right. Lu Buwei had already figured out Lord Gaoling's conspiracy, and even pretended to deceive him, so that he would lose his guard and think that Lu Buwei still relied on him.
Chang Wenjun pointed to a group of people near the river and said: "The two deputy commanders are playing with the hounds there, and my unruly girl is also there. She is the one wearing a white warrior uniform with green trim. She is yellow and purple.
It’s Lu Dan’er.”
Then he whispered: "Did eldest brother talk to Shaolong?"
Xiang Shaolong nodded slightly and said: "There are so many young and talented people in Xianyang, why can't my sister like any of them? An Gu is a more ideal candidate than me."
Chang Wenjun sighed: "Gu is indeed a talented person, and he and Shaolong have their own merits. The problem is that they have been playing together since they were young. They are more like brothers and sisters than lovers, so they have never been involved in matters between men and women."
After a pause, he continued: "Our Great Qin is very different from the Eastern countries. It is very common for a man and a woman to have sex before marriage. Yingying has also had good relationships with many young boys, but no relationship lasts long.
Only then did you become serious."
Xiang Shaolong muttered: "She should be serious about Guan Zhongxie. You two brothers forced me to do such a thankless thing."
Chang Wenjun laughed and said, "That's just because my two brothers admire you. Hey, we don't know how precious this girl is. In fact, Lao Guan is not bad. Seeing how agile he is, he just followed Lu Buwei by mistake."
There were cheers in the distance, and Guan Zhongxie put on his armored arm guards and played with one of the hounds in a flash.
Xiang Shaolong summoned Gale Feng and said: "I'm going."
Lord Changping hurriedly taught someone to lead the horse and galloped with him to the place where everyone gathered.
Followed by a group of personal guards, the two came to the outside of the crowd and dismounted.
Teng Yi was observing the footwork of Xie Zhongyue in Guan attentively. When he saw Xiang Shaolong, he walked over with a solemn expression. After saying hello to Chang Wenjun, he motioned for Xiang Shaolong to follow him and walk away.
He went to a pile of rubble by the river and said: "This guy's castle is extremely deep. Under such circumstances, he can still hide his true strength. This is the most terrifying place."
Xiang Shaolong looked back and nodded in agreement: "He is the most dangerous swordsman we have ever encountered. He is unpredictable. I have never seen him get angry or have any shocked expression. It's just this kind of calm cultivation.
I have no time to ask myself."
Teng Yi smiled and said: "But your advantage is that you will not underestimate the enemy. If it were Jing Jun, I wouldn't believe anyone could defeat him."
Xiang Shaolong smiled and said: "That's right, where is this kid?"
Teng Yi said: "We have gone to the hunting ground. The better we can grasp the situation in the hunting ground, the more confident we will be in dealing with Mo Ao. How is your leg injury?"
Xiang Shaolong said: "It's much better, but it's still not advisable to run around, otherwise it will burst and bleed."
Teng Yi said: "When I changed your dressing this morning, I saw that the swelling had subsided. With your constitution, you should be fine in two days."
Xiang Shaolong said happily: "Now I would like to thank Qi Ren for the arrow. If Lu Buwei wants to kill me, I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
Teng Yi said in astonishment: "Didn't Third Brother say that Lu Buwei wants to make amends with you?"
Xiang Shaolong sighed, told Ji Yanran what he said, and also told him about the Dongjun Civil Rebellion and Lord Gaoling.
Teng Yi pondered for a moment and then said: "Leave Lord Gao Ling's affairs to me and use our elite troops when necessary. Guan Zhongxie must not let Guan Zhongxie take away this credit."
While they were talking, they saw Guan Zhongxie, Chang Wenjun, Lu Daner and Ying Ying walking towards them from the corner of their eyes. Teng Yi winked at him and whispered: "I'm going to find Xiaojun" and got away first.
.
Chang Wenjun winked at him from a distance and said loudly: "Master Xiang, let's go to the archery range to test the target. Sir Guan has an iron bow. I heard that it can't be pulled even if I don't have enough strength."
Xiang Shaolong groaned in his heart. Of course Chang Wenjun wanted to create an opportunity so that he could kill Guan Zhongxie in front of the two women. However, he was self-aware. Although his archery skills could be ranked among the masters, they were actually inferior.
Compared to Wang Jian or Teng Yi, they are not even as good as the dead ghost Lian Jin. As long as Guan Zhongxie is not worse than Lian Jin, he will definitely be the one to make a fool of himself.
Guan Zhongxie raised his hand to show his innocence and said: "I have no intention of winning. It's just that the two young ladies and Lord Ying are very interested and want Brother Xiang to open his eyes to the young general."
Xiang Shaolong cursed secretly in his heart, pretending to be sorry and said: "I'm afraid that Master Guan will be disappointed. The wound on my leg has not recovered yet, so I shouldn't use force. I'll let Master Guan perform."
Guan Zhongxie said in astonishment: "Please forgive me for being reckless, young general. Seeing the adults walking as usual, the young general thought there was nothing serious."
Yingying's pretty face turned cold and she said: "Master Xiang is not making excuses."
Lu Dan'er murmured the word "coward" in a low voice, pulled Ying Ying, turned around and left with disdain, and said to Guan Zhongxie in a sweet voice: "Master Guan, let's go play by ourselves."
Guan Zhongxie bowed humbly and followed the two girls.
Xiang Shaolong and Chang Wenjun were left looking at each other and smiling bitterly.
Xiang Shaolong remembered Tu Xian's date, took the opportunity to leave, and returned to Xianyang City.
On the road, I thought of the two women's merciless cynicism. I didn't feel uncomfortable, but I was surprised that I had changed a lot.
When I was dawdling around in the 21st century, everything was about fighting to win, drinking the most wine, and never taking second place in a fight.
But now this competitive spirit has been greatly weakened, and they consider the overall situation in everything, and do not care about temporary success or failure. Therefore, although the two women have a bad attitude towards him, they still don't think it is a big deal.
Or maybe this is maturity
After returning to Xianyang, I went back to Wu Mansion while I still had some time. After asking Tao Fang about the residence of Zhou Liang's brother and sister, I went to visit them.
They placed Tao Fang in one of the rows of houses in the East Garden where the iron guards were accommodated. The environment was quite good.
When Xiang Shaolong entered the small hall, the beautiful Zhou Wei was weaving on a spinning machine in a corner, while Zhou Liang was sitting next to a small table playing with a strange iron object that looked like a bracelet. Seeing him come in, the brother and sister
He quickly stood up and saluted.
I don't know whether it was out of sympathy, but Xiang Shaolong was particularly concerned about them. He first smiled at Zhou Wei and said, "Is Miss Zhou knitting new clothes for your brother?"
Zhou Wei's pretty face suddenly turned red, she lowered her head and said "hmm".
Xiang Shaolong was very surprised, but he was too embarrassed to ask the reason for her shyness. He sat on the other side of the couple, and after the two of them sat down, he asked Zhou Liang, "What kind of treasure is Brother Zhou playing with?"
Zhou Liang handed him the iron tool and said, "This is a wrist guard for the falcon to hold on to. Look at it."
He rolled up his sleeves and brought his left wrist to his eyes. There were more than a dozen scars crisscrossing it.
Xiang Shaolong was very interested and said: "It turns out that in addition to building ships, Brother Zhou is also an expert in raising eagles. But since he has a wrist guard, why is he still scratched by the eagle?"
Zhou Liangdao said: "The wrist guard is used when training new eagles. Only when the eagle knows how much force to use can it be considered a master. These scars were all obtained when I was fifteen years old, and I haven't missed it since."
Xiang Shaolong said: "So, Brother Zhou is a master at this."
Zhou Liang said dejectedly: "That happened in the past. Now I feel a little ashamed of the eagles. Under their compelling gaze, I no longer dare to be their master."
Xiang Shaolong thought for a while and then said: "From today onwards, Brother Zhou no longer has to worry about being bullied, and he is not afraid of being bullied. I should continue to develop in this aspect, maybe it will be of great help to me."
Zhou Liang became excited and said with his eyes: "Everyone obeys Master Xiang's orders. Hey, from now on you can just call me Xiaoliang. I don't dare to take the responsibility of calling you Brother Zhou for Master Xiang."
Xiang Shaolong said seriously: "I have never regarded Brother Zhou as an outsider. You should not call me Master Xiang. May I ask what is the secret of raising eagles? How long does it take to train a falcon? They
What can you do?"
Zhou Liang immediately became arrogant and said proudly: "The most important thing is to look for eagles. Only by picking the king of eagles and understanding human nature can we avoid getting twice the result with half the effort. Then comes patience and hard work. Raising eagles must start from a young age, at least.
It took a year to make it. Hey, it is just an ordinary trail for hunting. The highest state of raising eagles is to cultivate psychic war eagles. They can not only chase enemies at high altitudes and detect the situation, but also attack and sneak attacks, becoming a powerful weapon.
"
This time it was Xiang Shaolong's turn to get excited and said: "Then it won't be too late. Brother Zhou will go find this Eagle King immediately tomorrow. I will send a few people to accompany you to make things easier for you."
Zhou Liang accepted the order happily.
Seeing that it was almost time, Xiang Shaolong said goodbye and left. As soon as he walked out of the door, Zhou Wei caught up and said: "Master Xiang"
Xiang Shaolong turned around and said with a smile: "Miss Zhou, do you have any advice?"
Zhou Wei came to him with her pretty face downcast, and said in confusion: "Now that the eldest brother is here, what can Zhou Wei do?"
Xiang Shaolong said softly: "My brother is an expert in raising eagles, and my lady is a first-class weaver girl. Don't they each perform their own duties?"
Zhou Wei's pink face turned even redder and she said faintly: "I hope to serve you, sir. Please grant me your permission."
Just by looking at her expression, you can tell that it is not as simple as serving, but serving the king with her own body. It is no wonder for her, she is indeed her ideal partner, and she has the intention of being grateful.
Xiang Shaolong smiled slightly and said: "This is too unfair to you. Let me think about it and talk to you tomorrow."
Zhou Wei shook her head stubbornly and said: "Unless Mr. Xiang really dislikes me and is afraid that I am thick-handed and thick-footed, I am determined to work for you and serve you all my life."
Xiang Shaolong felt a huge headache as he desperately promised his body to such a beautiful and appetizing girl. It would be a lie to say that he was not attracted to her. He secretly promised her to take care of it later.
He sighed softly and said: "I, Xiang Shaolong, have really been defeated. I can't do what you say for the time being."
Before he finished speaking, Zhou Wei happily interrupted him and said: "Thank you for your permission, sir."
Yingying Yifu turned around and ran back into the house.
Xiang Shaolong could only smile bitterly and go out.