In the tavern.
The martial world could not do without taverns.
This was because most of the time, things would not go your way in life.
Wine, wine was really not a good thing.
Drinking alcohol was bad for the body. Drinking alcohol alone seemed to bring about all kinds of disadvantages. But when you were truly lonely and helpless, the only thing that could comfort you was wine. It brought you into a drunken dream, freed you from pain, and gave you a new life.
Therefore, the Jianghu couldn't do without taverns. There were prodigal sons, returning guests, and sad people everywhere. They needed a place to rest temporarily. They needed a place where they could sink into it and cheer them up again.
There were all kinds of taverns, but the wine in the taverns was different.
Yu Mu was not used to the wine here.
The wine in the Northwest was just like the people here. It was vulgar, bold, and unbridled. When it entered your mouth, it would rush into your throat like a wild horse that had escaped its reins. Therefore, Yu Mu only drank half a bowl before he lay on the table and kept coughing.
The wounds on his body were still far from being healed. Of course, drinking was not good for the recovery of wounds, but Yu Mu needed to drink. He wanted to use strong liquor to make his face rosy and not look so pale.
Yu Mu sat up straight. The man opposite him shook his head with a smile. He shook his head to deny Yu Mu's alcohol tolerance and also to reject Yu Mu's request to cross the desert with him. His name was Lu Bai, and he was the leader of a caravan.
"Brother Lu, is there really no room for negotiation?”Yu Mu was still unwilling to give up.
" Brother, it's not that I don't want to help you," Lu Bai said." It's just that adding one more person to the caravan at this time is just another problem." I dare say that no one in the few remaining caravans in River Canal Town is willing to bring you along. You really picked the wrong time."
"We can talk about the silver." Yu Mu probed.
"Two hundred taels?" he gestured with his hand.”
"This is not about money." Lu Bai shook his head and walked away.
What Lu Bai said was true. For safety reasons, caravans usually avoided bringing strangers with them, let alone at this critical juncture. Yu Mu picked up the wine bowl and put it down again. He sighed, apparently unable to think of any other way.
Just as he was fretting, another man sat down in front of him.
The man's face was full of beard, and with his burly figure, he had the heroic spirit of a northern man.
"My name is Wang Jiu. How do I address you, little brother?"”
"Yu Mu," Yu Mu said.
" Brother Yu," Wang Jiu said," I overheard your conversation just now. You want to entrust a caravan to take you across the desert."”
"I'm worried," Yu Mu said,"I can't cross the desert alone."”
" I won't hide it from you," Wang Jiu said with a smile." I'm the leader of a caravan. If you don't mind, you can follow my caravan across the desert." Of course, there were conditions. A hundred taels of silver."
"A hundred taels?" Yu Mu felt a little strange.
Wang Jiu explained," Don't think it's too expensive. Actually, I only asked for fifty taels of silver from you. The other fifty taels are for you to buy a camel for yourself."”
Too expensive? Of course, Yu Mu didn't think it was expensive!
Previously, Yu Mu had offered Lu Bai 200 taels of silver to ask for his help, but he had been rejected. Instead, Wang Jiu had offered only 100 taels of silver, fearing that Yu Mu would not agree to the price.
"How is it?" Wang Jiu asked.
"Brother Wang, why don't you ask me why I'm crossing the desert alone?" Yu Mu asked.”
" This has nothing to do with me," Wang Jiu said with a smile." But no one would come to this place for no reason."”
"I heard from the brother in front that it's taboo for caravans to bring strangers along. Why is Brother Wang willing to help?" Yu Mu said.”
Wang Jiu said," In the martial world, there are two different situations. There are people who help and there are no people who help. We know this best when we travel the world." I'm a person who makes as many friends as I can and helps as much as I can. In the future, if I encounter any difficulties, I'll be able to take care of those I know.”
"In that case, thank you, Brother Wang." Yu Mu cupped his fists.”
" It's settled," Wang Jiu said." Our caravan will set off early tomorrow morning. You can just wait at the entrance of this tavern."”
"Alright." Yu Mu nodded.
It wasn't until the next morning that Yu Mu found out that his desert journey wasn't as easy as Wang Jiu had promised yesterday.
"Ninth brother, although you are the leader of the caravan, you can't bring people along without discussing with everyone.”The one who questioned Wang Jiu was called Hao Shan. Beside him stood a man who looked exactly like him. It was his twin brother, Hao Shui.
Although Wang Jiu was the leader of the caravan, he knew that he was in the wrong, so he didn't take a hard stance. He only said,""We're all outside, adventuring in the martial world. If we can help, we'll help, just like how I helped you back then.”
"Can he compare to me?" Hao Shan glared at him. You and I are from the same village, what about him? You've only just met him and you've already agreed to take him along. Ninth Brother, I don't believe that you're sure that he's a good person!”
A trace of guilt and helplessness flashed across Wang Jiu's face.""Sigh, I've already taken the silver and said my words. If you don't agree, I can choose not to go with the caravan. I'll bring him tomorrow.”
Hao Shan wanted to say something more, but Hao Shui stopped him.
"Hao Shan, no matter what, Ninth Brother is still the leader of the caravan. If he wants to bring people, then let him. But Ninth Brother, you're the one who brought him here. You're responsible for watching him from the front.”Although Hao Shui's words were unpleasant, he still gave Wang Jiu some face and agreed to let Yu Mu go with the caravan.
Yu Mu didn't understand why Wang Jiu didn't talk to the caravan yesterday, but fortunately, he didn't need to find another caravan to take him across the desert.
A ten-year-old child came to Wang Jiu's side. Wang Jiu ordered,""Go and stay beside your Uncle Hao."
This child was Wang Jiu's son, Wang Qing. This was the first time he had come out with his father to make a living.
What could be more desolate than the desolate Gobi Desert? In the dead desert. As long as that endless horizon existed, one would feel fear at all times, the fear of death. You would feel the sand surrounding you from all directions, swallowing you and leaving you here forever.
In such a place, one would feel the thirst for life. If you could see a thorny camel grass, you would feel that this plant, which was not even close to being " beautiful ", was so cute. If you were lucky enough to encounter a red willow or poplar tree, you would feel that it was greater than a lofty mountain. You would be moved by their tenacious vitality, just like the unyielding will of the people who loved this land.
Yu Mu and Wang Jiu rode their camels at the front of the caravan. Camels were slower and steadier than horses, but Yu Mu, who was injured, couldn't even get on the horse, let alone carry a taller camel. In the end, Wang Jiu helped Yu Mu up, which made everyone laugh.
"Brother Yu, it's not good to travel around without some martial arts. Your body is a little weak.”Wang Jiu teased.
"It's precisely because I'm not good at fighting that I'm carrying a sword to scare other little thieves," Yu Mu said with a smile.”
Wang Jiu said," There are martial arts skills in Jianghu, but the most important thing is experience. It's always right to be cautious."”
"Yes, I am." Yu Mu nodded. After the incident at the Three Virtues Manor, Yu Mu deeply agreed with his words.
Wang Jiu pointed to a clump of camel grass in front of him and said,""Do you think that camel grass looks good?”
"This kind of plant doesn't seem to have anything to do with the word 'good'," Yu Mu said.”
" That's true." Wang Jiu laughed." You've been in the Central Plains for so long. You've seen all kinds of exotic flowers and herbs." But tomorrow, you will understand how beautiful this camel grass is.”
Looking at the boundless desert, Yu Mu suddenly said,""Brother Wang, do you think the desert is dangerous?”
"Of course!" Wang Jiu said solemnly. Even the most experienced caravan could not guarantee that they would be able to safely leave the desert. Bad weather, scarce resources, and easy to get lost in the terrain. These were not the most terrifying things. Quicksand, storms, mirages, these truly fatal things could happen at any time.”
"Fortunately, Big Brother Wang is very experienced." Yu Mu smiled.”
Wang Jiu glanced at the luggage on Yu Mu's camel and said,""I see that you didn't bring many clothes."
"I don't feel cold."”
" Yes," Wang Jiu said." You still feel cool now, but you'll know how cold it is in the desert at night. That kind of cold can really freeze you to death."”He threw a thick cotton coat to Yu Mu and said,""I brought more clothes. This cotton coat is for you to keep out the cold at night.”
"Thank you, Big Brother Wang." Yu Mu cupped his fists.”
"You're taking money to help people get rid of disasters," Wang Jiu said. If I take your money, can I bring you out of the desert safely?”
Yu Mu smiled, picked up his water bottle and took another sip, but his water bottle was already empty.
Seeing this, Wang Jiu handed his water bottle to Yu Mu.""This is your first time in the desert. You just follow your instincts when it comes to drinking water. It's normal for you to drink when you feel thirsty. Drinking water is actually a very important thing. You have to have your own 'plan'.”
Yu Mu couldn't help but drink water, but he was injured.
Wang Jiu looked ahead and said,"Do you see that camel in the middle of the team?" It was carrying two large boxes of water. It's more important than those camels carrying porcelain, silk, and tea leaves. It's even more important than our lives. If we lose it, our entire caravan will be buried in this desert.”
Hearing Wang Jiu's words, Yu Mu subconsciously looked back, only to find Hao Shui staring at him. His eyes were like a jackal staring at its prey. Yu Mu smiled helplessly. He could tell that Hao Shui was worried about him.
The first day in the desert was relatively peaceful. Yu Mu wrapped himself in a cotton coat and slept next to his camel. Not far away, Hao Shan and Hao Shui were in charge of the night watch in the first half of the night. The night watchers were in pairs. Wang Jiu and his son took over the second half of the night, and someone else would take over tomorrow. Of course, Yu Mu wasn't one of the candidates for the night watch, because no one in the caravan trusted him.
Two days later, Yu Mu finally understood what Wang Jiu meant. When you could only see the endless yellow sand, even a single weed in front of you would feel that it was extraordinary. Life was always precious in this forbidden zone.
Yu Mu was silent. After being in a desolate place for a long time, even the most talkative person would become quiet.
" Looks like our luck is pretty good," Wang Jiu said." We haven't encountered any sandstorms in the past few days. I hope our good luck will continue."”
"Other than the sandstorm, I remember you said there were other deadly dangers." Yu Mu said.”
" It's almost winter now," Wang Jiu said." There won't be any mirages in the desert." Quicksand, as long as you walked on the sand ridge, there would be no danger.”
"How long will it take us to cross the desert?" Yu Mu asked.”
"There are still four or five days," Wang Jiu said. Why? Are you tired of staying in the desert?"
"I really don't like the scenery here." Yu Mu smiled bitterly.”
Wang Jiu's good luck didn't last long.
"Run to the front of the sand slope!”Wang Jiu looked at the sandstorm that was about to hit him and roared at the people behind him.
Wang Jiu's son, Wang Qing, ran into Wang Jiu's arms. In this moment of life and death, he had to stay with his father.
Hao Shui was also commanding the caravan,"Put down the camels!" He hid behind the camel! Protect the goods!"
Most of the people in the caravan were old people who had experienced many things, but at this moment, they were also very flustered. Even the bravest hero would inevitably feel fear when faced with these irresistible things.
Yu Mu took one last look at the sandstorm, then curled up and hid behind the camel as Hao Shui had said.
The howling of the wind came from all directions, and he couldn't see anything clearly when he opened his eyes. The sand particles used the wind to attack everything that could be attacked. The darkness actually made people feel a little warm at this moment.
After the sandstorm, the desert returned to its dead silence.
Yu Mu tried his best to reach out half of his body, but the other half was still buried in the sand. His face was covered in dust, but Yu Mu didn't have the energy to clean himself up. He was busy spitting out the sand in his mouth. Wang Jiu couldn't help but laugh when he saw Yu Mu stuck in the sand. He came over and pulled Yu Mu out of the sand.
Not far away, the people of the caravan also gradually got up. Hao Shan and Hao Shui counted the manpower and goods, and Wang Jiu also went forward to ask about the situation.
" We've spilled half of the water in the water tank," Hao Shui said with relief." But it's alright. The remaining water is enough for us to cross the desert." Quite a lot of porcelain was broken, but the other goods were not damaged.”
"Is someone missing?" Wang Jiu asked. What about the injuries?"
Hao Shui glanced at Yu Mu who was still spitting sand and said,""No one in the caravan was injured, and everyone is here. However, I'm not responsible for the person you brought.”
" He doesn't have any problems," Wang Jiu said." You take everyone to tidy up the goods."”
Hao Shui nodded, turned around, and led Hao Shan to organize the goods.
Night soon came. The baptized caravan that had gone through the sandstorm was very tired. The choice of night watchers made everyone feel troubled. Everyone had just finished sorting out the goods, and no one wanted to take on the task of night watchers.
Yu Mu, who hadn't helped much, stood up. "If you trust me, I can keep watch tonight.”
Everyone immediately became restless. Hao Shan was the fastest to speak. He said bluntly,"Who would believe you?"
" Everyone, have a good rest tonight," Wang Jiu said." I'll accompany Brother Yu to keep watch tonight."”
Seeing Wang Jiu's attitude, no one had any other opinions. Although they didn't trust Yu Mu, they completely trusted Wang Jiu. Moreover, their tired bodies didn't allow them to raise any other opinions.
Night fell, and a fire was lit up.
" If there's a bonfire in the desert," Wang Jiu consoled," time won't be so difficult."”
Yu Mu smiled,"Isn't it hard to endure? It'll be over by dawn."”
"It seems that you've been mentally prepared." Wang Jiu said. Sigh, it would be great if there was wine at this time. Wine and meat were better than having a good dream. There was everything in the dream. Hahahahaha." As Wang Jiu spoke, he was amused by himself.
"There's wine," Yu Mu said.
"You have wine?" Wang Jiu asked, puzzled.
"There's wine," Yu Mu said.
Wang Jiu still didn't quite believe it.”
So Yu Mu really took out a pot of wine from his pocket.
Wang Jiu took a swig and called it good wine, but it wasn't good wine.
Wang Jiu returned the flagon to Yu Mu, whose face was flushed red by the light of the fire. "Don't you think that people are especially easily satisfied sometimes? To be able to drink such strong liquor on such a cold night. I think, hehe, I don't even know how to put it, but it makes people feel good.”
"Brother Wang, you must have drunk a lot of wine."”
" Of course," Wang Jiu replied." I've traveled all over the world for so many years. I've drunk a lot of wine from all over the world."”
"If you could drink whatever you want now, what would you like to drink the most?" Yu Mu asked. Daughter Hong? Apricot Blossom Village? Zhuyeqing? Top scorer red? Jian Nanchun?"
Wang Jiu waved his hand repeatedly." You've reported too much. How would I know what I want to drink the most?"”
"But now you can only drink this pot of turbid wine, and when you drink it, you think it's the best wine in the world." Having too many choices was not necessarily a good thing. Sometimes, having no choice was the best choice.”
"You Central Plainsmen are good at talking," said Wang Jiu with a smile. I haven't asked you where you're from.”
Yu Mu pondered for a moment and said,"You can be considered a Jiangnan person."”
"I've been to Hangzhou before," Wang Jiu said."It's really a good place." The beautiful scenery of West Lake was intoxicating. Unfortunately, my home is in this godforsaken place. My woman works hard every day because of this, and my children have to endure the wind and sun here since they were born. I really wish I could bring them to Jiangnan and let them see the beautiful scenery there and enjoy themselves there.”
Wang Jiu's words surprised Yu Mu. All the people he met along the way loved this land because it was their hometown. Shasha would rather die here than leave. But Wang Jiu's words were full of disdain for his hometown.
Yu Mu didn't probe further. He continued Wang Jiu's words and asked,""You have a daughter?"
Hearing Yu Mu talk about his daughter, Wang Jiu's face was full of smiles. "Two girls, twins, hehe. When they were just born, their faces were pink and tender. Now that they're a little older, their faces are rougher than my palms.”
As the wine pot was emptied, Yu Mu couldn't help but feel sleepy. Even though he was still trying his best to answer Wang Jiu, Yu Mu's head was already drooping from the drowsiness.
Wang Jiu smiled." I see that you're really sleepy. You should sleep for a while. I'll wake you up when the weather gets cold."”
Upon hearing this, Yu Mu didn't even have the time to nod his head before falling asleep.
In his dream, Yu Mu felt as if someone was patting him. He tried to wake up, but he still couldn't open his eyes.
"It's almost dawn.”As expected, Wang Jiu woke Yu Mu up.
Yu Mu rubbed his face back and forth with his hands, finally driving the sleepiness out of his head.
"Phew, I'm much more awake." He shook his head vigorously and exhaled.
The sky on the horizon began to turn yellow, and the first rays of the sun shone into the desert. The beauty that pierced through the darkness was extremely shocking.
"I didn't expect to see such beautiful scenery in this desert." Yu Mu sighed.”
Wang Jiu didn't pay attention to Yu Mu. He had just woken Yu Mu up, but he fell to the side and started snoring. Seeing that Wang Jiu had worked hard to keep watch for the whole night, Yu Mu couldn't bear to wake him up immediately. However, Wang Jiu's beautiful dream didn't last long.
Hao Shui's expression was so gloomy that it was indescribable when he saw Wang Jiu sleeping. He shook Wang Jiu awake and asked angrily,""Ninth Brother, have you forgotten what I told you yesterday? If you feel sleepy, wake us up to keep watch! And you? As a night watchman, he fell asleep!"
Yu Mu wanted to explain for Wang Jiu, but Wang Jiu spoke first,""It's my fault. I was careless and didn't expect to fall asleep just like that. Isn't Brother Yu helping me keep watch? There won't be any mistakes.”
"It's best not to make any mistakes." Hao Shui glared at Wang Jiu and Yu Mu angrily, then turned around and took Hao Shan to check the goods.
Things often didn't go as you wished.
When Hao Shui came back with his men, his expression was even uglier than when he left.
"The water is gone." He squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.
"What did you say?" Wang Jiu was shocked.”
Hao Shui suppressed the anger in his heart and repeated,"I said the camel carrying the water tank is gone.”
Hearing this, everyone immediately gathered around. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Wang Jiu and Yu Mu. They were the ones who had been keeping watch yesterday! The water in the water tank was related to everyone's lives. Without water, they could only die helplessly in the vast desert.
"You hid the water!" The impatient Hao Shan pointed his finger at Yu Mu.
Everyone's emotions were also affected by Hao Shan. They slowly approached Yu Mu, each of them looking like they wanted to swallow him alive.
"Did you do it last night when Ninth Brother was asleep?" Hao Shui narrowed his eyes.”
"Definitely not Brother Yu Mu! If he moved the camels away, why didn't he escape?”Wang Jiu spoke up for Yu Mu.
Yu Mu's heart sank. If Wang Jiu wanted to help him, he should have directly told the truth that Yu Mu had fallen asleep last night. He said such a good word for him that it was neither black nor white, but it made it worse.
Hao Shan was immediately provoked by Wang Jiu's words. He shouted,""Ninth Brother, why are you still putting in a good word for him at this time?! He's using you. Maybe he stayed to kill us again.”
Hao Shan was stupid, but Hao Shui wasn't. Wang Jiu's words also reminded him.
Hao Shui stopped everyone who was about to step forward and said,""If the camel is taken away, the camel bell will definitely ring, and then someone will definitely wake up. However, there was no sound of the camel bell yesterday, which means that the person who took the camel took the camel bell off the camel.”
"Find Camel Bell!" Before Hao Shui could finish his words, Hao Shan called everyone to look for the untied camel bells.
Hao Shui didn't stop his brother's seemingly stupid move. An elusive smile flashed across his face.
Hao Shan had found the camel bell in Yu Mu's bag!
"What else do you have to say now?”Hao Shan threw the camel bell in front of Yu Mu and shouted, as if everything had been decided.
" It's my fault," Wang Jiu said regretfully." I didn't know people well enough and put everyone in danger."”
"Brother Jiu, don't blame yourself. He can't run away now anyway," Hao Shan said.”
Yu Mu didn't explain himself. He couldn't explain himself, because no one would believe him even if he told the truth. Wang Jiu's prestige and trust in this caravan was something he couldn't compare to.
Facing the aggressive crowd, Yu Mu was at a loss. Should he fight back? Even if he won, it would be difficult for him to walk out of the desert alone. Moreover, resisting proved that he was the one who led the camel away, which was exactly what that person wanted.
"Wait a moment." It was Hao Shui who stood up and stopped everyone.
"The camel bell was found in his bag, why are you still stopping us?" Hao Shan said anxiously.”
"I found the camel bell in his bag, but there are still some things I don't understand." If he really took off the camel bell and led the camel away, why didn't he find a place to bury the camel bell? Instead, he hid the camel bell in his bag and waited for us to find it?”
"To be honest, I've been worried about you ever since you joined the caravan, so I've been keeping an eye on you for the past few days." Everyone, I found that he drank water without restraint. In addition to drinking his own water, he also borrowed Ninth Brother's water many times a day. When the sandstorm came yesterday, he didn't know what to do at all. He only knew to hide behind the camel after hearing my shout.”
"What does that mean?" Hao Shan asked.”
" That's right." Hao Shui smiled." This means that it's his first time entering the desert." This was the first time a person entered the desert, and he had no experience or common sense. Would he be able to find the camel after he hid it? How would he dare to go against an entire caravan by himself? Isn't he afraid of losing himself in this desert without us?”
Hao Shui didn't stand up and say that Yu Mu was a good person like Wang Jiu did, but every word he said was helping Yu Mu clear his suspicion, which surprised Yu Mu a little. Hao Shui had always been the most hostile person to Yu Mu in the caravan, but he spoke up for Yu Mu at the most critical moment.
Hearing Hao Shui's words, everyone suddenly realized that a person who entered the desert for the first time could not do these things.
"Then who was the one who took the camel?" Hao Shan asked.”
"Are you trying to say that I was the one who led the camel away?”Wang Jiu said with a livid face.
"Ninth Brother, what are you talking about?" Hao Shan asked immediately. You are the leader of our caravan, and most of the people in the caravan were brought out by you. You have also saved many people's lives. How could the thief be you?”
"Don't be agitated, Ninth Brother. I didn't say that the person must be you, but that person must be among us." The camel carrying water could not carry people because it had huge water tanks hanging from both humps. With our current water capacity, we could only send two or three people to look for the lost camel. Therefore, that person couldn't hide the camel too close or too far away. If he didn't want us to find it easily, the camel had to be hidden at least six hours away from here. In that case, it would take him half a night to go back and forth. Walking in the desert for a long time would cause a lot of sweat, which meant that at this time, the boots of the person who hid the camels were still wet.”
Yu Mu immediately took off his boots. Of course, his boots were dry.
"Brother Jiu, please take off your boots as well." Hao Shui looked at Wang Jiu.”
"Hao Shui, why did you really ask Ninth Brother to take off his boots?"”
Hao Shui couldn't help but shout at Hao Shan,""They were the ones who were on night duty yesterday. They are the most suspicious.!”
Hao Shan didn't dare to speak up for Wang Jiu after being yelled at by Hao Shui.
Yu Mu handed the boots to Hao Shui. Hao Shui reached out his hand and said,"I did it." He then handed the boots to the other members of the caravan, letting everyone verify it with their own hands.
Wang Jiu's forehead was already sweating, but he had no choice but to take off his boots.
"Actually, Big Brother Wang doesn't need to take off his boots.”The one who spoke was Yu Mu.
"Then why don't you tell me why Ninth Brother doesn't need to take off his clothes?" Hao Shui frowned. Do you know who took the camel?”
"I didn't know, but after hearing your analysis, I guessed it." Yu Mu smiled.”
"Go ahead," Hao Shui said.
Yu Mu said," Although you saw Wang Jiu sleeping in the morning, I was the one who fell asleep last night. He woke me up before dawn, and then he fell asleep on his own. I saw him alone for the whole night, so I didn't wake him up."”
"Are you saying that Ninth Brother is lying?" Hao Shan asked. Although your boots are dry, you have no right to speak here.”
"Let him continue," Hao Shui said.”
Yu Mu said," Actually, it doesn't matter whether Wang Jiu is lying or not. It doesn't matter who fell asleep last night, because the person who led the camel wasn't me, nor was it Wang Jiu."”
Yu Mu stood in front of Wang Jiu and said," Brother Wang, even if I slept soundly last night, you wouldn't dare to hide the camel yourself. What if I wake up in the middle of the night?" So you sent someone else."
Hao Shui already knew who Yu Mu was talking about. He turned to look at Wang Qing, who was hiding behind Hao Shan.
"Wang Qing, come over and take off your boots."”
Wang Qingdong didn't dare to move. He just shook his head in fear.
"It can't be Wang Qing." Hao Shan couldn't bear to say.”
"If I blame him wrongly, I'll apologize to him as his uncle."”
"No need! I asked Wang Qing to hide the camel.”
Wang Jiu lowered his head, his face ashen. "When you asked us to take off our boots, I knew I couldn't hide it anymore. I thought that you would believe that he was the one who did all this. At that time, I could pretend to look for water to atone for my sins.”
Hao Shan's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that Wang Jiu had actually admitted it. No one could believe that Wang Jiu had admitted it just like that.
"Ninth Brother, you're the leader of the caravan, yet you want to kill us all?" Brother Nine, why did you do this? Just for these money and goods?"
"Just for these money and goods!" Wang Jiu roared. But I'm not doing it for myself. I'm doing it for my wife and children. I want to bring them to the Central Plains to enjoy life. Why? Why do you think they have to suffer in this damned place? It was exposed to the wind and sun every day. I just want them to live a good life.”
"If you want to bring them to the Central Plains to enjoy life, you might be able to gather the money even if you work for a few more years. You're too greedy."”
" Yes," Wang Jiu said." I was too greedy. I have nothing to say."”
"Did you come up with this idea on the spur of the moment?" Yu Mu sighed. Your plan is actually full of loopholes. Even if Hao Shui didn't step forward, you might not have gotten what you wanted.”
" I only thought of it when I saw you," Wang Jiu said regretfully." If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have done this."”
"Ninth Brother, do you miss the Central Plains so much?" Hao Shui asked. Do you really want to take your wife and children and leave this land where you were born and raised?! No matter how desolate and remote it is, it is still your hometown.”
Wang Jiu couldn't say a word to Hao Shui's question. He could only hug his son tightly.
The camel carrying the water was found, but how to deal with Wang Jiu and his son made everyone feel troubled. Just as Hao Shan had said, Wang Jiu had been the leader of the caravan for many years. He had a lot of kindness to everyone in the caravan. No one was willing to step forward to deal with Wang Jiu, but no one was willing to let Wang Jiu go either.
Yu Mu actually wanted to plead for Wang Jiu, but he now understood the rules here. A mistake was a mistake, and one had to be punished. No matter who he was, no matter what he had done, merits and demerits could not be offset. You might think that this was a little cruel, but this was called fairness here.
Was Wang Jiu wrong? Of course he was wrong! But you can't say that his original intention of bringing his wife and children to the Central Plains to live a good life was wrong. One misstep would cause eternal regret. The entanglement of right and wrong in his heart still made him do such a thing.
In the end, it was Hao Shui who stood up and made the decision to deal with Wang Jiu and his son.
"Brother Nine, you have helped this caravan a lot, and you have helped me a lot too. But you know the rules. However, no one is willing to kill you with their own hands. You and your son will stay in this desert forever.”Hao Shui's words were filled with reluctance, but it was more of determination.
"No, Hao Shui, you can't leave my son here. He's just a child.。。”Wang Jiu shook his head helplessly. He couldn't watch his son die in the desert with him.
"He's already big enough to harm people.”
Hao Shui coldly rejected Wang Jiu.
"Are you really unwilling to let him go?”Wang Jiu had almost given up.
"It's a bad thing to let him live, whether it's for himself or for others." Hao Shui sighed.”
Wang Qing was still tightly in Wang Jiu's arms, making it impossible to see if there was hatred in his eyes.
" I still have one more thing to ask of you," Wang Jiu pleaded.”
"Go ahead," Hao Shui said.
Wang Jiu said," Please don't tell anyone about what I did. Don't tell my wife and children either. Just say that we were blown away by a sandstorm." Otherwise, they wouldn't have the face to continue living.”
" Ninth Brother, I want to agree to your request too. The other people in the caravan can agree to it now, but as long as you do it, you won't be able to hide it one day. What's the use of us agreeing to you now?" Hao Shui said. However, I promise you that I will take my sister-in-law and niece to a village far, far away and settle them down there. I will give your share of the silver to sister-in-law along with Hao Shan's and my share. At the very least, I will ensure that they will not have to worry about food and clothing for the next few years.”
The caravan set off again. This time, it seemed to be as normal as before, leaving only Wang Jiu and his son and the caravan gradually moving further and further away. No one saw Hao Shui secretly throw a short knife.
After this accident, Yu Mu had gained the trust of the caravan. He no longer needed to walk in front of the caravan, but walked beside the water-carrying camels with Hao Shui.
"I want to ask you a question," Yu Mu said.”
"If you have something to say, just say it," Hao Shui said. He suddenly changed the topic and asked,"Do you want to ask me why I stood up for you and pointed the spearhead at Wang Jiu?"”
"That's another problem." Yu Mu said.”
Hao Shui was silent for a long while, then said,""It's very simple. No matter how much I hate you and don't trust you, if we can't find the person who took the camel, the caravan will be in danger. Also, I noticed that Ninth Brother had changed a long time ago. Brother Nine was the first to travel to the Central Plains as a merchant caravan. When we brothers joined, Brother Nine warned us not to be blinded by the colorful world of the Central Plains and to remember that our home will always be here. In the past two years, I've often heard Ninth Brother say that the Central Plains is good, and even unconsciously say that the Western Regions are not as good as the Central Plains. I knew it. In fact, Ninth Brother's heart has already been captivated by the prosperity of the Central Plains. In fact, Ninth Brother was right. The Central Plains was much better than the Western Regions. I believe that Ninth Brother has always loved this land, but you can't expect him to love this land as deeply as he did in the past after seeing the prosperity and temptation of the Central Plains time and time again.”
"What about you?" Yu Mu asked. "Will you no longer love this land as much as you did in the past?”
"Maybe. Maybe I'll become like Ninth Brother.”Hao Shui didn't give a firm answer, but his answer was truthful enough.
"Tell me, what's the question you want to ask?"”
" In fact, when I first joined the caravan, I realized that although Wang Jiu is the leader of the caravan, sometimes your prestige is higher than his, and your words carry more weight," Yu Mu said.”
Hao Shui couldn't help but sigh when he heard Yu Mu mention this. "My position in the caravan was brought up by ninth brother. If it wasn't for this, ninth brother would have made me the new leader of the caravan in two or three years.。Sigh. Ninth Brother was a very good person. He treated everyone well and would agree to anyone who asked him for help. He had a saying that he always said,"Help if you can, make friends if you can, and friends will help you."”
Thinking of what Wang Jiu had said when he first met him, Yu Mu sighed,""Yes, he is indeed a good person.”
Three days later, the caravan left the desert. They sold the tea leaves, silk, and other goods shipped from the Central Plains to various villages along the way. Finally, they returned to their own villages.
After staying at Hao Shui's house for five days, Yu Mu set foot on the road to the snow mountain. Originally, he only planned to rest for a day or two before setting off, but he didn't expect Hao Shui, who looked a little cold on the surface, to be so hospitable and insist on keeping Yu Mu for five days.
Before leaving, Hao Shui personally sent Yu Mu to the village entrance.
"I didn't expect you to be such a hospitable person," Yu Mu teased.”
"You can't judge a book by its cover," said Hao Shui with a smile.”
"Indeed," Yu Mu said.
Hao Shui handed a package to Yu Mu and said,""I steamed my own jujube buns and brought them along to eat on the road.”
Yu Mu took the heavy package and smiled,"It's too much. I'm afraid I won't be able to finish it on the way.”
"You think just because you can see Tianshan Mountain from here means you're very close to it?" Hao Shui shook his head. In fact, it was still hundreds of miles away.”
"It hasn't snowed yet, but why is the mountain already white?" Yu Mu looked at the sky.”
" The snow on the top of Tianshan Mountain doesn't melt all year round," Hao Shui said." Only the snow below the mountainside will turn into snow water and flow into the river every spring.”
Snow mountains, deserts, Gobi, and wastelands.
Thinking of this, Yu Mu sighed with emotion.”
Hao Shui patted Yu Mu's shoulder and said,"Let's go."”
"Take care." Yu Mu cupped his fists.
"Take care."
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。