ferry
Since losing track of Lu, Xuangui and his team turned their attention back to the mine. After several days of investigation and ambush, they found that someone was indeed still digging in the mine.
Therefore, the first step of their plan was to send people to guard the only mine entrance in turns, ready to wait for the miners working inside to come out to rest, and then follow the miners working inside in.
But plans cannot keep up with changes. There have been heavy rains and thunderstorms these days. The soil under Qixia Mountain was dug by the famine-stricken people in the early days, and the soil was loose. After being washed by the torrential rain, trees fell, and mudslides occurred, all the dirt roads going up and down the mountain were blocked.
People at the foot of the mountain cannot go up, and people on the mountain cannot come down.
He had made a mistake before and was delayed by that "Lu" for a day and a half. After being discovered by "Lu" and forced into the underground passage, he remembered that there were other account books with drawings in the basement of the Qixia Mountain Statue that he had not taken, but it was too late.
Fortunately, in order to attract the attention of Xuan Gui and Xi Zhen, "Lu" did not go to the basement over there. If nothing unexpected happened, those notebooks would still be lying on the table and the floor.
But every good thing has its bad side. There have been heavy rains in recent days, and the basement itself has been in disrepair for a long time. Xuan Gui went in there once before. Although he moved the stone slabs back to their original position after coming out, there might be some holes or cracks in some corners.
If rainwater or puddles on the ground outside get in, the books on the floor or table will become damp and moldy even if they are not soaked.
Therefore, even if the road is difficult, you must go. The sooner you resolve the problem, the lower the chance of being punished by your master.
—
The rainstorm tonight subsided a little. Xuangui, Yan and Yan wore straw raincoats and took advantage of their excellent night vision to seize the opportunity and look for a way to climb up the mountain.
Qixia is a remote mountainous area. Now that the city is locked down and the officers and soldiers are on strict alert, it is even more desolate and cold here, with only the sound of continuous raindrops falling on hats.
Soon after they arrived at the foot of the mountain, the faint sounds of digging began again, intermittent and unreal.
Several of them practiced martial arts, so their hearing was naturally good.
Following the sound and locating the location, the mine was pitch black in the dark night, without any light, leaving only a shadow through the thick fog.
“…mining?”
Walking around the thick tree trunk that was broken by lightning, stepping on the mud mixed with wet rain water and sticky feet, Yan adjusted his hat and looked up.
The crow landed on Yan's shoulder and was eager to try. Unfortunately, once it took off its straw raincoat, its wet feathers quickly became heavy. It flew away for a while before it quickly darted back to where it was supposed to stay and shrank its head.
The sound of hammering on the wall echoed in the empty mountain. Everyone was silent and thinking the same thing.
There is a shortage of supplies in the mountains, and it has rained for so many days in a row. How can the miners who steal from the deserters have enough food?
It was humid on rainy days, and the weather in the city was extremely cold, not to mention in the mine where there was no sunlight.
So what did they use to make fire and cook?
Before going up the mountain, they had checked the area near the mine in Qixia Mountain. The only wooden house with exhaust gas was at the foot of the mountain. Given the location of the mine, the miners in the mine could not reach down at all.
The rain in the middle of the night gradually subsided, and the clear light that had been obscured by dark clouds reappeared, and the road ahead became clear.
They parted ways at both ends of the road.
—
Sect
The next morning, when Jiang Nian woke up and opened the door, Xiao Yingzhu had been leaning idly against the pillar in the wooden corridor for a while.
Hearing the sound of the wooden door beside him being gently pushed open, he turned around. The soft light from outside reflected on his beautiful face, which was so beautiful that her eyes flickered.
Xiao Yingzhu's gaze slowly fell on her dazed face, which still showed some sleepiness, and she raised her eyes slightly.
"woke up?"
He was not sure how long he had slept, and the sect's sky was only two distinct colors. Jiang Nian gave up judging the time from the sky. After looking away, he noticed Xiao Yingzhu's expression of light teasing and half-smile. His face was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed.
"Well, what time is it now?"
She was too shocked when she woke up and found Xiao Yingzhu sitting in her room. After accepting it calmly, Jiang Nian opened the door again and found that her real self appeared at the door again as if the scene had happened last time. She was already used to it and was not surprised.
"At noon."
Xiao Yingzhu straightened up, her brows and eyes showing a relaxed and happy look.
"Tao Yu prepared the meal and called me to wake you up. Let's go."
Today he had tied up his long black hair again, and his snow-white crescent-shaped sleeves had been replaced with a gorgeous crimson brocade robe. When he walked out of the wooden corridor and turned sideways, she discovered that he was carrying an ink sword.
As he gradually became familiar with him, Jiang Nian no longer felt the fear he had when he first saw him wearing this outfit.
Because he was already behind Xiao Yingzhu, he deliberately slowed down his pace as he walked in front. Noticing this subtle change, Jiang Nian knew that he was waiting for her, so he quickened his pace a little. After a while, he walked briskly to Xiao Yingzhu's side and walked shoulder to shoulder with him.
Looking at his charming profile, Jiang Nian tilted his head and said with a smile:
"You just said you were going to wake me up, but I woke up on my own. What if Miss Tao blames me for being late?"
The girl used a jade hairpin to tie some of her black hair into a bunch, and let the rest hang down. When she raised her eyes and looked up at him, her eyebrows were clear and moving, and the long and flowing hair ends were swept into a perfect arc by this action.
She had recently stolen a moment of leisure from her busy schedule, and her usually calm face had become lively and playful, with even more color.
The girl in front of him was half complaining and half whining. Xiao Yingzhu glanced at her, pausing for a moment on that lively and dazzling face. He chuckled softly and said nonchalantly, "Then say you can't wake her up."
"?"
Jiang Nian opened his eyes wide and saw Xiao Yingzhu turned her head back and looked at him in disbelief. After a while, she looked away with a dull look, her voice slightly teasing.
"Really? Well, that's it. If Miss Tao asks, I'll just say that Mr. Xiao's wake-up service is completely silent."
Xiao Yingzhu smiled lightly, her voice casual: "As long as Miss Jiang is happy."
The two of them bickered about nothing much along the way, and only when they arrived at the restaurant where the sect entertained distinguished guests did they calm down and walked in one after the other as if nothing had happened.
Tao Yu had just brought some food from the kitchen. Seeing that Jiang Nian still had a bright smile on her face, her gaze paused, then she understood and looked away, putting the bowl and chopsticks on the table.
"The meal is ready, Miss Jiang, please enjoy your meal."
Qin Lan popped his head out from the kitchen and said, "Master Zhang, the sect's chef, is nowhere to be found today. Xiao, come over and help."
Xiao Yingzhu just walked behind the chair and heard the words. She glanced at Tao Yu's ambiguous and slightly teasing expression, then passed by Jiang Nian and walked towards the kitchen.
There were only four of them in the restaurant. Apart from the occasional brief conversations in the kitchen, it was extremely quiet outside. If you calmed down for a while, you could even hear the birds singing on the branches outside.
Jiang Nian watched as the other three people were busy, but Tao Yu pushed them back to their seats, saying, "You're not familiar with this place, so it'll be faster if we come here a few times."
What he said made sense. Seeing Qin Lan coming out of the kitchen again after a while, Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little less uneasy.
Just now, when Qin Lan called Xiao Yingzhu in, she thought Tao Yu had something to say to her, but she didn't expect that he really just wanted her to sit on the chair and wait for the dishes to be served.
Maybe the 'ferry' was a little early, so the dishes served in the morning are usually eaten at noon.
After taking a few spoonfuls of food, Jiang Nian raised his head with a slight feeling and met Tao Yu's eyes, who was looking towards him with his chin in his hand.
Seeing Jiang Nian's surprised expression, she smiled and asked, "How does it taste?"
The dish picked up by her chopsticks was a common dish made by the people in Liangdu City, but the color, aroma, and taste of the dish were no different from what she ate in modern times.
There are chili peppers in it, which doesn't seem like something from the Huan Dynasty.
A trace of doubt flashed through Jiang Nian's mind, and he nodded in agreement to Tao Yu with a calm expression.
“It’s delicious. I feel like the dishes are the same as in Pingzhou, but the flavors are subtly different.”
Noticing Xiao Yingzhu's interested gaze, Jiang Nian smiled softly in response, as if he didn't see the meaningful inquiry in his eyes.
Tao Yu didn't notice the inexplicable confrontation brewing on the field. He smiled and looked away, then replied, "Well, this seasoning was left by the sect leader and can't be passed on to others."
The second time he heard Tao Yu mention the Sect Master, even though Xiao Yingzhu and Qin Lan were still present, Jiang Nian didn't want to get any glimpse of any news that might be related to his own time travel.
"Sect Master? Wouldn't the remaining seasonings spoil?"
Tao Yu shook his head in response: "Not really, he did leave behind the method of planting."
Jiang Nian lowered his eyes to look at the food in the bowl, then raised his eyes again and asked with a smile, looking curious: "Growing method? Can this seasoning be grown?"
"Of course you can. Wait a minute..." Tao Yu might have stayed in the sect for too long. The same sky could actually tell different times. "Time is running out, Miss Jiang. I'll bring you to the sect next time."
According to the sect's rules and regulations, outsiders must have a reasonable reason to enter the sect. It is not like they can enter and leave at will. Therefore, Jiang Nian's face showed some hesitation.
Tao Yu didn't seem to care and looked away from Jiang Nian's face thoughtfully.
"I think the Sect Master will let you in."
Seeing her affirmative attitude and wanting to know more about the sect, Jiang Nian had no choice but to nod and end the topic.
—
As the name suggests, a 'ferry' is a ship used to prepare for emergencies.
Jiang Nian glanced at the ship, then after a while, he looked away and looked somewhere else.
The sound of waves on the shore came from afar, hitting the edge of the wooden plank again and again, and the clear water gradually began to form waves.
Tao Yu stood in front. The weather was gloomy and there was pale and thick fog in front of her. The fog was slowly and faintly transforming itself. In the confused vision, there was an invisible wind, blowing on Tao Yu's body, lifting her skirt and hair.
The mountains around are as high as clouds. Even if you stand in a safe place, looking at these dark and tall mountains in the cloudy sky, you will feel terrified.
Suddenly feeling someone approaching, Jiang Nian turned his head.
The black sleeves fluttered, it was Qin Lan.
He smiled meaningfully, and while Xiao Yingzhu was behind him, he whispered to her, "Miss Jiang, how was your experience in the sect this time?"
Jiang was stunned for a moment, and when he saw the hint of ridicule in Qin Lan's eyes, he immediately understood what he wanted to say.
After spending the past few days together, she and Qin Lan have become more familiar with each other. Seeing Qin Lan teasing her about her relationship with Xiao Yingzhu, and Xiao Yingzhu not being present, she did not show any modesty. She immediately curved her eyes and smiled brightly:
"Thank you, Mr. Qin and Miss Tao, for your care. I had a great time."
Let’s not talk about her for now. Just Tao Yu’s unilateral output during their daily meals would make the usually eloquent Qin Lan speechless, which was a particularly wonderful side dish to go with the meal.
Qin Lan looked at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled with his eyes narrowed.
"Then we are nothing. He is still better than us."
Jiang Nian was listening calmly, but suddenly he heard an unexpected sentence and was stunned.
"What?"
Xiao Yingzhu's figure appeared at the edge of the 'ferry'. Qin Lan looked back meaningfully and shook his finger at Jiang Nian.
"It's better for Miss Jiang to ask him herself."
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