Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Chapter 574 Entering the Mountain

Jiubai kept spouting bad news: "There's another group of merchants who have never been to Liuzhou before. They entered the city right after Jiulang and the others."

Two gangs?

Jiang Shangxian suddenly calmed down. Two gangs are less terrifying than one.

The more people there are, the muddier the water becomes.

It is easy to fish in muddy water.

Whatever they discovered, Cui Bianxu must have discovered as well.

If he discovered it but didn't deal with it, it means he has his own plans.

"That should be correct. That caravan didn't bring any goods, and they didn't seem to be buying anything. Even when someone tried to sell them their own goods, they ignored them..."

This is not the behavior of a traveling businessman at all.

"Maybe there are people following us. Okay, divide these things among you. Each of you takes two."

Jiang Shangxian clapped his hands and stood up. The most urgent thing was to reunite with Xiao Cui first: "Everyone get a good night's sleep, and we'll leave early tomorrow."

The journey was so stressful that Xiao Jiang was afraid that if he didn't sleep, he would enter the mountains and wouldn't be able to climb after a while.

At noon the next day, Xiao Jiang, standing at the foot of the mountain, looked at the endless mountains that rose and fell, and his eyes went dark. He wanted to take out the box and kowtow to Gong Gu on the spot.

But the mountain that needs to be climbed must be climbed. Xiao Jiang touched the box in his arms. He held a simple hiking stick in his left hand and a Yinmu compass in his right hand. He was wrapped tightly with only a pair of eyes exposed.

"My dear, it's so hot. I'm all sweaty." Yingzi reached out to pull at the collar of the tightly wrapped quilt.

Before going out in the morning, everyone had already put on clothes made of the densest material. When they arrived at this place, they began to wrap their legs and cuffs in circles, even the collar and head were not left out.

It was so hot in Lingnan that she started sweating halfway through being tied up.

Jiang Shangxian was also panting from the heat. "We've brought Ren Dan, Ren Dan, and Xingjun Powder. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, just tell me. Don't we have some safflower candy? Why don't you put one in your mouth first?"

Anyway, it cannot be untied. Although I brought anthelmintic, the guy who sold the medicine also said that this thing can not guarantee to prevent all snakes and insects. There are always unexpected things.

These people are not old enough to see the King of Hell yet. If they capsize in the gutter and die here, how miserable would that be?

"How is it? Have you found the mark left by Jiulang?"

The mountains and forests in this place are densely covered with vegetation, and it seems that few people go here. Before Jiang Shangxian came here, he had thought about how to find people in the mountains. At that time, he thought of finding a path trampled by people to enter the mountains first, but when he really arrived here, he realized that his idea was too wild.

Where are the dirt roads in this place?

With abundant rainfall and relatively warm temperatures, the vegetation grows rapidly as if it had been given some magical fertilizer. Even if someone happens to pass by here, it will take them half a day to find no trace.

Fortunately, Jiubai said that Cui Bianxu and his companions liked to mark everything they did when they went out, for fear that if something unexpected happened, there would be no one to collect the bodies.

Jiubai narrowed his eyes and looked around. The six guards spread out in the left, right, and front directions, searching for the mark. "Madam, please be patient. They have all been trained by Jiulang since childhood. They will definitely..."

"Here!" a shout came from the right.

Jiubai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This was his first business trip with his wife, so he couldn't let her down!

Only Jiang Shangxian blushed when he saw the mark: "This..."

Why is it a waxing moon?

devil!

Jiubai is a very smart person. He knows what to say as soon as he pricks up his ears.

"The original mark Jiulang used was two curved lines. After he went to Chang'an, he somehow changed it to this moon." The confused yet curious expression on his face was really real.

Even if Stephen Chow comes, we have to applaud him: it’s great, really great.

These words made Jiang Shangxian very happy.

She nodded with forced reserve, cleared her throat, and said, "So, let's go from here? What about these horses?"

I don’t know how long it will take to get in there. What if the horse is tied here and is stolen or eaten by a wild animal?

"My lady, there's no need to worry."

Jiubai patted the horse's back and said, "These are all genuine Turkic horses. They are strong and have great endurance. Let them find a place to stay nearby for a few days. We will find a way to call them back when the time comes."

Horse training is also a technical job. Cui Bianxu loves to buy horses, and the guards around him have all learned it.

Jiang Shangxian felt relieved after hearing this. Jiubai seemed reliable. "Okay, let's go."

It was already late and the journey in the mountains was difficult. When it got dark, they would have to find a place to rest temporarily for the night, otherwise they would face any dangers at night.

As soon as he entered the mountain, Jiang Shangxian was attracted by the air rich in the fragrance of grass and trees - the air quality is unparalleled.

But as they walked deeper and deeper into the forest without any roads, she began to feel a little breathless.

Climbing a mountain, especially a mountain without a road, was so tiring. She was carrying two bags of essential items on her back and was sweating so much that even her hair was sweating.

At this time, she no longer had the heart to discuss with Yingzi what kind of plants they passed by were or whether they were edible. No matter how beautiful the scenery was, it could not cultivate her sentiments. Her legs were getting heavier and heavier, and she didn't dare to stop at all, for fear that if she stopped, she would never want to walk again.

Unfortunately, it was very difficult to find the marks left by Cui Bianxu in this place. Normally, there should be a mark every hundred meters, but they never saw any after passing a hundred meters, so they had to turn back and look for it. This back and forth trip added a lot of distance for no reason.

The trees in the mountains are dense and tall, and the light in the mountains becomes dim when the sun is only halfway down.

Jiubai and his companions had never worked in such a place before. Seeing this, they discussed with Jiang Shangxian: "Madam, we need to find a cave to spend the night."

The mountains are connected to each other in an endless row. They are so huge that they have not found any trace of anyone along the way. But as long as they think that there is more than one group of people here, no one dares to be careless.

It would be fine if you could just cut out a piece of clearing in the forest to rest temporarily, but it would not be as safe as a cave with support on all sides.

"Well, we need to find a cave."

Jiang Shangxian also meant the same thing. They had almost finished drinking the water they brought with them. Fortunately, there was no shortage of water in this place. They had seen shallow mountain springs several times. The water was icy cold and looked very clear.

But she was always afraid that there were worms in it, and if she drank it without boiling it, a bunch of worms would grow in her stomach.

It would be better to find a cave and light a fire to boil water in it.

Fortunately, there are many cave thieves in the mountains of Lingnan.

It didn't take them much effort to find a cave, and Jiubai led the two men in to check it out.