Twilight Boundary

Chapter 49 Experience in Jianghu

　　"We have set off on our journey, and we have to walk for several days. You kids, please be patient!"

Huma and several young men followed the second master on the road, and gradually saw some scenery that was invisible in the village.

The cart was pulled by a sturdy ox with smooth combed hair. It was pulling the cart with wooden wheels as it swayed along the rugged mountain road. It was not going very fast. To put it bluntly, it was probably a few teenagers on the cart. When you get off the cart, you can run faster than the ox cart.

But after all, they set off a few days early, so they were not in a hurry, so they looked at the scenery along the way and listened to the second master's bragging.

A day or two later, they gradually left the boundary of Laoyin Mountain and entered the official road. The road was smoother, but it was not much better. It was still uneven and bumpy.

Along the way, Huma grew a lot of news. In this world, traveling far away is a big deal.

The first and most fearful thing is to encounter evil spirits.

But in their car, they were all young men who had lit the stove, and there was also Er Ye, an old stove with sixty years of skill, so they traveled smoothly without encountering anything.

Of course, they were also careful. They found a place to rest before it got dark every day, and stuffed the pond ash they brought from the village into their chests. It was difficult for evil spirits to get close to them...

But the evil spirits did not come across, but the path-cutting ones encountered a wave.

There was no such slogan as "I built this mountain, I planted this tree." It was just a pile of rocks and a fallen dead tree blocking the way. A group of people wearing rags came out.

Some people held dung forks in their hands, some carried pickaxes, and some even carried a stick. Some held stones in their hands. They bowed to the people on the oxcart from a distance: "Fellows passing by, please do it." Okay..."

“Our village has suffered a disaster and will not be able to survive the spring. Please do us a favor and give us some food to feed our children.”

“After next year’s autumn harvest, there will be food, and you still wait here. We will double the food and return it to you...”

　　　…”

The young men on the bullock cart were all confused, but the second master waved his hand and jumped out of the bullock cart.

　　Then he started crying: "My fellow villagers, our village is also poor. Look, we are all preparing to sell our children in the city."

“But there is still some dry food in the car, so take it if you don’t mind.”

“The year is not good. We, the fellow villagers in Laoyin Mountain, all rely on helping each other to survive..."

　　　…”

With a bag of brown rice, I poured three large bowls for the other party. The other party clearly saw that there was still half a bag in the car, but he didn’t ask for any more.

He also enthusiastically moved up the stones and dead wood, and pointed out: "Twenty miles past this fork in the road, there is a mass grave. There are wild dogs that dig graves and eat people, and ghosts that are restless after death. Please be careful and don't go in there at night..."

 “Thank you, thank you, see you later.”

The second master said goodbye to the other party with fists in his hands. From a distance, he saw them placing the stones again.

Hu Ma carefully watched the second master's words and deeds, and intuitively told him that perhaps his experience in the world was no less useful than the skills he had learned.

But among the young men on the bullock cart, when they were far away, some of them were eager to try, saying that they should take action just now. Although there were six of us in total, we might not be able to cure them. The second master slapped them on the head. : "Don't say this again."

“If you rely on fighting and killing to travel around the world, when will you finish killing?”

　　　…”

 I have gained more experience along the way, and on the fourth day, I have arrived in front of Mingzhou Fucheng.

Hu Ma glanced at it from a distance and saw a big city suddenly rising on the ground. Looking from a distance, it seemed a bit majestic. When he got closer, he saw that the city was not small, but it was rustic and the walls were repaired. It has been repaired and there are still some traces of the fire.

Now, just a few seconds before the sun sets, the main gate of the city has been closed, leaving only the small doors on the left and right open.

The second master jumped out of the car in advance and led the cow to the city gate. The city guard, who was in tattered clothes and listless, saw an old man and a few kids, and he became a little impatient. He waved his hands and said: " It’s late today and we can’t enter the city, so just wait outside!”

The second master hurriedly smiled, took out the number plate left by the steward, and said: "Master, you see, we are going to the red lantern party to worship the empress."

“The kids in this car are all wanted by the Red Light Society.”

　　　…”

 “Can the empress do it?”

The city guard changed his expression, looked at Hu Ma and the others, turned sideways, and pointed out where to go: "Walk close to the roadside, and make sure the cows don't poop. Go to Guoguan'er Alley in Xicheng, and you'll be there. I found the lantern from the Red Lantern Club."

　　　…”

The second master eagerly agreed and drove the ox cart into the city.

It was just before nightfall. In Dayangzhai Village, the villagers had already returned home. They might have had dinner and were lying in bed to engage in the few entertainment activities.

But the weather in this city is indeed different. The carved buildings on both sides are lit with candles and the crowds are bustling. Passing merchants are wearing brocade robes, sitting in sedans, or riding tall horses. They are walking slowly through the middle of the street like a patrolling mountain god. Shopkeepers and vendors , shouting loudly to attract customers.

 A group of young men from Danyang Village all had their eyes opened, including Hu Ma.

Those teenagers have never seen them before, but Hu Ma has seen them a lot in movies and TV dramas, but she feels that there are many things that are different and more simple and real.

Especially when they saw a strong man carrying a lazy-looking woman with small feet on his back, hurriedly running in front of the car, the teenagers' eyes suddenly opened up, and Hu Ma also looked over.

The second master caught a glimpse of their appearance, sneered, waved his whip and said, "What are you looking at? That's Mr. Turtle, who serves the big men in the restaurant behind the back of Sister Yao." "You must remember, No one is allowed to play tricks before learning their true skills..."

　　　…”

 “This thing actually has takeout?”

Hu Ma felt that she had gained a lot of knowledge, and the teenagers became even more excited: "Second Master, how do you play this tune?"

The second master got excited and gave them a show of praise. He told them in great detail about listening to music, feeding them wine, Shuanglu, and the little feet that had not been washed for a month.

But when it came to the key point, it stopped abruptly. Someone who had never heard of it said casually: "Then what? After getting under the bed..."

Er Ye’s expression suddenly felt awkward. He turned around and slapped him in the face, cursing: “Why do you ask so many questions?”

 “Not learning well.”

　　　…”

　　　…”

They walked slowly in the city, and it took them more than half an hour to arrive at Guoganer Hutong in the West City. They saw that this place was really different from other places. Most of the pedestrians were wearing black clothes and wearing wide belts.

In the streets and alleys, red lanterns were actually lit, but they were different from those used for weddings, giving them a sinister atmosphere. When the second master arrived at the entrance of the alley, he stopped the oxcart and looked around. Not long after, two men in black came over. Ask what it is for.

The second master was busy and told the truth. The faces of the two men gradually softened, and they pointed to a house in front of them: "Let's go there."

After driving the oxcart, the second master asked the young men to get off the oxcart. He also asked them to lift their belts and wipe the ashes from their faces. Then he put on a smile and took a cautious look into the yard.

Then I saw an old man wearing a short shirt and a mustache sitting under the pomegranate tree smoking a pipe in the quadrangle. He caught a glimpse of the second master and was about to ask. The second master hurriedly went up to him and said After learning the origin, he presented the number plate given by the steward.

"How many days are left before I go to the altar to worship the empress? Why did it come so early?"

The old man with two mustaches took the number plate and glanced at it, his expression only looked lazy.

“The mountain road is not easy to walk, are you afraid of delaying your time?”

The second master replied with a smile, took out the coarse cloth bag on the ox cart, opened it, and sent it over.

Seeing that the cloth bag was dirty, the old man was a little disgusted, but when he glanced around, he saw three dry strips of bacon inside. He felt strange in his heart, so the second master handed it to him, stretched out his hand, pinched it, and put it in Inside the mouth.

His upper and lower lips clicked, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

He hurriedly took the bag, stood up, smiled and bowed: "Brother, you are so polite!"

“They are all our own children, what are you doing with them?”

"I can't finish this green... these strips of marinated meat, so I'll keep it for now and help you each deliver it to your place..."

　　　…”

  “But, but.”

The second master didn’t show any suspicion of being a petty person, and kept agreeing: “We are poor in the village, and there are no good things.”

 “Just some ideas for marinating the meat, just don’t dislike it.”

　　　…”

The other party took the bacon and called the boy in green coat from the house, took it into the vat in the back room and stored it.

He himself pulled up his clothes, took the key, and said with a smile while leading the way: "The place has been vacated for you a long time ago. I will take you there to live first."

“We opened the altar with the incense owner on the 29th to worship the Red Lantern Empress. It was our empress’s birthday.”

“After paying homage to the empress, I will arrange your respective places for you little ones, but don’t worry, I will definitely help you choose a good place and find a good shopkeeper, so that you can save your wages and learn your skills...”

　　　…”

The group of people agreed repeatedly, and the man took the key himself and led Hu Ma and others to a house a street away.

It looks dilapidated and seems to have been abandoned for a long time, but it has a decent main room with east and west wings, as well as a porterhouse and stables. It is obviously a property that the queen would buy.

The steward did not take them into the main room, but opened the door to the west wing. They saw a simple table and chairs, and a brick kang built half way against the wall.

“Well, when we get here, we still have to sleep in Datongbu...”

Hu Ma thought to herself, but after taking a look at it, she was satisfied: "At least it is more spacious than the second master's place before."

Turning around to see the second master sending the steward out of the hospital, he thought to himself: "I came to this city to burn incense, and I don't know where I will be sent to work after that. That Erguotou man has so much energy. He must also be a powerful figure in the Empress Association."

“I don’t know if I can see him in the past few days…”

 (End of this chapter)