Chapter 142: Hard on the outside, soft on the inside
After arriving in Yecheng at noon the next day, the four of them had a meal together at a roadside stall.
Before leaving, Ye Rushui gave Jiang Lan a bottle of tonic for her health and asked her to take one pill every three days.
When he saw Jiang Lan last night, he noticed that her complexion was not very good, her body looked a little weak, and she lacked qi and blood. This bottle of tonic was for replenishing qi and blood. In addition to the tonic, he also gave Jiang Lan a bottle of detoxification pills to prevent poisonous insect bites, a few packets of medicine powder for self-defense, and a small wooden box. He also taught Jiang Lan how to raise animals.
Afterwards, the three of them continued their journey north, and Ye Rushui stayed in the city.
After leaving Yecheng, the territory of Youzhou is in front of you, and after passing Youzhou is the border.
Before entering the next town, you have to pass through a large wasteland. As far as the eye can see, there is no one living there, only clumps of extremely lush weeds. There are also dangerous swamps hidden in the weeds. If you accidentally fall into them, you can't get out.
The road ahead was also covered with weeds, but the road ahead could still be identified from some remaining tire tracks on the grass.
Jiang Lan stuck her head out and looked ahead, and saw a row of stone tablets standing in front of her, some tall and some short.
The shorter one was already half sunk into the ground, and the exposed half was covered with slippery moss. The inscription on it had peeled off, and it looked very old.
"I once read in a travelogue that these stone tablets are road signs, placed there by the Chamber of Commerce to prevent traveling merchants from taking the wrong road and getting stuck in the swamp," Xie Yun explained.
Jiang Lan nodded, and gained some new insights.
Ji Quan suddenly stopped the carriage with a cry of "whoosh". He saw that the stone tablet in front of him, which was already half sunk into the ground, was slowly sinking, and there was a gurgling sound of bubbling in the surrounding weeds.
"It's a swamp, let's get away from it quickly." Xie Yun reminded quickly.
Ji Quan clicked his tongue, as if he thought Xie Yun was being noisy, then got off the carriage and led it back a little. Xie Yun also followed with the horse, and Jiang Lan was also ready to get off the carriage to see what was going on. Ji Quan asked her to stay in the carriage and not run around and cause trouble for him. Then he went over to check the scope of the swamp, walked about ten steps to the side, and threw a stone into the weeds in front. After identifying the movement for a while, he went over to check the situation.
After exploring the road, he came back and led the carriage around the swamp and continued forward, with Xie Yun following behind with the horse.
By the time we reached the next stone tablet, it was already dark.
Suddenly, there were little flashes of light green in the grass, twinkling as if the stars in the sky were blinking.
Xie Yun gently moved the grass, and suddenly spots of light green light flew up from the grass. The light spots gradually extended into the distance until they covered the entire wasteland. From a distance, it looked like a green sea of stars, so beautiful as a dream and shocking.
Jiang Lan looked at the scene in surprise. She had never seen so many fireflies in the capital before. Occasionally, she would find one or two twinkling spots among the flowers. She would gently push aside the flowers and take a look, but they would fly away and she would never find them again... She stretched out her hand, and a light green spot of light fell on her fingertips. It was the first time she had seen a firefly so closely, and she discovered that the light was flickering on its tail.
"Sister Lan, look~" Xie Yun slowly opened his hands, and dots of light green light flew out from his hands, flickering and illuminating Jiang Lan's soft face. Ji Quan glanced in her direction, his eyes attracted by something. He waited until all the fireflies flew away before looking away and said, "I think we should rest here tonight and set off again when it's daybreak. It would be troublesome if we get stuck in the swamp."
Jiang Lan looked ahead, then got off the carriage road and said, "Let's walk forward first."
"I can't leave." Ji Quan said impatiently.
Xie Yun looked up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky and said, "It's still early, just the first watch. I can't sleep this early."
Ji Quan glanced at Xie Yun, his eyes as sharp as a knife, and said with a curled lip, "Then you explore the way?"
"Okay, I'll explore the way." Xie Yun agreed readily.
"Cousin Yun, hold my hand." Jiang Lan had just handed over her hand when Ji Quan came over and threw a rope to Xie Yun, asking him to tie it around his waist and hold the other end in his hand.
"Let's go." Ji Quan swung the rope like driving cattle and horses.
"Cousin Yun, be careful." Jiang Lan also grabbed the rope with both hands, ready to pull the person back if anything happened.
Xie Yun led the horse in front, Jiang Lan walked in the middle, and Ji Quan led the carriage at the back. The group groped their way forward in the weeds.
After walking like this for about an hour, Xie Yun suddenly hissed, and then there was a rustling sound in the grass, as if something was swimming away quickly.
Jiang Lan quickly tightened the rope and pulled him back, anxiously asking him what happened. Xie Yun said he seemed to be bitten by something. The first thing Jiang Lan thought of was a poisonous snake. She quickly went to the carriage to find the bottle of antidote pills and gave Xie Yun one to take. She anxiously asked him how he felt and if he felt better. She also asked him where he was bitten and was almost crying with anxiety.
At this time, Ji Quan came over with a fire starter and shone it on Xie Yun's feet. He saw two spots of blood oozing from the left and right sides of his ankles, and it was almost certain that it was a snake bite.
"I told you I couldn't leave, and now you're causing me trouble." He complained.
Jiang Lan lowered her head and said nothing, blaming herself so much that she wanted to slap herself.
"Sister Lan, it's okay. I'm much better after taking the medicine. I don't feel dizzy anymore and my feet don't hurt anymore. You see, there's nothing wrong with me." Xie Yun comforted her.
"I'll go take a look around." Ji Quan softened his tone a little, as if he realized that his words were a bit harsh.
He drew the sword from his waist and cut the weeds around him, then cleared a small area and made a fire.
Jiang Lan helped Xie Yun get on the carriage. Ji Quan came over to get some dry food and said he would be on guard tonight.
In the second half of the night, Xie Yun got out of the carriage and asked Ji Quan to rest for a while while he would keep watch.
Ji Quan threw a few dry branches into the fire and ignored him.
Xie Yun came over and sat down by the fire, looking at the crescent moon hanging high in the night sky. He said, "When I was little, I was very afraid of my uncle. He always had a stern face and spoke very harshly. Not only was I afraid of him, but my brothers and sisters were all afraid of him. When we saw my uncle when we were little, we would stay away from him."
"I'm not interested in listening to your nonsense." Ji Quan said bluntly.
Xie Yun smiled and said, "Actually, you're quite similar to my uncle. You both have tough words but soft hearts." He stood up and stretched his muscles. "I'm going to go see Sister Lan."
Ji Quan stared at the flickering flames in front of him, curling the corners of his lips in a sneer, "What a nerd."
…
When the first ray of dawn rose from the wasteland, Ji Quan called Xie Yun out of the carriage, then he drove the carriage on the road, and Xie Yun followed on horseback.
The road marked by the stone tablet was very smooth and we did not encounter any swamps again.
Towards evening, the three of them finally walked out of the wasteland and arrived at the county town ahead around midnight. They stayed in a pavilion outside the city for one night and waited for the city gate to open the next day before entering the city with the others.
After resting for a while and having breakfast in the city, Jiang Lan went to the drugstore to buy some more anti-insect powder, and bought a dozen sachets at a street stall. On the way out of the city, she put the powder into the sachets, making a total of six, and each person wore two.
In this way, they traveled day and night, and arrived at Dingcheng, a border city, three days later.
To leave the city, one needs official documents. After Ji Quan showed the documents he carried with him to the general guarding the city, the general reminded him that there were sand bandits on the road ahead.
These bandits specialize in robbing property and women, killing people without blinking an eye, and are extremely ferocious. If you encounter one of them, there is basically no chance of survival. It is recommended that he hire a team of experienced escorts from the escort agency in the city.
The best escorts in this city are all in the Weiyuan Escort Agency. These escorts escort caravans between the two places all year round. They know which way to go to avoid sand bandits. Horses can't go far in the desert, so they have to be replaced with camels.
Ji Quan did not take the sand bandits seriously. They were just a group of villains who burned, killed and looted, and there was nothing to be afraid of.
However, Jiang Lan and Xie Yun both felt that it would be safer to hire a team of escorts. At least they would have a guide to lead the way and would not get lost in the vast desert.
"Do you really want to hire him?" Ji Quan confirmed.
Both of them nodded.
"Who will pay?" Ji Quan glanced at Xie Yun.
"I'll go." Xie Yun said readily.
Then the three of them went to look for the escort agency. After finding the Weiyuan Escort Agency, Xie Yun hired the best team of escorts in the agency for a high price of one thousand taels. He paid a deposit of five hundred taels first, and the remaining money would be paid after the three people were safely delivered. This was the rule of the escort agency, which was based on honesty and honesty, and no one was cheated.
The leading escort was called Chang Wei, who was about forty years old, very serious, with a long scar on the left side of his face, which was very eye-catching. His eyes were very sharp and alert, like an eagle, and it was obvious at first glance that he was not an ordinary person.
Before leaving, Chang Wei set a rule for the three of them, which other customers must also follow.
You must follow his instructions at all times without asking reasons.
Jiang Lan and Xie Yun both nodded in agreement.
Ji Quan sneered, "If you want me to listen to you, it depends on whether you have the ability to do so." As soon as he finished speaking, he attacked. Chang Wei took a step back, slammed the five hundred taels of silver on the table, and asked someone to leave.
"Wait a minute," Jiang Lan said with a resolute look, "Then send me alone!"
"And me." Xie Yun said quickly.
Ji Quan tutted his words, quickly sheathed the blade, and apologized perfunctorily, "I'm sorry."
Chang Wei's sharp eyes swept over the three people one by one, and he said concisely and clearly: "We will set off tomorrow morning."
Ji Quan sneered and turned away.
"Then I'll have to trouble Chief Escort Chang." Xie Yun thanked him and left with Jiang Lan.
After the two came out, Ji Quan asked them to find a place to stay by themselves, as he had something else to do. After that, he got on his horse and left.
There happened to be an inn opposite the escort agency, so the two of them went to the inn.
Xie Yun asked for three upper rooms, leaving one for Ji Quan so that he would have nowhere to sleep when he came back.
"Gentlemen, this is your first time here, right? Then you must take a good stroll around the city. We have everything here, including foreigners with blue and green eyes~" The shopkeeper recommended enthusiastically while leading the two of them.
Xie Yun asked curiously, "Where do these foreigners come from?"
The shopkeeper smiled and replied, "They all came from the Western Regions, and they know how to do business~"
After arriving at the guest room upstairs, Xie Yun asked Jiang Lan to rest for a while, and he went downstairs to chat with the shopkeeper.
When it was time for dinner, Xie Yun said he would take Jiang Lan out for a delicious meal. After all, they had come here since they were here, so they also wanted to try the local specialties.
The shopkeeper told him that the busiest time was at night and asked him not to miss it.
Xie Yun took Jiang Lan to eat street food, watch acrobatics, see the blue-eyed and green-eyed people from the Western Regions, and see those rare animals, including elephants and camels...
Suddenly, there were loud rumbling sounds above our heads, and brilliant fireworks bloomed in the night sky, colorful and very beautiful.
"Sister Lan, look! The fireworks are setting off~" Xie Yun raised his finger and pointed at a newly opened blue firework to show Jiang Lan, then cupped his hand to his mouth and shouted towards the fireworks, "Sister Lan, I wish you a long life and happiness~"
Jiang Lan also cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted towards the fireworks in the sky: "Cousin Yun wants one too~"
May you live a hundred years, be safe and happy, hold my hand, and grow old together...
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