“It’s not safe either,” Xiao Zuo said with a wry smile. “With priceless treasures in hand, what safe road is there in the world?”
“That’s right!” Baili Chenfeng, who had been silent all along, suddenly chimed in. “However, the mountain road is secretive, making it difficult for people to discover our whereabouts. Moreover, it is sandwiched between two mountains, with cliffs on both sides and a narrow road. This makes it difficult for the enemy to hide and launch a large-scale attack. It is better than the official road, which is crowded and easy to be surrounded.”
My heart sank. "Enemies? We've attracted enemies so quickly?" I said.
Baili Chenfeng said, "According to reliable sources..."
"Reliable information?" I raised an eyebrow.
"It's a message from my friends in southern Henan," Xiao Zuo said calmly. "If Miss thinks this is unreliable, you can just take it as a joke."
His expression told me that it was no laughing matter. I stared at him and said clearly, "I'm not interested in jokes, and I don't need them to be reliable, as long as they're useful."
He stared at me for a long time before slowly saying, "Then, this news probably won't disappoint you."
"explain."
“The ‘mountain bandits’ who have been causing trouble in the Nanyang and Zhumadian areas have already led their followers out of their nest. If we take the official road, we may run into them on the way.”
A den of monsters in the mountains! I gritted my teeth; I'd heard of that name before. They were the fiercest band of mountain bandits in Henan, frequently traveling among merchants in southern Henan. Just seeing their black flag with a skull and crossbones in the distance would send shivers down anyone's spine. I never imagined that I'd provoke such a formidable enemy after only half a day on my journey, but… "We still have to cross the Yellow River, don't we?"
“That’s why I decided to take the mountain road,” Xiao Zuo sighed. “Although the official road is flat, it requires an extra eighty miles of detour. If we travel through the mountains, we can cross the river directly once we exit the Dragon Gate, and perhaps we can avoid those evil spirits.”
I nodded involuntarily and said, "So, time is the key."
"Good, the sooner the better."
Without a second thought, I decisively said, "In that case, abandon the vehicle!"
Then, he ordered Jin Zhao and Yu Cui to pack their belongings, making them as light as possible, and instructed Mei Wu to take the rest of the items home along with the carriage.
Jin Zhao and Yu Cui are twins, born of the same mother. When they use the same sword technique together, it's like four swords combined, with immense power. As for Mei Wu, she serves no other purpose than combing my hair.
Xiao Zuo looked at me with a smile. After I mounted the horse, he suddenly said "Hey!" I looked up and saw him take out a small bottle from his pocket, shake it at me, and say, "Apply externally. It's very effective and won't leave scars."
As he spoke, he tossed it over, not caring whether I caught it or not. He grabbed the reins and rushed to the front of the group. His disheveled, seemingly white clothes fluttered in the wind, yet he somehow exuded a heroic air.
I instinctively took the bottle, and it felt warm to my touch—his body temperature… I shuddered, my face flushed, but my hand holding the bottle became incredibly gentle.
That Wang... Xiao Zuo, he wasn't actually that hateful.
After galloping for two hours, the sky gradually darkened, and both the man and the horse were exhausted. When they reached a place with grass and water that was slightly more open, Xiao Zuo dismounted and said, "Let's rest for a while and continue on our way after the horses have had enough water."
His point was simple: horses are a means of transportation, and everything should be based on their carrying capacity.
When I'm in a good mood, I'm not hesitant to admit that what this guy said, though unpleasant to hear, was actually quite reasonable.
I was in a good mood at that moment, but Xiao Zuo's expression was strange.
He was lying in the grass, looking as lazy as ever, but I noticed that every time I counted to twenty in my mind, he would bow his head to the ground once, as if listening to something. Also, he was holding a piece of dry food in his hand, but he hadn't eaten a single bite.
I hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist my curiosity and went over to ask, "Is something wrong?"
Xiao Zuo raised his head, squinted at me for a long time, then suddenly grinned and said, "You used it? The scars have faded a lot."
I instinctively touched my face, then quickly put my hand down and said dismissively, "That's because I applied a family secret recipe!"
He chuckled softly, winked, and asked, "Is it made of gold or pearls?"
I chuckled, then glared at them and said seriously, "You're all wrong. It's South China Sea sandalwood beads! The kind you see at the exhibition..."
He suddenly interrupted me, saying, "Those strange and unusual presentation methods, were they all your ideas?"
"Yes," I said casually. "If you want to praise me, please use a different adjective."
"I was completely mesmerized!" he confessed honestly. "Are you satisfied now?"
I bit my lip and laughed, saying, "Then, answer one of my questions too."
He stared at me with his dark eyes, and my heart skipped a beat. I quickly looked away, and heard him say casually, "What I whispered in Chenfeng's ear that day was: 'I bet this young lady will lend the Ega Bottle, and sooner or later she'll be asking me what I told you today.'"
"How did you know I was going to ask that?" I turned my head in surprise, and the next moment I realized that I had given myself away. I was so angry that I was dizzy, but before I could say anything, I saw his expression suddenly change. He suddenly jumped up, grabbed my neck, and pressed me down into the grass.
Almost instantly, the sounds of arrows piercing the air, horses neighing in agony, and chaotic footsteps rang out all at once, interspersed with Xiao Zuo's sigh from above me: "I've been keeping an eye out for pursuers, but you insisted on coming to talk to me... Fine! Stay here and don't move..."
"You idiot!" I rolled over forcefully, shoving away the man who was shielding me with his body, and yelled, "What do you mean I had to come here to talk to you? Who do you think you are!"
Before I could finish speaking, an arrow whizzed by and disappeared into the grass just inches from my head. The tip of the arrow was still trembling and making a whistling sound.
Xiao Zuo's expression changed drastically. A chilling look, unlike anything I had ever seen in anyone's eyes, rose from his eyes. He reached to his waist, flicked his wrist, and with a clang, a gleaming soft sword unfolded like a bolt of lightning... The birds perched on the trees to the left and right suddenly took flight.
These two trees, with their lush foliage and towering branches, were home to birds that could not be disturbed by any disturbance on the ground. But now they were startled by his sword energy!
In a flash, that ancient legend flashed into my mind: a swordsman forged the sword with his blood on his deathbed, and on the day the sword was completed, its murderous aura startled wild geese into flight, hence the name: Jinghong Sword! Could this be the Jinghong Sword?
In that split second, Xiao Zuo had already turned to leave. In a panic, I leaped up from the grass, shouting, "Don't go! Explain yourself! What do you mean I had to come all this way..."
I couldn't finish my sentence because I was stunned by what I was seeing.
In the deep twilight, countless men in black, carrying torches, rushed from the road we had come from. Flaming arrows were constantly being shot out, spreading into a sea of fire wherever they flew, and the air was filled with the stench of burnt dead horses.
Amidst the utter chaos, Xiao Zuo stopped in his tracks, turned around, his lips moved as he said something to me, before leaping towards the attackers.
Crimson flames roared around him, and his body moved like a dragon, with a circle of water-like sword shadows rippled around him. He moved as if he were in an empty field, and none of the rockets that could pierce a horse's brain could get close to him... This sight stunned me, and it took me a while to remember that what he had just said to me was: "Don't you understand? As soon as I talk to you, I forget everything!"