The three horses ran into the mountains in a row. The mountain road was steep and rugged. When they got here, the horses could no longer run. Wang Qilin had to dismount.

Xu Da let go of the horse and peed, muttering in his mouth: "Wangshan ran to death, the master finally understood the meaning of this."

The mountain road was difficult to navigate, and there were steep cliffs on both sides from time to time. He and Wang Qilin led their horses and walked.

Xie Toad was still sitting on the horse. He seemed to have turned into a paper man, light and weightless. The horse carried him easily and walked freely.

At this time, the sky was getting late, and the afterglow was shining in the deep mountains and old forests. The light was red, like stained with red blood.

The birds returned to the forest, and a few old crows flew past with their croaking, adding a bit of depth to the forest.

The road from Yongshui County to Yiwang Township is too difficult and takes more than half a day.

The three of them slept one night at Dou's house and set out early the next morning. They should have arrived in Yiwangxiang early by this time.

It's a pity that they didn't know the way and went in the wrong direction in the morning. When they realized something was wrong, it was already too late. Now they turned around and didn't have time to get to Ichiboji Temple before the sun set.

Xu Da glanced at the sky, his face full of depression: "The sun is setting too fast today, what are you doing in a hurry to go home? There is a mother-in-law waiting at home?"

Xie Toad said angrily: "Shut up, if you hadn't shown off your strength and led the way, how could we have gone astray?"

Xu Da argued: "Can you blame me? I followed the map. It's not that the map given by the Dou family is inaccurate. It's because the map is wrong."

Xie Toad gave a thumbs up: "Infinite Heavenly Lord, ordinary people like to call us Niubi Lao Taoist. I think you are Niubi, you are really Niubi."

Xu Da snorted and changed the subject: "Well, if I had known that horses couldn't walk on mountain roads, I wouldn't have ridden horses. Wouldn't it be fun to ride a mule?"

"How big of a mule can you get?" Xie Toad continued to laugh at him, "I heard that there is a giant beast in the south called an elephant. Someone like you should ride an elephant."

The afterglow of the setting sun is running out, and darkness always comes earlier in the mountains.

The toad raised his head, the western sky was red, and the burning clouds were like blooming flowers.

He said: "In the middle of the night in the barren mountains and mountains, ghosts are crying and people are howling. Be careful, or you may encounter something evil."

Almost when he finished speaking, a rough song sounded in the forest ahead: "When I mount my horse, I don't catch the whip, I bend the willow branches. I sit on my seat and play the flute. I am worried about killing the travelers. I am unhappy in my belly, but I want to be a husband."

The riding whip goes in and out to spread the arm of the rider, and spreads the seat beside the rider's knees..."

Xu Da immediately took off the mace and said: "I only heard that in the wilderness, I encountered female ghosts and succubi who transformed into pretty girls to lure scholars to absorb the yang energy. This is the first time I know that they can also transform into men.

"

Wang Qilin said: "Maybe it knows that some of the three of us like men? Let me declare first, I don't like men."

Xie Toad: "People who practice Taoism are pure in heart and have few desires. Neither men nor women like me."

Xu Da had nothing to say.

They walked quickly and walked around a mountain corner, and then in the sunset they saw a tall and strong military man carrying a bag and wearing a red shirt walking on the road.

Marching and singing all the way, this is the tradition of the elite military of the New Han Dynasty.

Junhu was half a head taller than Wang Qilin, with messy buns on his head. He was wearing a round-neck robe with patches, his baggage was also patched, and his boots were one gray and one black. He was really shabby from head to toe.

Hearing the sound of horse hooves, he stepped aside to the side of the road. Xu Da looked at the picture of a tiger embroidered on his round-collared robe and asked, "Are you from the fierce army in the northern mountains and forests?"

The New Han Dynasty deployed different combat arms on the four borders of the southeast, northwest and northwest. The northern border was mountainous and forested, and the troops deployed were good at mountain land warfare. The trump card of this army was the fierce mountain and forest troops. Each sergeant wore a uniform.

They are all embroidered with tigers, which means "as brave as a tiger".

The military household with thick eyebrows and big eyes raised his arms and said: "Ma Ming, the humble minister, has met Master Ting Tianjian. Yes, humble minister once served as a soldier in the fierce army in the mountains and forests."

He raised his arms, and Wang Qilin noticed that one of his arms had been severed at the wrist.

Xu Da asked: "The mountain warriors are the elite of our army. Every military household is a soldier for life. Are you coming back to visit your relatives?"

Ma Ming smiled bitterly and said: "No, I participated in the battle with Rakshasa Kingdom at Qizishanguan two years ago. In this battle, I was the only one left among the fifteen brothers in our team, and I was still seriously injured. Commander Hu took pity on us.

Then let me retire and return home."

Xu Da was immediately in awe: "I have heard people tell you about the Battle of Qizishanguan. It was said that the war drums were thundering and blood flowed like rivers. Among them, the Xianden camp suffered the most tragic battle. They were the first to charge into the Rakshasa army, and no one survived.

one."

Ma Ming nodded silently.

Wang Qilin asked: "Brother Ma's hometown is Yiwang Township?"

Ma Ming said: "No, my hometown is Mobei."

Wang Qilin was surprised: "Then you should be going to Yiwangxiang, right?"

This mountain road only leads to Yiwang Township, so it is so rugged and narrow. Because few people usually walk on it, the government did not bother to build the road.

Ma Ming said: "Your Majesty, for your knowledge, a brother in the humble team is a native of Yiwang. I am here to send his bones home."

Xu Da clasped his fists and said: "Send a soul a thousand miles away, Brother Ma is a man."

Ma Ming smiled indifferently and did not continue the topic. He asked: "Three adults are also going to Yiwangxiang? Can we go together? I raised horses when I was in the army. I can lead the horses for three adults. I only ask for three adults."

I can give you a meal and porridge, so that I can keep my humble job well fed."

Xu Da respected these men who served the country very much. He immediately took out an oil bag from his arms and handed it to him: "There are two chicken legs here. Eat them first to fill your stomach."

Ma Ming hurriedly thanked him. He held the oil bag with his incomplete right arm and took out a chicken leg with his left hand, opened his mouth and wolfed it down.

After eating the chicken, he ate the chicken bones.

In the wind and clouds, there was nothing left of the two chicken legs.

After eating the chicken legs, he stuffed the oil paper into his arms, and then reached out to pull the horse's reins.

Wang Qilin smiled and said: "Brother Ma, you don't have to be polite, we can just lead the horse ourselves."

Ma Mingdao: "Please believe me, sir, I will definitely not break your horse."

Wang Qilin shook his head and said: "How could we not believe you? It's just that there is no need..."

Ma Ming insisted: "I have already made a promise, please let me lead the horse."

Wang Qilin had no choice but to let go. Ma Ming happened to have one arm and one horse, and he led the two horses smoothly.

The mountain road was difficult to travel, but fortunately the moonlight was good, and they could still travel for a while with the moonlight.

Xu Da lit a torch and looked at the map, pointed ahead and said: "If you walk a little further, you will come across a shack built by mountain people. We can eat and rest there tonight."

Xie Toad looked at him sideways: "Is it reliable?"

Xu Dadao: "You have to ask Dou Jinlai about this. I don't know if this map is reliable."

"I'm talking about you."

"Then you feel uncomfortable with your idle tongue? Of course I am reliable!"

Xu Da was very reliable this time, and they saw a small house not long after they left.

The house is not big, but it is not a shack made of grass and trees, but a small temple built of bricks and stones. There is a plaque on the temple with two words: Xiaoyi.

Xu Da frowned and said, "It's not big, right? Look at the map and it says that this shack has to walk a long way."

Wang Qilin smiled meaningfully: "In the middle of the night, deep in the mountains, a small temple appeared inexplicably on the roadside. Well, it won't be very peaceful tonight."

Xie Toad looked at the temple intently and said, "Master Wang, do we want to go in?"

"Come in."

"But I see something wrong with it."

Wang Qilin said: "Of course I know there is something wrong with it. If there is no problem, why should we go in?"

Xie Toad persuaded with sincerity: "My lord, the most important thing to avoid is causing trouble when traveling in the world. Since there is a problem with this temple, we should avoid it. The best way to solve trouble is to avoid it. Why should we take risks?"

"And what we are encountering now is a temple. This thing is very evil. Whether it is transformed by demons or used by mountain people praying to spirits, any evil thing that dares to own a temple has great tricks and magical powers. I am afraid we are no match for them!"

What he said made sense, but Wang Qilin hesitated.
Chapter completed!