Chapter 4 The uninvited guest carried a red tasseled spear on his shoulder.
The food and wine were all gone, and the cups and plates were in a mess.
Guizhier extinguished the firewood, and the chimney above the stove slowly calmed down.
She held a loofah in her hand and used the rice water she had deliberately saved to clean the dishes.
It was already noon, and the sunlight was soft and weak.
She decided to go up the mountain again. Laba Festival was approaching, and it would be best to add some herba angelicae dahurica to the traditional health-preserving porridge.
“What are the standards for so-called top-notch cuisine?”
Guizhier knocked on the system in her mind, but as expected, there was still no response.
She was not discouraged. She prepared her hiking poles, tied her skis behind her, and headed steadily towards the snow-capped mountains.
Meishan Mountain in the north stands majestically, covered with snow all year round.
The mountain is very steep, with clouds and mist lingering around it, appearing and disappearing, giving it a mysterious atmosphere.
The fairy grass is hidden on the edge of the exposed rock.
Its cap is semicircular, and despite its pleasant name, its color is just ordinary brown, with white spots on the surface and slightly raised edges.
As a precious medicinal material, it only survives in extremely cold areas.
It replenishes Qi and blood, prolongs life, and can be sold for one guan of coins with a weight of only one zhu.
Guizhier plans to use it as an ingredient for Laba porridge.
The mission progress has been stuck at 98% for a long time, and she has to find another way.
In order to avoid damaging the roots of the fairy grass, Guizhier took out a delicate little wooden shovel and meticulously cleaned the snow and soil around the edge.
My fingers gradually became clumsy and stiff from the cold, and I needed to stop from time to time to blow on some hot air and rub them.
Suddenly, a faint strange sound came from my ears.
"Damn, damn, damn."
It has a very rhythmic feel, it must be a fine horse, but it doesn't run very fast.
If you don't take the official route, there must be something fishy going on.
Guizhier lightly tapped her toes and jumped up, and in an instant she perched on the tree like a nimble tit, and some of the snow on the branches fell off.
She carefully hid in a high place and watched ahead.
Galloping alone on the vast snowy plain.
All I saw was a white horse with great endurance and a young man.
The man was only a young man of twenty years old, with a red tasseled spear slung across his shoulder.
His face had not yet lost its youthfulness, but a look of tenacity was already visible between his brows. He was as fair as a jade tree, and his posture was upright.
"Oh—" the young man patted the horse's mane soothingly, "What's wrong, Xueying?"
His voice was relaxed, but the veins on the back of his hands were tense.
Guizhier noticed that the man's cotton coat was torn, revealing the armor underneath, and there was a trace of blood on the tip of the gun that had not been wiped off.
The white horse circled in place and sneezed loudly and powerfully.
Is this because you don’t want to leave after seeing the fairy grass?
So shameless.
Guizhier looked down from above, picked up a snowball and threw it at him.
"Whee, whee."
Tiny ice crystals flew everywhere, and the white horse that was hit cried out in grievance.
"Who is it?" the young man shouted angrily, and then he determined the location by listening to the sound, and accurately slashed the spear towards the branches above his head.
The red tassel trembled as fast as thunder.
Guizhier felt a little itchy when she saw this.
The martial artists' dedication to exchanging martial arts skills is ingrained in their bones.
She twisted around, took out her trekking pole, and chopped it down with all her might, like a raging fire.
"clang!"
After the crisp collision, both of their arms felt numb.
"Good gun!" Guizhier exclaimed.
The gun barrel is made of ox tendon wood covered with dried bamboo strips, which is tough and light.
The young man relied on the explosive power of his waist and abdomen to pierce the throat, striving to kill with one blow.
Guizhi'er opened her neck to the right, and her body was as light as a swallow.
She jumped down from the tree, got close to the boy, and hit his knee with her trekking pole.
As the saying goes, a gun shoots a line, a stick sweeps a large area.
One of them relies on his ability to stretch and circle, while the other relies on his speed to smash and strike.
It's so beautiful to see you and me moving back and forth on the snow.
"Your eyes..."
Guizhier obviously still had some energy left and could chat for a while.
The boy didn't respond. His vision was blank, his focus was sometimes precise and sometimes blurry, but his fighting style was ruthless, leaving no room for maneuver.
"Stop!" Guizhier frowned and dodged his desperate and brutal move.
"Snow blindness. Fear of light. If you force your eyes open, you'll go blind."
The white snow has a strong reflection of sunlight. If you stare at it for a long time, your eyes will not only shed tears but also suffer great damage.
This is a truth that all the indigenous people of the North understand.
The boy paused for a second, and even though his eyelids were red and swollen, he still refused to relax. Some of his eyelashes were stained with tears and had solidified into icicles.
He changed from offense to defense, still holding the spear tightly.
"Who is coming?"
Guizhier stepped back and held the trekking pole in front of his chest with his backhand.
She was equally cautious: "Shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking others?"
The cold wind blew up a thin layer of snow, which slipped away between the two of them like a flowing scarf.
The white horse stamped its hooves restlessly.
The situation was a bit stalemate.
The young man closed his eyes and said with a bow, "My name is Luan. I have important business to attend to in the Central Prefecture City. I would like to ask for your help."
The tone was calm and soft, with a hint of weakness and pleading.
It turned out to be him.
The emperor personally selected him as the top scorer in the imperial examination and the major general of Zhenbei Vanguard.
When I listened to the conversation between the new and old prefects at noon, I thought he would be a big and strong man.
Such a young boy may not be able to subdue the border guards.
"Major General, where are your troops?"
Guizhier picked up the fairy grass and digging tools left on the ground, pretending not to see the white horse's bright and eager eyes.
This horse is knowledgeable and greedy.
"The guards are at the rear. I will go into the city to report first."
Luan Shuangbai was surprised that Gui Zhier, a woman, could reveal his identity.
In order to prevent military generals from becoming self-reliant, Daliang continuously tightened its military power.
A major general can only lead a few dozen personal guards. Once he arrives at the destination, he will directly lead the local garrison troops.
The soldiers do not know their generals, and the generals do not know their soldiers.
The so-called garrison system.
Although it can prevent generals from becoming autocratic, it also weakens the army's combat effectiveness and cohesion.
"It's best to cover your eyes. After entering the city, get some herbal medicine to wash your eyes. Don't apply hot compresses." Guizhier instructed patiently.
"Thank you." Luan Shuangbai touched the white horse's forehead, "Xueying, follow this girl."
Girl, I won’t call you a hero.
Guizhier chuckled.
She cleared the way ahead, trying her best to avoid the icicles on the branches.
As the sun slowly sets in the west, the fragrance of pine wood permeates the heart and the cool air seeps into the bone marrow.
In the mountains and forests, everything is silent.
Only the rustling sound of the skateboard rubbing against the snow, intertwined with the horse's hooves, adds a sense of mystery and remoteness.
"Miss, are you the director of the government office?" Luan Shuangbai couldn't resist his curiosity and asked.
If she is a female official, she will definitely be informed of the latest transfer orders.
"No." Gui Zhi'er looked at the lanterns on the distant city wall and replied with a smile, "There's a Guiji Braised Food Shop next to the government office. The hot stew I make is the best in the world."
Luan Shuangbai was speechless and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
At this moment, something strange happened.
"Boom, boom, boom."
Heavy, complex, and approaching rapidly.
In the distance, wild beasts kept growling, as if they were afraid of something.
Gui Zhi'er noticed it immediately and turned to stare at Luan Shuangbai: "Major General, is this your army?"
She pursed her lips and looked serious.
"Please forgive me, young lady." Luan Shuangbai also looked solemn. "The mountains were blocked by heavy snow. I was afraid of disobeying military orders, so I rode here alone at full speed."
"There's a serious bandit problem along the way. I'm worried... I didn't tell you the truth just now."
Luan Shuangbai spoke frankly.
The good news is that there is a new general in the North.
The bad news is that the commander who came was alone.
The worse news is -
The two looked at each other.
The current movement is probably the advance team of the nomadic robbers’ night attack!
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