The desert. They had finally arrived at the desert. This was a small town at the edge of the desert. Standing at the door of the only inn in the small town, one could already see the boundless desert. There were only three to five families in the town. They had been living a hard life in the harsh sandstorm. The only thing they had was a well.
Ji Bingyan used a price that was more expensive than buying wine to buy a dozen large sheepskin bags of water. Then, at a price that was cheaper than selling pigs, he sold a few horses that were already showing signs of fatigue to the residents of this small town. However, he set fire to the big cart. This was his beloved thing. He couldn't take it away, so he destroyed it. He was absolutely unwilling to leave his beloved things in the hands of others.
"I understand why you destroyed the carriage, but I don't understand why you sold the horse. Even if you're petty, you can't be greedy for these few taels of silver, right?”
"If these horses are brought into the desert, they will die of exhaustion in less than three days."”
"Then why don't you just let them go?" Hu Tiehua asked. Horses know their way. Maybe they can walk home on their own.”
"They definitely won't be able to walk back.”
"Why?" Hu Tiehua asked.
Ji Bingyan said," Not only are bandits rampant on this road, but there are also too many people who starve all year round. If we let them go, they will inevitably fall into the stomachs of others if they don't fall into the hands of bandits.”
"Do you think the people in this town will treat them well?" Hu Tiehua asked.”
Ji Bingyan said," That's right. These people are thrifty and kind. They also take good care of the horses. They will definitely raise them to be fat."”
A mocking smile appeared on his face as he continued,""This way, when they sell the horse, they can sell it for a good price, and those who are willing to pay a good price to buy a horse will never buy a horse to eat.”
"If that's the case, why don't you just give them the horse?" Hu Tiehua asked.”
"People will always treasure the things they buy. If it's a gift from someone else, it's inevitable that they'll look down on it."”
Hu Tiehua was silent for a moment before sighing."I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful about a few horses. It seems that you've changed.”
"You think this is my idea?" Ji Bingyan sneered.”
"If it wasn't your idea, then whose idea was it?" Hu Tiehua was stunned.”
There was no need for Ji Bingyan to answer this sentence, because at this moment, he had already seen Shi Tuo's cold silence. Ugly, like a face carved out of granite.
This face that looked like it was carved out of hemp seemed to be filled with sadness, as if it was mourning the departure of a good friend. The neighing of the horses was also weak like a sigh.
Now, Chu Liuxiang. Hu Tiehua. Ji Bingyan was already dressed no different from any ordinary traveling merchant.
However, Shi Tuo had changed into a blindfold, using a wide white cloth on his head. It was not to block the sunlight, but to cover his face.
As for little penny? No matter what he wore, no matter what kind of person he was placed in, he would not be dazzling.
They entered the desert near dusk.
Although the sun had already set and the heat had evaporated from the desert, it was still so hot that it made people want to take off their clothes.
However, it didn't take long for the heat to disappear. What followed was a bone-piercing chill. The wind blew on his face like a knife.
Hu Tiehua wished that he could hide behind the camel's hump. He sat on the camel and felt that it was swaying, as if he was on a boat.
Chu Liuxiang. Ji Bingyan and Little Pan were also sitting on the camel. When he saw Hu Tiehua sitting on the camel, he almost couldn't help but laugh.
No one would look good on a camel.
Only the stone camel was still following the camel step by step. It was a desert. It was flat ground, a swamp. Whether it was cold or hot…it seemed to have no effect on this person.
If it was in the past, Hu Tiehua would have asked,""Why don't you sit on the camel too?”
But now he didn't need to ask. He knew that Shi Tuo would never sit on the back of any donkey, horse or camel, because they were friends.
The deeper the night, the colder it became.
Little Pan was so cold that he couldn't stop shivering on Camel Peak. Ji Bingyan found a place to avoid the wind, set up a tent behind a sand dune, and started a fire.
The stone camel circled the camel, its hump blocking the sparks.
A pot of hot food was cooked over the fire. They surrounded the fire, drinking wine and smelling the pepper. Chili. The fragrance of onions, ginger, beef, and mutton.
Hu Tiehua finally felt much better.
However, Shi Tuo was still sitting far away. Under the bright starlight in the desert, his face was not only colder and uglier, but also had a strange expression.
He looked like he had a low self-esteem, but he also looked very arrogant. He looked like he didn't dare to come over and enjoy the joy of Chu Liuxiang and the others, but he also looked like he didn't want to be associated with them.
The more empty and quiet the place, the more obvious his expression would be. Now, he sat in this boundless desert, in the cold and silent night, he looked like an exiled emperor, silently enduring the deep loneliness. Pain. And humiliation! Balian and Chu Liuxiang couldn't help but feel curious about this mysterious person's past, but they couldn't guess his thoughts.
But Chu Liuxiang didn't ask Ji Bingyan.
He knew that Ji Bingyan would never say it.
At night, they all returned to their tents to sleep. Shi Tuo only used a blanket to sleep next to the camel, looking up at the stars in the sky.
Chu Liuxiang didn't know whether he was asleep or not. She only knew that he would rather sleep next to the camel than sleep with anyone else.
Hu Tiehua naturally noticed this as well. He was not like Chu Liuxiang, who could keep his words to himself at times. After enduring for a long time, he finally asked,"Why didn't he come in with us?”
"Because he looks down on us."”
"Who is he looking down on?" Hu Tiehua jumped up and said angrily.”
"He looks down on anyone.”
"Even you?" Hu Tiehua was stunned.”
"That's right, even I look down on you." Ji Bingyan smiled faintly.”
"He looks down on you, so why would he work for you?" Hu Tiehua asked.”
"You don't necessarily think highly of him when you do things for others, right?" Ji Bingyan said coldly.”
He seemed to sigh as well, and then continued,""He's working for me now because he owes me a favor. When he feels that he no longer owes me anything, even if I kneel down and beg him, he won't stay.”
Hu Tiehua was stunned again. He got up and poured a big bowl of wine to drink. He just wanted to fall asleep quickly, but he kept tossing and turning, thinking about that strange face.
"Who is this person? Who caused this?" Naturally, he couldn't figure it out. He could only sigh and mutter,"Life is really hard in this damn place.”
Ji Bingyan seemed to have fallen asleep, but at this moment, she suddenly said coldly,"Are you feeling sad now? The truly difficult days had yet to begin!”
Since the first time Hu Tiehua jumped into the river behind his house to swim, he had liked the sun. From then on, as long as there was sunshine, he couldn't help but take off his clothes and bask in the sun. He had seen all kinds of suns by the Yangtze River, at the Yellow Crane Tower, Qingcheng, Luofu, in the shade of Mount Hua, and on the top of Mount Tai. Some were as fierce as a bearded husband, some were as gentle as a virgin, some were confused and gray, like the eyes of an old man, and some were gorgeous and colorful. Like a young girl's face.
But he had never seen such a sun.
Although it was the same sun, when the sun reached the desert, it suddenly became vicious and poisonous, as if it wanted to burn the entire desert.
The sun was so hot that Hu Tiehua didn't even want to drink. He only hoped that the sun would set soon. When a drunkard didn't want to drink, he must be very sad.
There was no wind, not even a wisp of wind, and not a single sound. Under the scorching sun, all life in the desert had entered a state of dizziness.
Hu Tiehua could not help but want to jump onto his hump and roar…At this moment, a moan came from somewhere.
Although the moans were weak, in the dead silence of the desert, they sounded clearer than a person's voice.
Chu Liuxiang. Ji Bingyan. Hu Tiehua straightened his back.
Hu Tiehua's eyes widened.”
"En!" Chu Liuxiang replied.
"What do you think that sound is?" Hu Tiehua asked.”
"There's someone nearby," Chu Liuxiang said.”
"That's right!" Hu Tiehua said. There was someone, but it was someone who was about to die.”
"How do you know?" Ji Bingyan asked coldly.”
"Although I don't like killing people, I've heard a lot of moans before a person dies," Hu Tiehua said with a bitter smile. In my opinion, this person is either dying from the sun or from thirst.”
At this moment, another groan was heard. Hu Tiehua could already tell that the groan came from behind a pile of sand dunes on the left.
He immediately jumped off the camel and said,"The person is over there. Let's go and take a look."”
"What's there to see about a dying person?" Ji Bingyan asked.”
"What's there to see?" Hu Tiehua cried out."You know that someone is about to die. Aren't you going to save him?”
" I told you long ago," Ji Bingyan said slowly." In the desert, you might encounter dozens of dying people every day. If you want to save people, you don't have to do anything else."”
"You…are you going to leave me in the lurch?" Hu Tiehua asked in shock.”
"Are we here to save people?" Ji Bingyan said coldly.”
"You're so ruthless?" Hu Tiehua shouted again.”
Ji Bingyan said," In this kind of place, only ruthless people can survive. When you are about to die, no one will come to save you because if someone gives you water, he will die of thirst.”
"But don't we have enough water now?" Chu Liuxiang smiled.”
Ji Bingyan said," There is such a person in the desert. You saved him, but when he regained his strength, he killed you instead. Then, he stole your food, water, and livestock and fled.”
Chu Liuxiang laughed,"With just the three of us, who in the world can kill us?"”
"That's right, who can kill us?" Hu Tiehua said loudly.”
He glared at Ji Bingyan and said," It seems that not only are you becoming more and more ruthless, but your courage is also becoming smaller and smaller. If a person has too much money, I'm afraid he will become like this."”
Ji Bingyan's face was cold and she didn't speak anymore.
"Whether you go or not, I have to go." Hu Tiehua said.”
Chu Liuxiang smiled and said,"If you want to go, everyone will go together, right?"”
His words were naturally said to Ji Bingyan. Ji Bingyan was silent for a long while, as if sighing. Hence, the entire group turned to the left.
The sand dune on the left wasn't big. After turning around the sand dune, they saw two people. When they saw these two people, Chu Liuxiang and Hu Tiehua's hearts turned cold.
These two didn't look like humans at all. They were like two sheep that were set on fire and were about to be roasted. They were nailed to the ground naked. Her ankles and face were tied with cowhide. The cowhide was originally wet, but after being dried by the sun, it became tighter and tighter, directly embedding into her flesh.
Their skin was tanned and their lips cracked. Their eyes were half-closed, but the eyeballs and whites were indistinguishable. They looked like gray holes.
Only then did Hu Tiehua understand how Shi Tuo and Jing had been blinded. Shi Tuo's eyes were the same as these two, blinded by the sun.
Although Shi Tuo couldn't see or hear, his entire body started to tremble. He seemed to have a magical sense of touch, able to sense the inauspicious in front of him and the bad omen in the future.
The cowhide was cut off. Chu Liuxiang and Hu Tiehua wrapped the two of them up with felt and dipped the silk scarf in water for them to suck gently.
Then, they began to tremble. He started moaning. " Water... water..." When they could make a sound, they kept shouting. Begging.
However, Chu Liuxiang knew that if they were to drink a large amount of water now, they would immediately die.
Hu Tiehua sighed and said gently,""Friend, don't worry. There's plenty of water here. You can drink as much as you want.”
The dying man opened his eyes in a daze and groaned,""Water…"
"You're worried?" Hu Tiehua smiled.”
He stood up and patted the wool bag on the camel."Look, this place is full of water."
"Who tied you up here?" Ji Bingyan suddenly asked sternly. What crime have you committed?"
The dying man shook his head desperately and said,""No…no…bandits.”
"Bandits?" Hu Tiehua asked. Where?"
The dying man struggled to raise his hand and pointed into the distance. He desperately grabbed his hair. His face was distorted with fear, and his body trembled even more.
"As far as I know, there are no signs of theft nearby. Could it be that you're lying?" Ji Bingyan said sternly.”
The two of them shook their heads again, tears about to fall from their eyes.
"They're already in such a miserable state. Why do you have to force them?" Hu Tiehua shouted. So what if they are lying? They don't even have a piece of cloth on them. How can they harm us?”
Ji Bingyan stopped talking again.
Because Hu Tiehua was right. Not only were these two unarmed, they were completely naked. Even if they were not injured, there was nothing that could make Ji Bingyan feel uneasy.
Hu Tiehua turned to look at Chu Liuxiang and said,""Now, can we let them drink more water?”
Chu Liuxiang muttered to herself and nodded,"It's better to drink less."
As he spoke, he walked towards the water bag. But before he could finish his sentence, the two dying people suddenly jumped up like rabbits.
Their hands that were grabbing their hair suddenly shot out like lightning. Each of them shot out a dozen black lights that were faster than lightning.
This was a hidden weapon shot out from a spring crossbow barrel.
This hidden weapon was hidden in his hair.
They waved their hands. Chu Liuxiang. Hu Tiehua. Ji Bingyan also immediately leapt up like a swallow. Even though they had an accident, with their quick reactions, there were already very few hidden weapons that could injure them.
Who knew that the hidden weapon did not hit them, but hit the water bag.!”With a series of sounds, dozens of water pillars shot out from the sheepskin bag like arrows.
The two " dying people " also flew out. Hu Tiehua's anger was about to explode. He shouted angrily,"Bastard! You want to escape?"
He was almost faster than Chu Liuxiang as he charged towards them.
Ji Bingyan didn't chase after them. He flipped over to save the water bag. He knew that none of Chu Liuxiang and Hu Tiehua's subordinates could escape.
The two of them naturally couldn't escape.
Before they could run more than ten feet away, they already felt a strong wind hitting their necks. They wanted to turn around to meet it, but before they could turn around, they had already fallen.
They didn't even see each other's hands.
Hu Tiehua rode on a man like a horse and kept slapping his face. He shouted angrily,"I saved you, but you harmed me instead? Why? Why?"
This person did not answer, and he could never answer. When Hu Tiehua picked him up from the ground, his neck had been broken into two like a straw.
The other person was still lying on the ground. Chu Liuxiang didn't hit him, but just stood in front of him, quietly looking at him, and didn't ask him anything.
When he heard the sound of his companion's neck breaking, he curled up into a ball and shouted crazily,""Just kill me! It doesn't matter. You won't live long anyway. I'll wait for you at the gates of hell and settle accounts with you.”
Chu Liuxiang didn't even blink as she slowly said,""I won't kill you, as long as you tell me who sent you here.”
This person suddenly laughed crazily and said,""You want to ask who called me here? Are you still planning to look for him?"
"I'm looking for him. Don't tell me you think it's funny?" Chu Liuxiang said.”
The man seemed to be laughing until tears came out of his eyes. He panted and said,"Of course it's funny. Anyone who isn't crazy wouldn't want to look for him unless he's tired of living.”
Hu Tiehua had already snatched it over and shouted,"Did Jamuhe's son ask you to come?”
"Jamuha?" The man laughed. What kind of thing was Jamuha? He wasn't even fit to carry his shoes for the old man.”
"Who else could it be but Zhamuhe?" Chu Liuxiang frowned.”
"Don't worry, when you're about to die, you'll naturally see him…I can bet you that you won't live past five days.”
"I'll bet you that if you don't tell the truth, you won't even live for ten hours." Hu Tiehua shouted angrily.”This person actually laughed again and said,"I don't want to live for another 10 hours."”
Hu Tiehua could not help but be startled. He said,"Aren't you afraid of death?"
The man laughed." Why should I be afraid of death? I'm happier than anything to die for him."”
His laughter suddenly weakened, but his eyes emitted a strange light.
Chu Liuxiang was visibly moved." Not good! This person has poison in his mouth."”
When Hu Tiehua mentioned him, she immediately realized that he was no longer breathing.
After a long time, Hu Tiehua put him down and turned to Chu Liuxiang.""Have you ever seen someone so fearless?”
"No." Chu Liuxiang replied.
"I also know that many people will take poison to commit suicide when they are captured by the enemy, but they do so out of helplessness. However, this person died very happily.”
Chu Liuxiang sighed and didn't say anything, because he couldn't help but think of Wu Hua who had committed suicide by taking poison. Thinking of Wu Hua, he couldn't help but sigh.
"I think there must be something wrong with this person's brain. Otherwise…" Hu Tiehua sighed.
He suddenly saw Ji Bingyan and rubbed his nose, not saying anything.
Ji Bingyan only lowered her head and looked at the body on the ground, not looking at him at all.
Hu Tiehua held it in for a long time before she hit on him and muttered,"Their hidden weapons are hidden in their hair. I have thought of this point now, but they were clearly scorched by the sun and half-dead, so how could they have the strength to attack?”
Ji Bingyan had no expression on her face. She slowly bent down and shook the hair on her head. Immediately, a piece of skin miraculously fell off, revealing the smooth and flat skin inside.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]