The dusk is over and night is coming. On the long and deserted official road, there are only low trees on both sides for company. The wind and sand are sweeping along the road, and the sky is falling and clouds are gathering, as if rain is coming.
In the gloomy twilight, the sun sets in the west and there is no sunset. But a ray of colorful clouds from the east rises from the end of the distant mountains and gradually fades towards where Xia and Shang are, like a clear road guiding them.
The sky on the three sides of the Li hexagram is the thin line between life and death. The sky in the west, south and north is already dark, and only the boundary to the east towards Suzhou is guided by the colorful clouds. This corresponds to the hexagrams of the Xia and Shang divination. Death is encountered on three sides, and there is a thin line.
Survive. This glimmer of hope is in the east, which means that Xia and Shang should go east.
At this moment, Xia Shangzheng saw the colorful clouds rising in the east, and he was more convinced of what he was thinking.
It's just that at this time of life and death, what we are fighting for is time. Although there is no sign of trouble, we don't dare to relax at all. I wasted a lot of time at home. I was already slow, but I was already at a disadvantage. I brought a woman with me, which made it even more inconvenient to move.
Everything went wrong during the trip, but the colorful clouds gave Xia Shang some peace of mind.
But the colorful clouds in the east only rose for a moment, and dark clouds surged in the sky, covering the colorful clouds in an instant, and the only light between heaven and earth suddenly disappeared.
Night came so quickly that no one expected it. The wind became louder and louder, blowing the sand and stones on the car with a crackling sound. Then came the heavy rain, and in an instant, Xia Shang was drenched like smoke.
I also had to close the car curtain.
The wind and rain made it difficult to walk on the official road. After walking in the heavy rain for a long time, the horse couldn't hold on.
Ruyan in the carriage also shouted: "Husband, it's raining heavily and it's dark, so we can't walk. It's better to find someone else to spend the night with."
If it was not necessary, Xia Shang would never waste time here, but it seemed that everything was destined. The heavy rain came neither sooner nor later, but it happened at this time. What was even more coincidental was that the two of them stopped.
There is a post house on one side of the official road where you can rest.
They asked her to stay in two rooms at the inn, and Ruyan stayed in one alone, and told her not to leave the house no matter what noise she heard at night.
Ruyan promised well, but Xia Shang estimated that she would not be obedient.
I didn't think much about it at the moment and went to my room to make preparations.
Xia Shang did not have many preparations, only one bow, and this long bow was a compound bow designed by him personally.
However, Xia Shang improved this bow. Previously, in order to make it easier for his wife to control it, he chose soft materials to make it. This composite bow was made of strengthened materials to facilitate his own strange power. It is more powerful and faster.
Faster and longer range.
Having prepared his bow and arrow, Xia Shang lit another incense stick in the house.
This is not an ordinary incense stick, but a special incense used by the Metropolitan Procuratorate. It is similar to Thousand Miles of Smoke. It has an extremely unique smell and can transmit the smell far away even in heavy rain. However, only people from the Metropolitan Procuratorate can
Distinguish. If there are people from the Metropolitan Procuratorate around, they will know the general direction by smelling this incense.
After lighting the incense, Xia Shang took out his pen and ink and wrote a paragraph on the table. After that, Xia Shang left the inn and went into the heavy rain dressed in casual clothes.
The rain never stopped and showed no sign of weakening. Raindrops like beans hit his body and slid past his eyes, making Xia Shang unable to open his eyes. Only the howling wind hurt his eardrums, stinging his eardrums.
The night is like a big hand covering the eyes, and the horses parked on the official road between the chaotic world are a little cowered.
But the coldness at this moment stimulated Xia Shang's nerves, keeping him awake all the time.
He didn't know whether his guess was correct or whether the two people would really come after him.
These are all uncertain, but what Xia Shang can be sure of is that as long as he gets through tonight, he will be safe.
The location of the inn room was carefully selected by Xia Shang. There is a leafy old locust tree 30 meters away. There is no obstruction between the room window and the locust tree, and you can clearly see the figures in the room.
Xia Shang walked under the locust tree in the rain and tried to shoot a few arrows from a few meters away to determine the wind strength and grasp the feel so that he could take action later.
After a while, Xia Shang stopped on the locust tree, found a dark corner to calm down, and transformed into a night civet cat, quietly completing the transformation from prey to hunter.
…
The night is getting darker and the wind is getting colder.
The Tube Inn, which had few guests, welcomed another guest.
By this time, the inn had already closed, and the lingering knock on the door made the store clerk complain. He had no choice but to get up from the bed and open the door.
As soon as the door opened, a rain-covered bamboo hat was thrown in.
The waiter is not happy to begin with, and will get angry when he sees outsiders being so rude.
Unexpectedly, before he could say anything, he saw a pair of old hands that looked like dry wood coming in and pressing against the door panel, which really startled the waiter.
Looking at the people who came in next, they were skinny and gloomy, more terrifying than ghosts in the dark night and heavy rain.
How could the waiter dare to say anything? He asked in fear: "A room? Stay in a hotel?"
The visitor didn't say anything, he just walked in and went upstairs.
The waiter had never seen such a strange person. He was so frightened that he didn't dare to speak. He just watched silently as the person walked up to the second floor.
This person is Cao Deng. He has been pursuing this place all the way, but he still has some doubts in his heart. If it were not for the incense here, he would not be able to find it for a while. Without seeing Xia Shang, he is still not sure whether the incense is from Xia Shang.
Or was it done by someone else?
Cao Deng found the room where Xiang was, stood at the door, and wanted to push the door open.
The waiter behind him shouted, but Cao Deng glared back.
Cao Deng opened the door again, only to find that there was no one in the room, only a lamp and half an incense stick.
The room was empty, and there seemed to be no one there. The only sound was the sound of the wind blowing on the windows.
Cao Deng frowned and went in, and was quickly attracted by the writing on the table.
There were not many words on the table, but Cao Deng looked at it but found that his brows were furrowed and his expression was cold for some reason. Then he looked at the open window. It was dark outside, with only the sound of rain for company, and the locust tree in the distance only had a hazy shadow.
But Xia Shang could see the inside of the house from the locust tree, and then the lights in the house, and the grass lantern standing in the window looking out.
Seeing this man, Xia Shang's pupils shrank, and his calm heart tightened. He held the compound bow on the side in his hand, and regardless of the coldness of the rain, he set up an arrow and was ready to take action at any time.
On the other hand, the grass lantern in the window had a cold expression. After thinking for a long time, he seemed to feel that there was a pair of eyes paying attention to him in the darkness. He couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth and said with a cold smile: "In the whole world, only this guy can be so arrogant and blind."
Everything!"
Said to himself, Cao Deng seemed to have made some decision. He took off the two window leaves so that the window would not be blocked at all. He took the sheets from the bed and threw them on the table. Then he sat at the table and poured himself some tea.
He got off and drank tea slowly.
At this time, the grass lantern was not moving at all, which was the perfect opportunity for Xia Shang to take action.
But Xia Shang didn't move, and the grass lantern didn't leave either. There seemed to be a tacit understanding between the two, but I don't know what exactly they were waiting for? (To be continued)