Faraway to the North
In a small tavern in Handan, groups of diners were gathered. A few young men sat in a corner of the tavern and talked loudly. Xiang Yu was among them. They were ambitious and often gathered here to drink and talk about the world. At this moment, everyone was talking about the rumors in Jianghu that the unparalleled Cold Moon Frost Blade had fallen into the Central Plains. A while ago, a group of Xiongnu warriors sent it to Xianyang, but it disappeared on the way. No one knew where it was now.
Someone said," I heard that the King of Qin had promised that as long as he got the Cold Moon Frost Saber, he would send troops to help the Xiongnu fight the Xiongnu.”
"The Huns are fighting the Huns? Why? Are they fighting amongst themselves?"
"That's right." The original person nodded.”
The person beside him shook his head and scolded,"What kind of situation is this? They should unite and resist the Qin country together.”
Usually, these people did not have a good impression of the Xiongnu people. Now that everyone was under the pressure of the Qin country, unknowingly, they had a common hatred for the Xiongnu. Someone said,"That's good. Now that the saber is gone, the King of Qin is unwilling to send troops in a fit of anger, so the internal strife of the Xiongnu will not be able to happen.”
Hearing this, Xiangyu shook his head and said,""I don't think so."
As soon as he spoke, everyone suddenly quieted down and waited for him to speak. He pondered for a while and continued,"I heard that the discord between the Xiongnu tribes has already been made clear. In my opinion, even if the King of Qin does not send troops, I'm afraid they will have to bite the bullet and fight. Originally, if the King of Qin had sent troops to help one of them, the other party would have definitely lost. Now that the King of Qin was unwilling to help, the Xiongnu forces were equal. If they fought, the losses would definitely be quite heavy. The Xiongnu people have always been fierce and good at fighting. If the Qin State wanted to annex them, it would not have been an easy task. Now that the treasured saber has been stolen, the King of Qin has a reason not to help any of them. I think he is happy to watch the tigers fight. When they are both injured, the Qin State will send troops to attack the Xiongnu and reap the benefits.”
After hearing Xiangyu's analysis, everyone present had a look of realization on their faces. They nodded in admiration.
In the past two years, Xiang Yu had been studying the art of war and had made some progress. He was originally born into a noble family, and his father and uncle were famous generals. He had been influenced by them since he was young, so he had learned faster. Now, he seemed to have the bearing of a general. Sitting among a group of young people, he naturally showed the demeanor of a leader.
After listening to Xiang Yu's analysis, one of them said,""Eh? According to what you said, the sudden disappearance of the Cold Moon Frost Blade might have something to do with the King of Qin.”
The people beside him could not help but retort,"Aiya, I don't think so. Who in the martial world wouldn't want a treasure like the Cold Moon Frost Saber?”At this point, the topic changed, and everyone began to discuss the rumors about the Cold Moon Frost Blade.
Any martial artist would be moved by the mention of a divine weapon. These young men had repeatedly described the wonders of the Cold Moon Frost Saber, which made Xiang Yu's heart itch."How does this Cold Moon Frost Saber compare to my treasured saber?”Then, he thought," My martial arts skills are average, but I have a rare treasured saber. Jing Tianming's martial arts skills are much better than mine, and he's the disciple of the best sword in the world. However, the weapon in his hand is not very good. It's a pity that my saber is a family heirloom, so I can't give it away. If Tianming could have a Cold Moon Frost Saber, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. At that time, with his martial arts and my research on the art of war, if we join forces and gather everyone, we might really be able to achieve great things.”
The more Xiangyu thought about it, the more excited he became. He immediately took out some money and placed it on the table."I have something to do, so I'll leave first. Today's meal is on me.”After saying that, he strode out of the tavern amidst the cheers of the crowd.
As soon as he entered the house, Xiangyu knocked on Jing Tianming's door without a word. After knocking for a long time, no one answered, so he opened the door and walked in. He found Jing Tianming sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, but he did not look like he was dozing off. His breathing was sometimes rapid and sometimes slow, as if he was regulating his breathing.
Xiangyu did not want to disturb him, so he had to be patient and paced around the room, rubbing his head and scratching his head, trying hard to suppress his excitement.
Finally, Jing Tianming opened his eyes. Xiangyu said impatiently,""Why are you sleeping in during the day?"
Jing Tianming wiped his sweat and replied,"I wasn't sleeping, I was practicing."”
Xiangyu smiled." I know you're practicing. I'm just joking with you. Why are you still a blockhead after hanging out with Gao Yue for so long?"”
"What does this have to do with Ah Yue?" Jing Tianming didn't understand.”
" Forget it, forget it," Xiangyu was too lazy to explain further. His eyes lit up and he lowered his voice,""I have something to tell you. It's not convenient here.”As she spoke, she pulled Jing Tianming and walked out.
Not long after, the two of them came to a small hill with a wide field of vision. The breeze was gentle, and the autumn weather was refreshing. The scenery in front of their eyes opened their minds.
Xiangyu said to Jing Tianming,""Look, the scenery here is so good. Only when one stands high can one see far. However, the situation is chaotic. We're always hiding here and can't do anything big.”
Jing Tianming didn't say anything when he heard this, but he agreed in his heart. Although he did not want to do something big like Xiang Yu, he was still young and impetuous. After being locked up for a long time, he naturally felt depressed. He looked at the house under the hill and looked up at the endless blue sky. Finally, he asked, Xiangyu, you want to leave?"
Xiang Yu nodded and said," There is a peerless Xiongnu saber called the Cold Moon Frost Saber. I heard that it has wandered to the Central Plains recently. No one knows where it is." Tianming, why don't we find that saber? Although Hero Gai is the best swordsman in the world, as a master, he is a little too stingy. I have been watching him for a long time these few years, and I always feel that he is just using ordinary sword techniques to brush you off.”
Xiang Yu's words hit Jing Tianming's heart. Seeing that Jing Tianming was a little moved, Xiang Yu quickly continued,"Don't tell me you'll obediently do the Horse Stance for ten years? When that time comes, the ones you want to eradicate will all be strong, and the ones you want to protect will all be dead. Who will your sword art save? You only have martial arts, who should you fight for?”
Xiang Yu patted Jing Tianming's shoulder and said,""Don't think so much. I think we'll leave it at this time. We'll leave tonight at the time of dawn. I'll prepare two horses by the well one mile away.”
At this moment, a crisp voice suddenly came from above them." Two horses? Not enough, right? You and Jing Tianming each have a horse. What about Liu Bi and I?”
Jing Tianming and Xiangyu didn't need to look up to know that Gao Yue was hiding in the tree. Obviously, she had heard what they had just said. Sure enough, Gao Yue's oval face peeked out from the big banyan tree. A pair of big black eyes rolled around. She jumped down from the tree with a smile and clapped her hands to the grass beside her and shouted,"Snotty, come out! I have a runny nose!"
Liu Bi awkwardly crawled out of the grass. Although he was the youngest of the four and was already a young scholar, Gao Yue did not care and called him runny nose every time according to her childhood habit. Although Liu Bi was not happy, he could do nothing about it. Fortunately, Xiang Yu also called Gao Yue little beggar, which helped Liu Bi vent some anger.
At this time, Liu Bi stood up and patted his clothes. He began to explain himself,"It's all, it's all Gao Yue. She said that it's rare to see Tianming come out of the room. She also said that the two of you were sneaky and didn't know what to do, so she dragged me here.”
"When did you guys hide here? Why didn't we see it?" Jing Tianming asked in surprise.
Gao Yue immediately laughed, her face full of pride: "I usually follow Big Brother Mao Qiu to pick herbs everywhere. I'm very familiar with this small mountain. When I see which path you choose, I know where you're going. I'll take a small path with a runny nose and rush ahead of you. I'll find a place to hide and wait for you. This was called the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.”
Liu Bi shook his head and corrected,""No, no, this should be called catching a turtle in a jar.”
Xiangyu laughed and said,""No, no, this should be called a runny nose and a little beggar who has nothing to do after eating.”
This time, even Jing Tianming could not help but laugh.
The four of them laughed for a while, then Xiangyu suddenly said seriously,""Little beggar, Jing Tianming and I aren't going out to play. You and Liu Bi don't know martial arts, so I'm afraid it'll be dangerous on the road.”
Liu Bi quickly agreed." Yes, yes, yes. What Xiangyu said makes sense. It's too dangerous. If I go, I'll only drag everyone down." Gao Yue, you too. So, then, I won't go. Gao Yue, don't go either. Sigh, I think Tianming, Xiangyu, you two might as well not go either.”
Gao Yue snorted and complained,"Xiang Xiaoniao, don't even think about sending me off. Ever since we came to Handan, you and Stinky Bun, one locked himself up every day, the other ran around all day without a trace, with a runny nose, and only knew how to study. I could only follow Big Brother Mao Qiu every day, picking herbs to pass the time. She wanted to learn some fun spells from him, but he also taught her a mess. Anyway, I've been bored enough.”
Xiangyu shook his head and continued to persuade him," Little beggar, you heard it just now. We are going to find a saber. I heard that this saber was originally escorted by a hundred carefully selected Xiongnu warriors. I didn't expect it to be stolen. No matter who that person is, he is not an ordinary person. If Jing Tianming and I can't find the saber, it's fine. If we can find it, it's hard to say whether we can come back.”
Jing Tianming, who had been a little hesitant at first, suddenly had his eyes light up when he heard this. Fighting spirit appeared in his eyes. He took a deep breath and shouted at the valley. The other three people were shocked by the sudden appearance. They looked at Jing Tianming in confusion and saw a rare bright spirit on his face. He said loudly,"Instead of being at a loss here and living an ignoble life, why not just go out and adventure? If his skills were inferior and he didn't have the ability to come back alive, he would still be stronger than this. Ah Yue, if you want to come, then come!”
His words were so forceful that Gao Yue immediately applauded. Seeing that Jing Tianming had finally made up his mind, Xiang Yu no longer stopped Gao Yue. The three of them looked at each other. They suddenly felt a sense of strength because they had a goal and a challenge in life. Even Liu Bi, who was worried about the other three, couldn't help but feel excited.
The small hill was not high, but the land was boundless. Under the hill, the maple leaves were turning red.
Xiang Yu had broad shoulders and a thick body. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes. Liu Bi looked like a scholar. His slightly thin body had a sense of righteousness. Gao Yue was dressed in red. Her black hair was like clouds, her eyebrows were dark without any makeup, and her lips were red without any makeup. She looked like a delicate and beautiful little girl. There was no sign of a beggar.
Gao Yue blinked her big, agile eyes and naturally took Jing Tianming's hand. Jing Tianming was tall and handsome, and his eyes were like bright stars. As he grew older, his appearance became more and more similar to his mother, Li Ji. Only his sword-like eyebrows and stubborn eyes were different from Jing Ke's. The four of them stood side by side on the hill, facing the cloudless blue sky. For some reason, they all laughed at the same time.
Late that night, Xiang Yu got two horses. He rode on one, while Jing Tianming and Gao Yue rode on the other. The three of them parted ways in private and left a letter for Liu Bi to pass to Gai Lan the next day. Only then did they reluctantly leave Liu Bi, the town, Handan, and embark on an unknown journey.
They headed north. According to the information Xiang Yu had received, the Cold Moon Frost Saber was taken from the Yunzhong County, which was located at the border between the Qin State and the Xiongnu.
As long as he followed the road outside Handan to the north, through Taiyuan and Yanmen, he would finally reach Yunzhong. Although the main road was quite straight and there was no danger of getting lost, the scenery along the way became more and more desolate. In the end, it could even be said that it was deserted. Sometimes, it was difficult to even find an inn that could be used to stay. The mountains that surrounded the four directions gradually wore a snow-white cloak.
Gao Yue had been happily humming a tune along the way, but then the coldness silently seeped into her bones, causing her to shiver, and gradually lost interest. In the wilderness, they would occasionally see a few jackals following them with ill intentions. Even Xiangyu felt uneasy. Along the way, only Jing Tianming remained calm and composed.
At noon, they chose to rest by a cliff. Xiang Yu watched Gao Yue take out dry food from her bag. Although he knew that he had no other choice, he could not help but complain,""What's wrong? Did you eat pancakes?"
"Hmph, if you have the ability, go and get a live rabbit. I'll start a fire and make a beggar rabbit for you to eat. It had been two days since he had seen half a hotel. He should be laughing when he hadn't finished eating the cake.”Gao Yue rolled her eyes at Xiangyu.
After the three of them ate the pancake, they continued to ride on their horses. Just as they left the valley, they saw a group of people galloping parallel to them from afar. "There's someone?" Jing Tianming asked in surprise. This is really rare."
"Hey, do you want to talk to them?" Gao Yue asked with a smile. Maybe they have more food to sell to us. She was sick of eating pancakes every day.”
Jing Tianming was about to smile and agree, but Xiangyu frowned and lowered his voice,""I don't think they're ordinary travelers. Everyone, speed up!"
As expected, the three of them sped up, and the other party immediately reacted. The group of people who were originally careful and maintained a distance from them suddenly sped up and approached them. The distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer. Not long after, the other party's seven horses had already divided into four front and three back, surrounding Jing Tianming and the other two.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]