Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Update.
At night, there were the howling of wolves and tigers outside the cave, which was eerie and strange.
Ji Xu blocked the entrance of the cave with a large stone, and the two of them survived for two days by eating three naan breads and drinking dew from leaves.
The river really calmed down, and the soldiers fishing on the river bank also withdrew, as if the people behind them accepted the fact that they were swept away by the rapids.
However, the hunting continued in various places during the day, so they could only go out at night, swim to avoid the sight of the watchtowers, and go out of the high walls of the garden.
This garden is located on the outskirts of Wen'an County. When I came out, I was soaked all over and had no time to warm myself by the fire. I could only try my best to get away from the garden.
At daybreak, they arrived at a village pavilion where there was a market. They pawned their Hu clothes for one or two taels of silver and exchanged them for two sets of half-worn robes.
Ji Xu had changed his hair into a bun like a man's as soon as he left the garden, and wrapped his head with a scarf. The robe he bought was also a man's style.
"You don't look like barbarians dressed like this. Where are you from? Are you going to the gardens in Wen'an County?"
The young merchant saw that they were wearing Hu clothing when they came. He had seen Hu people in similar clothing wandering around in this market, saying that they were going to the garden to hunt for bounty, so he asked.
Ji Xu glanced at the Second Master and said, "Yes, my brothers and I went to the park to hunt for the bounty, but unfortunately we were no match for the powerful and tall man there and were defeated. Look, these two sets of clothes from that place are still good. We can pawn them and use them as old clothes. The rest can be used as travel expenses for returning home."
The merchant was convinced and treated it as a normal matter, and pawned his Hu clothes for them.
In this way, the Errenzhuan were dressed like ordinary people, but the distance between Yan State and Qingzhou was six or seven hundred miles. Although the matter was urgent, they could not use the real purpose as an excuse to ask officials along the way for fast horses to deliver the message. After all, they did not know whether the other party would believe them. If they turned around and reported to the King of Yan, it would be harder than climbing to the sky to get away. Therefore, they could only do it themselves.
Ji Xu used the three-liang gold hairpin to exchange for two high-quality fast horses from a real Hu man.
It is better to go to Qingzhou as early as possible. If they arrive later than the grandson of King Xiao of Qi, the opportunity will be gone. Therefore, buying an ox cart is not an option. It will take at least seven or eight days to get there due to the shaky environment. So they gritted their teeth and exchanged the golden hairpin, which was not even warm yet, for a fast horse that could travel 200 miles a day.
The reason they could only travel 200 miles a day was because the horses needed to rest. If they could switch to fast horses from the post stations along the way, and travel 800 miles at an accelerated rate, non-stop day and night, traveling 400 miles a day would be no problem. The problem was that they did not have such conditions.
"Why did you change two horses?"
The second master who was waiting saw her making gestures with the high-nosed and deep-eyed barbarian, chattering for a while, and then led two tall black horses over.
She got on the horse and said, "You and I will ride one each. It will be much faster."
She could ride a horse, but the stirrups of today were not as perfect as those of later generations. There were cloth stirrups, wooden stirrups, and wooden stirrups covered with copper. Ji Xu's horse had cloth stirrups, which were not as convenient as iron ones. She had to find them before she could step on them to get on the horse's back. But it was much easier once she was on the horse.
"It's a pity that the Second Master's crown was lost in the river, otherwise we could have exchanged it for a better horse."
But this second master is a young master after all, and he has some valuable little items on him, any one of which is enough for an ordinary person to use for several years.
The waistband of the Hu costume was fastened with a jade belt hook with a coiled snake pattern, and the waist was adorned with a jade twisted silk ring. These two fastening items were not washed away by the water. When he started to wear the Hu costume, Ji Xu took them off and put them close to his body.
Good jade is more eye-catching than gold. The jade belt hook and the jade pendant are obviously symbols of noble status. If they were pawned, it might arouse suspicion. After all, they are still in the territory of Yan State, so they have been kept and not used.
"It would be best if you could ride a horse."
The second master said that she not only knew how to ride, but also did not ride in a crooked and fancy way, and her riding skills were beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Ji Xu lied and said, "When I was in my hometown, I raised horses for a country gentleman. Every day I would walk the horses on the hillside, and I would ride them secretly without anyone knowing. Gradually, I learned how to ride."
Not knowing whether the second master believed it or not, the two of them went to Qingzhou.
To leave the territory of Yan State, they had to pass through a checkpoint. Each of them held a biography stating that they were from Qingzhou, and they calmly showed it to the soldiers.
The soldier saw the official seal on them, looked them up and down according to the description, and then let them go.
Ji Xu finally put his heart at ease. You know, this biography was forged by the second master. He remembered that one day in the mansion, he sent Yu to buy cinnabar, so he forged the biography in order to make a fake seal. Since he was fond of painting, no one doubted the usefulness of the cinnabar.
After they left the State of Yan, they traveled day and night to Qingzhou, except for stopping to water their horses along the way.
At midnight the next day, they arrived at the border of Qingzhou and saw a huge stone tablet on the ground with three large characters "Pingyuan County" engraved on it.
As the name suggests, this place is located on a plain formed by river alluvial deposits and has a flat terrain.
Under the moonlight, the sky and the earth merged into one. No houses were visible. Only a vast river stretched before us, the water as calm as a white jade belt.
There was a lonely thatched hut by the river, with a raft tied in the water in front of the hut. The old man came out to urinate into the river.
The sound of their horses' hooves gradually stopped at the riverside. One of the handsome men dismounted and asked:
"Old man, could you please paddle your raft and take us brothers across the river? Xu, give him some money."
The old boatman looked them over and said, "It's late at night, so we'll have to charge double the money. For the two of you, plus the horse, it'll be at least a hundred coins."
"Xu, give the money to the old man."
This hundred coins were the only money left after pawning the clothes he wore. Ji Xu glanced at him, emptied his purse and gave it to the boatman.
Being really poor, he could only try to bring the pair of jade hooks to the pawnshop. Now that he had left Yan State and arrived in Qingzhou, the risk of being discovered was smaller. However, Pingyuan County was still hundreds of miles away from Qi County, the seat of Qingzhou. The horses needed to eat grass and drink water, and people also needed to eat.
The boatman received the money and let them lead the horses onto the raft, rowing towards the other side.
The river was dark at night, stretching out into the darkness. Ji Xu didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the boatman's gaze would linger on them from time to time.
When he reached the middle of the river, his face seemed to have changed. He used his hands as a whistle and made a whistling sound from his mouth.
The sound of water was roaring on both sides, and within the range illuminated by the torches, there were five or six rafts or wooden boats.
The upload described nearly twenty barbaric men, each staring at them like fat meat on a chopping board waiting to be slaughtered.
"That horse is fat! I want the black one!"
One of the leading men with a square face said.
As he spoke, he brought the raft closer to them, which was parked in the middle of the river. The second master's face changed after being offended by these barbarians. He scolded, "Who are you? Do you know who I am?"
The cross-faced man laughed loudly and looked up to the sky. "We use the sky as our blanket and the river as our mattress. This river is our home. You broke into my house, left your money, and I will consider giving you a way out."
"Ridiculous! This river water is formed naturally, and it becomes yours?" said the Second Master.
The group of people were holding sharp objects, most of which were modified farm tools, such as rakes, sickles, and only a few of them had a big knife.
When they heard this, they laughed even harder. "Look, does it sound like the way we talk to the Confucian scholars in Qi and Lu?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
He was about to arrest them and search them with a smile. The jade belt hook and ring pendant that Ji Xu had hidden close to his body were the only valuable items left, and they would prove the Second Master's identity when he arrived in Qingzhou Qi County. He bowed hurriedly and said:
"My dear friends, we are truly pitiful brothers. I was deceived by that evil-hearted thief and enslaved for three years. My brother abandoned his family and property to find me, and fled all the way here, intending to go to Qi County to seek refuge with relatives.
We really have nothing but these two horses, which we stole from their owner and are giving to you, the brave men, in the hope that you will spare our lives."
Those people saw that she was a man, thin and frail like a willow, wearing old clothes and with a dusty face, and she really looked like a slave being tortured by her master.
The square-faced man in the lead was somewhat persuaded and said:
"Well, take off your clothes and leave them behind. Don't leave your underwear behind either. I'll let you go ashore shirtless!"
The people below were also fighting over the half-worn robes, shoes and socks, and they were going to plunder them clean.
"Asshole!"
Seeing that they were hesitating and some were even trying to strip off his clothes themselves, the second master who was standing in front of Ji Xu cursed angrily.
Ji Xu behind him pulled him and he jumped into the cold river water behind him. He used the skills he learned when he was a child in Wu and picked water chestnuts for the rich families in Shengchang in summer, and dived into the riverbed like a fish.
At that time, Tian was also there, sitting on a small boat, picking up some food for the family, and was often startled by her appearing out of nowhere.
The headscarf floated on the water, and the green scattered in the water. After the dust was washed away, a white and clean face was revealed.
The men on the raft pointed and shouted, "It's a girl! Boss, we can't let her go!"
They jumped into the water one after another to chase after him. These people have been hanging around in the river for many years and are very good at swimming.
Here, Ji Xu had to bring along the second master, who was a poor swimmer and kept choking on water. Seeing that he was about to be caught up, Ji Xu held on with all his strength and swam forward. Before he sank into the water due to exhaustion, he saw a faint flicker of fire on the shore.
When I woke up again, I was lying on a couch. I saw that it was a living room somewhere. It was painted black and had simple furnishings. There were some bamboo scrolls in the lattice, but most of them were empty.
The surroundings were spotless and clean. The five-stone bow on the wall shone with a cold light and looked particularly familiar. Ji Xu sat up.
A servant dressed in cloth came in with a box.
"The girl is awake. Drink a bowl of ginger soup to dispel the cold."
Ji Xu held the cup for a while but didn't drink it. His throat was choked by the water and his voice was a little hoarse:
"I wonder where this is?"
The woman said, "This is Muping County in Pingyuan Commandery, but it's now called the Marquisate of Muping. Our people here have been plagued by pirates year-round. Fortunately, the young Marquis of Muping has returned. Last night, he led his troops to suppress the pirates and happened to rescue you and your sister. He brought you back to his mansion."
Ji Xu remembered that when they were in the Yan State's gardens, those royal family members had mentioned the Marquis of Muping, who had a fief of 500 households, comparable to the cavalry officer of a village. This man was not on a hunting trip, so he must not be a member of the King of Yan's group.
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