Jiaohua

Chapter 122 Going in the wrong direction
The logs of the fire sizzled.

Old Tong came over with some grass and trees, added some more to the fire, and looked at the girl over there.

Zhi Changle lay on the ground with his clothes untied.

Xia Zhaoyi was sitting on a rock next to him, holding a small piece of wood in his hand, on which was a black and faint green paste-like juice.

The small cloth bag in her other hand was stained with juice, and she went to wipe Zhi Changle's open chest.

"Girl, what's your name?" Old Tong asked.

"Call me Ali, Lihua's pear." Xia Zhaoyi replied,

"How do you know this?"

Xia Zhaoyi smiled and raised his head: "There are a lot of drug farmers here, and there are also a lot of woodcutters, just think of me as a little drug boy."

"You call me Old Tong, and his name is Zhi Changle." Old Tong stretched out his finger.

"Old Tong?"

"Li Rendong." Old Tong said hesitantly.

He has no name and no surname, and he has no parents since he was three years old. He grew up wandering in the streets and encountered traffickers who abducted and sold children several times, but he was clever and escaped.

Once listening to storytelling at the entrance of a teahouse, I heard the words Li Rendong, and I remembered it deeply, so I simply called myself Lao Tong.

This also has the advantage of being kind, as if I have known everyone for a long time and have a deep relationship.

Xia Zhaoyi nodded and said, "Okay, Old Tong."

"Is my brother not seriously injured?"

Xia Zhaoyi shook his head: "You are not light, and his injury is not light."

What to do then.

Old Tong frowned.

Xia Zhaoyi saw how they were dressed, paused, and said, "You guys are soldiers?"

Old Tong was taken aback, pursed his lips, and avoided her eyes: "No, it's not."

"Huh?" Xia Zhaoyi looked at him.

Old Tong didn't speak, he piled the plants and trees in his hand beside him, sat down and looked at Zhi Changle: "Well, how is he doing? Will he be paralyzed?"

"No." Xia Zhaoyi said, glanced at him again, and looked away at the concoction on Zhi Changle's body.

Old Tong's face seemed to be on fire, and he became uncomfortable. He raised his hand and scratched his neck, not knowing what to say.

If I had known earlier, I would have to take off the clothes on my body first.

But if I took it off, I was afraid of going down the mountain all the way, bumping and bumping, without any armor.

Who would have thought that under such a dark night, a little girl would appear in the deep mountains and old forests?

Feeling uncomfortable in his heart, Old Tong paused and shouted, "Ali."

"Huh?" Xia Zhaoyi looked up.

Old Tong bumped into her clear eyes, avoided it again with a guilty conscience, and said, "Well, what I told you, don't say it."

"Um.".

"I, I am that... yes, we are soldiers!" Old Tong summoned up his courage.

Xia Zhaoyi looked at his armor and said, "Are you from the Jiangnan Barracks?"

"Ah."

"How could you be dispatched by the Marquis of Jing'an?"

"Do you know that we are from the Marquis of Jing'an?" Old Tong's heart thumped.

Xia Zhaoyi smiled: "Don't worry, I don't like Marquis Jing'an."

"what?"

"I also know that you are deserters, but don't be nervous." Xia Zhaoyi looked at him, "I have a sworn feud with the relatives of the Marquis of Jing'an."

Old Tong subconsciously said, "Tao Lan?"

After he finished speaking, he blinked his eyes, the little girl's eyes were clear and quiet, and the flash of coldness just now seemed to be his own dizziness.

Xia Zhaoyi smiled, but said nothing.

Old Tong licked his lower lip, and said, "Ali, let me tell you this, we are indeed going to be deserters, I know it's disgraceful, but I just don't want to work for that Marquis of Jing'an. Did you see that the one surnamed Lin insisted on letting us go down, the torch in my third brother Bai's hand accidentally dropped when he went down, and the one surnamed Lin lost his temper and cut off the rope of third brother Bai! Last time, we were sent to wait for someone in Shidaoli, and there was no one until it was dark, but they insisted on accusing us of dereliction of duty, punishing us without eating for two days, and working hard all the time. A grumpy person couldn’t take it anymore , I dropped something, and as a result, I was slashed in front of us, but my life is still there, but the blood is real! Our lives are worthless at all, and those people don’t take us seriously! I told them again What kind of loyalty and trustworthiness are you talking about?!"

"You are going in the wrong direction." Xia Zhaoyi said.

Old Tong's blood was boiling with anger, and his tone was also fierce, but seeing the girl listening quietly, without any mood swings, he couldn't help but feel a little cold water being poured on him.

"Wrong direction?" His voice calmed down.

"Going down here is the earth temple. You circled around and went back."

Old Tong paused, then looked up to the other side: "Then, where are we going?"

"It's also deep in the mountains over there. You'll have to spend at least five days, and you don't have the experience of walking in the mountains. I don't know if you can get out alive. There are many beasts inside."

Old Tong frowned furiously, and said, "That's really impossible. We can go back the same way. The fire over there is probably going to burn out soon, and the grass and trees on the road will be reduced a lot."

"It won't rain for a few days. There has just been a forest fire over there. It's poisonous. You'd better not go there." Xia Zhaoyi thought for a while and said, "I can think of ways to help you, but you have to help me."

"Do you have a way to help us?" Old Tong was stunned, and then reacted, and said, "No, it's an exchange, A Li, just say what you want us to help, it's not you, me and this Zhi Changle is going to die of fright here today."

Xia Zhaoyi smiled: "Okay, just answer a few questions for me, do you know what happened to Dingguo's mansion?"

"Dingguo Gong?" Old Tong picked up a piece of grass and wrapped it around his fingers casually, "Is it the one who died in Huangze Valley two years ago?"

"Is there any other Duke Ding?"

Old Tong shook his head: "That's not true, it's just that you suddenly mentioned him, and you couldn't remember who it was for a while. Maybe I can be more vivid when you mention his daughter."

These years are full of chaos, death on the battlefield, chaos in the court, every now and then it is reported that someone was killed in battle, or someone was dismissed from office, and the serious one even killed the whole family. The world has become numb.

On the contrary, some eloquent stories about the love and filial piety of passionate sons and daughters have been widely spread in storytelling, and people are free to praise them in the streets and alleys.

Intentionally or unintentionally, it is also like a spiritual force, encouraging and comforting the world.

And the world-famous storytelling story about Liling Xia Zhaoyi, the eldest daughter of Duke Dingguo, who died in place of her brother, is one of them.

Thinking of those two years, Old Tong sighed: "Creating chaos, that's why I don't want to stay here. The Marquis of Jing'an is scolded by everyone in the world because of Tao Lan. He is panicking day and night now. I'm afraid that the emperor will kill him, and I'm even more afraid that the righteous people will kill him, and I don't want to follow this kind of person to work hard. There is a woman who forgets her duty, betrays her country and seeks glory, and a wolf-hearted woman. How can others be better?"

(End of this chapter)