Those years when I climbed the wall

The wilderness stretches to the sky, and the eyes are completely white. If it weren't for the faintly discernible ruts, I really don't know where the road is.

It seems that half a day has passed, but the faint yellow sun is only higher than the treetops in the east.It's no wonder that he set out on the road before dawn, and he has been walking for more than two hours, but the snowy road is difficult, and he needs to stop less if he wants to reach the next town before nightfall.

Called "Chongning", the predecessors heard the sound and stopped in the horse.

"Is she still following?"

"Yes!" Lu Chongning nodded, "But her horse's foot strength is far inferior to ours, and the road is difficult in the cold weather, and she will be thrown off after a few hours..." Before she finished speaking, a horse neighed suddenly from behind.

"What's wrong?" Mu Yunqi felt ominous.

"It's the car following behind," the guard replied, "it seems to be stuck in a snow pit!"

His complexion changed slightly, and Mu Yunqi hurriedly ordered: "Go and have a look."

He rode his horse back, and what he saw was heart-wrenching: the carriage lay across the road, and the brown-yellow horse pulling the carriage rushed out of the road halfway, and fell into a snow pit with one foot, whining endlessly.The seat of the car is empty, and the driver has disappeared.

Without thinking too much, Lu Chongning got off his horse in a hurry, opened the curtain and saw the bamboo basket for the baby lying in the car, but luckily the curtain prevented it from slipping out.The little baby was soundly asleep, and he opened his eyes and cried "wow" after being picked up by him. He seemed to be fine.

But... "Where's that girl?" Turning his mind back, Lu Chongning turned around and looked around.

"Here!" Two or three zhang away, the guard shouted, dragging a person out of the snow pit beside the road.Fortunately, the pit was shallow and covered with snow, so the person who fell would not be injured too badly, but it took a while to come over slowly, sat up slowly, covered his chest and coughed for a while.

"How are you?" Lu Chongning stepped forward holding the baby.

"I..." Panting, the woman shook her head: "It's nothing." She stood up and took two steps, except for the slight trembling of her legs and feet, there was nothing wrong with him.

Lu Chongning frowned: "Since you don't know how to drive, why do you insist on going your own way? I don't know if the snow and the road are slippery, so accidents are easy?"

Liu raised her eyebrows anxiously, and the woman refused to accept: "Can you blame me? You don't want to take me with you. In this weather, the town can't hire a carriage to go north. I have to try it myself!" , still not annoyed: "You guys are going in such a hurry, I had to drive my car to keep up, but the road was icy, and this horse was newly bought and not very tame, that's why this happened!"

I am reckless, but I still blame others. It seems that this woman is really not a reasonable person.

Before bringing people back, Lu Chongning reported the matter.

"Is his car still going?" After thinking about it, Mu Yunqi asked directly.After receiving an affirmative answer, he ordered: "Since her horse is not strong enough to travel far, we will use our horses to get into her cart and start on the road quickly."

Is this a tacit approval for the two of them to accompany them?Although Lu Chongning didn't quite agree, he had no choice but to take one step at a time and take orders first.

The whole day was fine, luckily I was in Anshun all the way, and at sunset, I arrived at the town where I wanted to stay.Same as the previous location, the place here is not big, and there are not many people. Although the inn is small, it is clean.

It was still early after dinner, so Mu Yunqi brought Lu Chongning down to the back court of the hotel for a walk.

The courtyard is empty, and the remaining snow has not been swept.At this moment, the clear light is shining, and the snow is reflecting the empty courtyard, which is interesting.After dismissing the rest of the people, Mu Yun Qidu and Lu Chongning went out the back door.Exposure to the night, let the severe cold invade the bones, take a breath of night air, the body, skin and mind, and feel refreshed instantly.However, there is a fly in the ointment, here, there is already a first-timer——I suddenly saw a figure flying up and down in the courtyard, holding a sword and dancing.

After watching quietly for a moment, Mu Yunqi turned his eyes and glanced at his side.

As soon as he understood, Lu Chongning jumped out, drew his sword and attacked the people in the court.Unprepared, the other was startled, raised her hand to block, and when the two swords collided, she staggered back a few big steps!However, Mu Yun, who was a bystander, knew very well in this attack: Lu Chongning could only use three successes at most.

Standing firm and leveling her breath, the woman stabbed back with her sword, but Lu Chongning easily dodged it.Counting back and forth afterward, it was her who used her sword fiercely and fiercely, but without exception, she was easily disintegrated by the latter.After five or six rounds like this, the woman was obviously impatient and her tricks gradually became chaotic, but Lu Chongning took the opportunity to put his sword back into its sheath, obviously not paying attention to her.This made her feel more and more embarrassed, she jumped forward and stabbed again, unexpectedly, there were only chaotic shadows flashing in front of her eyes, and no one was seen in her eyes, but the wind suddenly sounded behind her ears, it was too late to turn her head - now the shadows came straight to her throat!When it stopped three inches before, it was the scabbard.

Clenching the hilt of the sword tightly, the woman's eyes showed unwillingness, but she said indifferently: "I lost."

Lu Chongning smiled and closed his hands: "You can learn as you like, don't worry about it." Turning to look upstairs: "The night is cold and windy, and even children can't leave people, let's play with the sword, Madam Li, let's go back to the house earlier."

With him to withdraw the sword, the sharpness in the woman's eyes faded away, and she spoke modestly: "Since I am walking with you, I am willing to be a servant and servant girl to be sent by you, so I just call me Qiao'er. Besides, Ah Nuan just fell asleep, It will be fine for a while." After a moment of hesitation, he finally asked, "Is my swordsmanship really that difficult to notice?"

Lu Chongning did not answer, but turned to meet the Patriarch.

Mu Yun prayed with a smile: "It's okay."

Li Qiaoer blushed: "I have a lot of self-knowledge, and you don't need to be perfunctory. My father was born in the army, and this sword was custom-made for me back then. Unfortunately, he passed away after the sword was completed, so Wuji taught me swordsmanship. I have paid homage to a few masters, but they are all mediocre, and I rely on myself for a long time to figure it out, so it is difficult to see progress." Glancing at Lu Chongning: "When you are in front of a master, you will be vulnerable."

"However, it is still possible to deal with three or two unarmed thieves!" Lu Chongning's words were regarded as relief.

"A thieves?" The woman glanced at the sword in her hand, her voice was weak: "To deal with three or two thieves, there is no need to use a sword! I really..." After a moment of pondering, a look of luck flashed in her eyes: "You... would you like to accept it?" I am a disciple?"

"Acceptance??" Lu Chongning was stunned, and shook his head resolutely: "Martial arts is a long-term achievement, not a one-time event. Those who are eager for success and neglect to practice will be useless even if they enter a famous family! Besides, personal instruction Martial arts, it is inevitable to touch one's body, the so-called men and women are not clear about how to teach and accept, and how is it proper for a man to teach a woman?"

Li Qiaoer was stunned by her words: It is obvious that a person who looks sensible, but still has such a rigid side-it's all right to refuse, but she doesn't know how to be more tactful!

"If you don't accept it, you won't accept it. Why use such excuses to bluff people!" Angrily, the woman turned her head and left.

In the first half of the month, the shadows of the dead trees in the courtyard were stretched a little longer.

"Chongning," Mu Yun prayed for support, "Do you... have a family?"

The person being asked was stunned and shook his head blankly.

Sure enough...Mu Yunqi smiled wryly: "From now on, you must remember to talk to women as tactfully as possible."

After thinking for a while, the man seemed to realize something: "Your Majesty, I am the one who offended Li Qiaoer by saying something just now? But... I am just telling the truth."

It's so old-fashioned!Mu Yunqi was helpless: "Whether to be blunt or not depends on the time and the person! For example, if you don't want to marry an ugly wife, should you also bluntly tell her?"

"This..." The man was at a loss for words.

"The truth hurts so much, so it's appropriate to decline it." Mu Yun prayed in a calm tone, "If you are a gentleman, you might as well blame yourself for the reason, for example, saying you are sick and pushing the marriage; It doesn't hurt to invest in the cause."

Thinking to himself for a moment, the man nodded: "Chongning wrote it down!"

Nodding his head, Mu Yunqi took two steps forward and returned to the subject: "Since you have tried it, is Li Qiaoer's kung fu really as bad as it looks?"

Lu Chongning thought for a while: "I just took her by surprise, she should have no reason to lie! But..." After taking two steps forward, "She has been very vigilant all the way, and she has no regard for decency and is determined to walk with us. In this way, I am afraid of getting troubled." Caution added: "Then I think, I should ask him carefully for inside information."

"I just want to ask!" Mu Yunqi glanced back and blamed, "If you hadn't offended her just now, you might know the possibility by now."

"Ah?" The person who heard it was confused at first, recalled it, and hurriedly confessed.

"Forget it," Mu Yunqi waved his hand, turned and walked back into the room, "Although this woman is perverse, since she can wholeheartedly protect a baby who was not born by herself, it can be seen that she is not a treacherous and evil person. She will be fine for me."

Unexpectedly, when I went back to the room and sat down, I heard Li Qiaoer begging to see me.The corners of Mu Yunqi's lips curled slightly, and he glanced at the person beside him with a special glance: "The opportunity comes again, don't miss it again."

The woman saluted as soon as she entered the room, saying that she came here to make amends for the misbehavior she had just suffered in the courtyard.

Mu Yunqi said it was all right, exchanged some pleasantries, and when he mentioned the little baby, he seemed to sigh with emotion: "You treat this baby as if it were your own, and you are willing to take risks to protect it, and you are alone in danger, which shows that you are a kind-hearted person. But how dare you take credit for a little help?"

Received this praise, the woman was terrified, but still humbled, after thinking about it, she realized that there was something wrong with his words, and her complexion suddenly changed.

Mu Yunqi picked up the teacup, and tried to be as kind as possible: "Since the young lady is walking with us, the cause and effect should also be frank with me?"

The woman lowered her head as if hesitating, and for a while, knowing that she couldn't hide, she was relieved: "I didn't intend to deceive, I didn't tell the whole story to the officials early in the morning, I just thought that the officials didn't want to explore this. Now that I asked about the origin of my family's background, I asked myself Report it as it is.” At this point, there was sorrow in his eyebrows and eyes: “I am from the Hezhong Mansion, and the little baby is the daughter of my elder sister. My elder sister passed away in childbirth a month ago. I was alone and unable to raise the child, so I took her Go to Xingzhou and join your brother." The voice is flat, and it doesn't seem to be pretentious.

Mu Yunqi wondered: "Even if her biological mother died, where is her father and why can't she raise her?"

The woman was silent, she seemed to be having a hard time saying anything, but she finally answered: "My elder sister is not a good person, and the child's biological father does not want to recognize her, so I have to raise her."

After a short silence, Lu Chongning suddenly asked: "You have been evasive all the way, what are you afraid of?"

Caught off guard, a strange look flashed across the woman's face, like sullenness, and panic, and the hand hanging by her side unconsciously clenched her skirt.

"Is it because of you, or because of that little baby?" Lu Chongning's eyes were sharp, and he continued to press forward: "We lead you on the road, but even the dangers you may encounter are unpredictable, so how can we protect you?"

One word awakened the dreamer, the woman was startled, and almost blurted out: "There are so many of you, and you are all strong players, he still can't..." After a pause, he hesitated for a long time, and finally sighed: "Forget it, I'm tired Officials, you shouldn't hide anything, let's just say it bluntly. The cause of this matter is really the little baby. My sister was tempted to become pregnant outside, but she didn't dare to say anything. If that person knows, It was necessary to kill and kill, so she took me to hide everywhere. Who would have thought that she would pass away after giving birth, and left her orphaned at the end of her life, asking me to take care of her here. And I went all the way north, although I haven't been in any danger yet, but my sister once told me that the person has a cruel nature. Knowing that the baby survives, it must be harmed, so I dare not take it lightly." The eyes flashed, full of sorrow: "That day at the inn, I was reported to the government by the inn because of my strange behavior. Fortunately, a clerk in the yamen It is my old friend who can prove that I am not an evil person, so I was saved from prison, but I was worried that my whereabouts would be exposed because of this incident, so I had no choice but to brazenly cling to officials, hoping to get your protection."

But it is like this?Mu Yunqi was puzzled: "Tiger poison doesn't eat its offspring! Even if the baby's biological father is unwilling to accept your sister into the house for some reason, he still can't tolerate his own blood? What's going on here?"

The woman was at a loss: "I don't know all about this. I only heard a word and a half sentence from my elder sister. It seems that she is obsessed with the magic of old age, and she wants to live forever...or to ascend? In short, I don't know who was bewitched by the warlock. Children come into the world or damage their blessings to repay Yangshou and so on, so they do this."

"Because of these vain demands, they even want to poison their own flesh and blood, isn't it worse than a beast?" Lu Chongning clenched his fists, "Do you know the name of this person?"

Seeing her shake her head: "My sister didn't explain it clearly, I think she is just a dandy from a rich family." Before she finished speaking, she faintly heard the baby crying, and said anxiously: "Ah Nuan woke up, if there is nothing else, I will leave first .” De Xu, hurried away.

"Here, what do you think?" Mu Yunqi picked up a chess piece and played with it in his hands, and asked lightly.

Lu Chongning said truthfully: "The voice is calm and calm. Although the matter is absurd, it has its rationale, and it doesn't seem to be fabricated." Qing Ning eyebrows: "However, if what she said is true, I really can't take it lightly."

Mu Yunqi threw back the chess piece: "Then be more vigilant! Fortunately, there are only two or three days' journey away from Xingzhou, so it's good to send it to her brother safely."

Fortunately, the weather was beautiful, there was no wind or snow along the way, and we arrived in Lingzhou two days later.It was getting dark at that time, so Lu Chongning decided to spend the night on the spot.

It's been a long time since I saw such a bustling street market, hearing the noise of people all the way, Mu Yunqi felt a little bit of joy—or the previous journey was really too cold.

After settling down in the hotel, the lights outside are on.Facing the hustle and bustle of the world separated by a wall, Mu Yunqi couldn't hold back, simply because it was still early, he called Shang Lu Chongning to go out and take a walk nearby, while relaxing, he absorbed the scenery and customs of this border city in northern Xinjiang.

Lingzhou is adjacent to the Hexi Corridor in the west, and the border of the Hu people in the north. It has been occupied by foreigners throughout the ages, and now there are many descendants of the Hu people. In addition, there are businessmen and travelers coming and going. In the current city, people of various appearances and clothes come and go. Going, bustling and bustling, it really makes newcomers dizzy and secretly amazed.

However, it is located on the border, and the food and beverages in the city are also diverse: there are teahouses and restaurants of the Han people everywhere, and wine shops and restaurants with a strong Hu style are not uncommon.At night, restaurants everywhere are very popular, and what's more, the restaurants are already full of seats.

After wandering around for a while, Mu Yun prayed to find a clean restaurant for a short break, and was waiting and watching, when he suddenly heard a voice calling from behind, turned around and saw Li Qiaoer standing in a shop waving to him.It looked like a family restaurant, but it wasn't very noisy, so Mu Yunqi walked over without much hesitation.As soon as he entered the door, Li Qiaoer pulled him to an empty table and sat down, calling for food.Only then did I realize that this is a restaurant dedicated to cheese soup, and Mu Yunqi felt bored.

The woman didn't ask much, but she wanted three bowls of everything. Seeing this, Lu Chongning urgently reminded: "We don't like these sweet and greasy things!"

The woman laughed: "Since you're here, it's okay to try it, but I can't do it tonight?"

Seeing her winking at him, Lu Chongning had no choice but to stop talking.

After a while, three dishes and five bowls were served together. The woman put her own bowl in front of her, and glanced at the two of them with a sly look: "You guys, really don't want to eat?"

Mu Yunqi shook his head, Lu Chongning hummed softly.

"Then I will reluctantly do it for you!" With a smile, the woman reached out and put the dishes in front of her, bowing her head to eat.

"Guest officer, due to the many processes and time-consuming production of these kinds of milk soup, each person will only serve one bowl at most, and we will not sell more!" The voice of serving food came from behind--it was explaining the rules to the new customer.

"You actually dragged us to make up the numbers!" Lu Chongning was stunned, and angrily clapped the case.

Disdainfully crossing his eyes, the woman curled her lips: "You guys say you don't want to eat, but you can blame me?"

"Forget it, let's go." Mu Yunqi got up, "The restaurant on the other side of the street looks elegant, go and see if there are any seats."

Lu Chongning got up with the master, walked a few steps but turned back, picked up the sweet soup that was still steaming on the table, raised his neck and drank it, sticking out his tongue, but met the woman's angry eyes with a sneering smile, and walked away.

Go back to the inn after dinner, Fang Guoxuzheng.When I went upstairs, I heard the cry of the baby, and then I saw that the guards who stayed behind were nowhere to be seen, but the door of Li Qiaoer's room was open.

His complexion changed, and Lu Chongning stepped inside.

After a long while no one came out, the baby was still crying, and the room was getting louder and louder. Mu Yunqi was really puzzled, so he had to go and see what happened.

"I've been crying for a long time, I'm afraid I'm hungry." The voice of a guard.

"There are living people in the room, why don't you go out and find some milk?" Lu Chongning was annoyed.

"Ms. Li fed her before she went out. It's only been more than an hour. She must be hungry again!" Another guard was careful.

"Li Qiaoer hasn't come back yet?" Mu Yunqi was surprised.

Turning back following the sound, Lu Chongning bowed hurriedly, his eyes showing worry.

Mu Yunqi also frowned: "Didn't she say she would come back immediately?"

"I'll send someone to look for it!" Lu Chongning made a prompt decision.Unexpectedly, the voice just fell, and then heard the familiar voice floating.

"Why did I wake up so quickly, I didn't delay much..." The anxious figure rushed into the room.

"Didn't you just go back after eating, how long has it been?" Lu Chongning said in a bad tone.

"I..." The verbal dispute was on the verge of breaking out.

Mu Yunqi turned around and went out.

After a while, the noise always subsided.After two gentle knocks outside the door, Mu Yunqi put down the teacup, "Come in."

"Mr. Lang!" The visitor bowed.

Mu Yunqi seemed to be inadvertent: "How about the outcome?"

"Ah?" Lu Chongning was at a loss, after thinking about it for a while, his ears turned red: "I'm just reasoning with her, not arguing." In a word, he presented the things in his hand: "Li Qiaoer said that she just searched for half the city to find it. Lingzhou's top-grade snacks - Frosted Flower Candy, please taste it."

"Frosted flower candy?" Mu Yunqi took it and looked at it, "So she has been away for so long?" Curious for a moment: "What's so strange about this thing?"

"It is said that this candy is crystal clear, it looks like a frost flower at first glance, and colorful lines can be seen in the candy, each of which looks like a bird, animal or flower." The speaker's tone was dull.

"This way..." Mu Yunqi pondered for a moment before the candy, then stretched out his hand and handed it back: "Let's go with her, just say that I don't like sweets." After a pause, he added: "Remember to be tactful."

After a while.

Euphemistic... Euphemistic... Standing in front of the door with candy in hand, Lu Chongning repeated silently in his heart, raised his hand several times and then put it down again, making the guards on both sides look inexplicable.After a long time, he seemed to have changed his mind, walked away a few steps, leaned against the railing on the second floor and loosened his hands, and saw the candy falling down, and said loudly: "You see, I lost my hand and dropped the candy downstairs ..."

"Officer, your candy has dropped."

Following the sound, a person directly below looked up, holding the candy in his hand, smiling honestly.Is the innkeeper.

His complexion turned from green to red and back to green again, Lu Chongning reluctantly moved downstairs.

The candy paper is a little bit open, but the sugar is not broken.

After staring at the object for a while, the instigator raised his head: "The candy is broken, I can't eat it." After speaking, he quickly peeled off the candy wrapper and threw it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing.

Thanks to his vigilance, he can solve difficult problems easily.