Under the sky

Chapter 135 Self-Immolation

Uen's roar spread far across the dark grassland, and dozens of spears pointed at the gate of the Xiemul tribe.

"Let me see." Huo Gang walked out of the crowd, and everyone respected him.Lanka shouted: "Huo Gang's little sacrifice!"

Seeing his red robe, Wu En pointed the tip of his spear to the sky, and the drifters behind him pointed their weapons to the sky like him.Although they have been deprived of the right to believe in the god Sa, they still have faith in their hearts.

Huo Gang looked at the dirty cloth carefully, rubbed his fingers on the cloth, and said: "This is not our cloth. No one in the village wears clothes of this kind of cloth. This is because outsiders want to blame the Xiemure tribe. "

Wu En said: "Honorable little priest, this is empty talk. We cannot enter the village to inspect every piece of clothing. This reason cannot erase the insult to Wu En."

Huo Gang said: "I would like to swear in the name of God Sa that if I deceive you, I will fall into the ice prison and suffer the bone-eroding frost."

Swearing in the name of the god Isa is the most dangerous oath, especially for devout priests.Wu En frowned and believed a little.

Huo Gang continued: "This cloth is very dirty. Maybe a vicious traveler wants to stir up a dispute, or someone wants to harm you. Unn, Gulthas will not let go of those who attack the tribe, and neither will we." Insulting you deliberately will bring disaster, I hope you will understand."

"Then where should I go to wash away my shame?" Wu En asked loudly.

Huo Gang turned to ask Lanka a few words, and Lanka turned to ask a few more questions. The villagers whispered to each other and shook their heads.Lanka whispered a few words in Huo Gang's ear. Huo Gang nodded and said loudly: "I haven't seen any strangers near the village. Wu En, if your insult is cleansed, God Sa will bless you."

Wu En said: "If I know you lied, noble little priest, even if Gulthas comes in person, I will use your blood to wash away my shame!"

Huo Gang said: "Xie Mu'er's warriors will search the roads to the east and find the person who put the blame on us. Wu En, you go to the west."

Wu En hung the long knife back on the horse's belly and turned the horse's head: "Let's go!"

Sixty or seventy riders looked westward like a whirlwind.

■

Yang Yan and Wang Hong didn't stop from morning to night, they just kept walking.

Wang Hong urged: "Hurry up. The sooner you enter the tribe, the safer it will be. The Liu tribe cannot enter the tribe." Although she said this, Wang Hong was unsure. She didn't know whether the offended Liu tribe would attack the tribe because of being offended. But it's always safer to go into the tribe.

Yang Yan asked: "Do you know where there is a tribe nearby?"

Wang Hong shook her head. She had never walked this road before.

Yang Yan suddenly remembered something and quickly took off his coat. Wang Hong cursed: "Why are you so crazy at this moment?"

Yang Yan said: "I tore off a piece of hem and put it there. These clothes will be discovered." As he said this, he dug a small hole in the ground and buried the clothes.

Wang Hong said: "You are more eye-catching because you are not wearing a coat."

Yang Yan said: "There's nothing we can do about it!"

The two hurriedly buried their clothes and continued on their way.At night, Yang Yan's eyesight didn't work well. He looked at the sky and estimated that it would be around the seventh day of May.The moonlight was dim, so I could only walk as fast as possible.The two of them were exhausted. The moon was in the sky. Wang Hong was panting. Yang Yan said, "Let's rest first."

"Have a rest!" Although Wang Hong yelled, she was extremely tired and sat on the ground panting.

"I'm running out of energy, and I won't have the energy to walk tomorrow." Yang Yan said, "We need to rest. It's dark now, and we don't even have an oil lamp. I don't know how to move. It will only make me walk slower. It's better to save some energy and walk during the day." quick."

Wang Hong knew that what he said was reasonable and did not refute.Yang Yan said: "I'll set up the tent."

"The tent is too conspicuous." Wang Hong said, "Find a place to hide nearby."

Yang Yan said: "You rest, I will come find you."

Wang Hong was surprised by Yang Yan's thoughtfulness. After thinking about it, she realized that Yang Yan was guilty. She was about to open her mouth to anger him, but she held back and said, "You are half-blind at night. Let me come and find you."

Yang Yan said: "Let's go together."

The grassland is really vast. After walking for a whole day, the surrounding scenery remained almost unchanged.The nearby mountain walls were steep and there was no way up the mountain. The two of them found a few bushes and hid behind them, and then felt a little relieved.

The bushes are surrounded by short, thin grasses. They are not as sharp and tall as the miscanthus in Guannei. They are soft and stinging. It is quite comfortable after lying down.The two lay about three feet apart behind a bush.

"I'm sorry, I did something stupid again and hurt you." Yang Yan said apologetically.

"So you still apologize." Wang Hong replied.

Yang Yan said: "I never understand the rules. These rules are like digging holes in the ground, trapping people to death at any time."

"There are more rules in the pass." Wang Hong replied.

"Do you remember all these rules?" Yang Yan thought about how he didn't understand anything when he first came out of the customs. Wasn't it the same when Wang Hong came out of the customs?He suddenly thought of something and asked: "You said you have only walked that heroic road once?"

Wang Hong said "Yeah" and cursed: "Nonsense! Who has the leisure to walk on that road?"

"You said...how many years ago was that?" Yang Yan turned over, supporting his cheek with his palm, facing Wang Hong, "Eight years ago? How old were you then?"

"12 years old." Wang Hong said indifferently, "I first spent a year learning the affairs of the customs to avoid exposing my secret."

Yang Yan was surprised: "You took that heroic path when you were 12 years old?" He felt something was wrong and asked, "How did you climb up? Who helped you down the mountain? Did you pass by Kunlun Palace on the way down? And, you guys Isn’t there a secret passage? Why should we take the path of a hero?”

"Only true believers can take the holy path." Wang Hong replied, "I can only take the path of a hero."

"Why?" Yang Yan was puzzled, "What is a true believer?"

Wang Hong was stunned and said: "I'm not leaving alone. Gulthas sent people to help. After crossing the mountain wall and hiding in the secret passage, there will be someone to help me. It's that Zhou Xiong. He had sneaked into Kunlun a few years ago. Palace. He took me down from the mountain, found a family to foster me in Lanzhou, and fixed my identity with Yinzi. That year I found an opportunity to work as a servant in Kunlun Palace, and later I was promoted to warehouse manager."

Wang Hong continued: "Kunlun Palace has strict requirements for servants, and their identities must be carefully verified. The Iron Sword and Silver Guards all have to examine their parents, and even orphans will be interrogated in detail."

Yang Yan didn't realize that Wang Hong was deliberately avoiding the topic. He just thought that the hero's road was rugged and difficult. There were many dangerous places in it, especially the rock wall. If you weren't careful, you would fall to your death.Wang Hong was so young at that time, even if she had someone to accompany her, it must have been extremely difficult, and I couldn't help but admire her a little more.

Yang Yan asked: "Can you help me carry a letter into the customs?"

Wang Hong looked up at the sky and said: "It's not that easy. Do you want to send a message to your two brothers or other friends in Guan?"

Yang Yan said: "It's just to report that he is safe." He thought to himself that Li Jingfeng and Ming Wuxiang would be worried if they couldn't find him, and he also thought that Uncle Tian's grandson Wei'er was still trapped in the hands of the beggar gang.Peng Haowei is a genocide and the only bloodline of Old Beggar Peng. Many people in the Nine Families are watching. Thief Xu Gou does not dare to kill this genocide, but this is not the only reason why he is relieved.

"Brothers Jingfeng and Ming will definitely protect Wei'er." He thought, they would do this without asking, especially brothers Jingfeng.Brother Ming might try to find him first, and Brother Jingfeng might rescue Wei'er first, or they might agree that one will find Wei'er and the other will find him.

Thinking of Li Jingfeng's vengeance against the Nine Families, Yang Yan became worried about him again.The world is so big, is there any place for scenery?And Brother Ming, that thief Yan Feixi will definitely hate him.

The more he thought about it, the more worried he became, and the more anxious he became, when he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves coming from afar.

So fast?Yang Yan was startled and felt Wang Hong approaching him.

how many people?A dozen people, a dozen people, or more?There should be more, this amount...

Yang Yan leaned forward and looked from behind the bushes. Wang Hong grabbed his arm and cursed in a low voice: "Don't look, what can you see with that move!"

He couldn't see anything, but he could see the light of the fire. More than a dozen torches were gradually approaching, and the light of the fire was getting brighter and brighter.

"Is it them?" Yang Yan turned around and asked.

Wang Hong said: "It should be so. If you are still walking out so late at night, you must be a refugee."

Yang Yan felt Wang Hong getting closer and holding his arm tightly, obviously very scared, and Yang Yan also felt his heartbeat speed up.The sound of the horse's hooves came from far away, and the two of them were worried that the bushes could not cover their bodies, so they stayed close together. Only when the sound of the horse's hooves gradually faded away did they breathe a sigh of relief.

"Leaving?" Yang Yan asked, "Are we safe?"

Wang Hong shook her head: "I don't know. Let's go back east tomorrow."

"To the east?" Yang Yan was puzzled.

Wang Hong said: "If they go all the way to the west, we can avoid them by going east. As long as they don't look back, we won't encounter them, and we will be safe once we enter the tribe."

Yang Yan: "What if they turn back?" Wang Hong said: "If they turn back, we will bump into them if we go west."

Yang Yan said: "Why don't we go separately, I'll go west and you go east."

Wang Hong frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Yang Yan said: "Everyone is responsible for what he does. I am the only one responsible for the trouble I cause. I will go west, and when I meet them, I will turn around and let them arrest me. If I escape by chance, I will go find you again."

Wang Hong said angrily: "I worked so hard to bring you here, but it's not worth it to let you die!"

Yang Yan said: "It's not worth it to die together."

Wang Hong said anxiously: "You don't understand. If I didn't take you back, there's no point in me going back!"

Yang Yan asked: "What do you mean? Aren't you just afraid of death?"

Wang Hong hesitated for a long time and finally said: "You asked me just now what a true believer is, but I didn't answer. Let me make it clear now. A true believer is someone who has believed in the Sacred religion for generations. I... am not."

Yang Yan asked: "You don't believe in Sa Shen?"

"Those who don't believe in Sa God will have died long ago. No matter who you are, Sa God is the only belief." Wang Hong said, "My ancestors were blind people who were defeated in the war, and my family members were slaves. When I was ten years old, my father committed a crime and was going to be executed. , I agreed to enter the customs on behalf of my father, because girls are very rare, and Gulthas agreed. I am not qualified to take the holy path, so I can only enter the customs through the hero's path."

Only then did Yang Yan understand why she wanted to take the risk and take the path of a hero.

"I learned knowledge outside the customs for a year. When I was 12 years old, I was separated from my family and was taken to the Road of Heroes. Without Old Eye's order, I couldn't go back. But such a big thing happened in Kunlun Palace. I was in charge of the warehouse and discussed it together. The paint in the hall was made by me, if I don’t escape, I will definitely be found out.”

"I escaped. Sooner or later, the news will reach Gursasna. If I can't atone for my sins, my parents and younger brother will die. I had no choice but to see your red eyes and thought it might be useful, so I took you out. . I don’t know if it’s useful, so I can only treat a dead horse as a live doctor.”

Yang Yan was surprised. He heard Wang Hong say that he would take him to be the God of Sacrifice, and he was sure of it. He didn't expect that she didn't know what she was doing, so she was just using nothing.

Wang Hong held Yang Yan's arm tightly: "I can only take you back, and you must go back with me. Without you to help me redeem myself, I can't go back alone. I was restrained by you on the mountain and thought there was no hope. I plan to go back to Batu to accept my punishment and die. Without me, you will die alone outside the customs. Without you, I will die too. We must live and die together."

Yang Yan was silent for a while and said, "Please say you're sorry."

Wang Hong was stunned. She thought that Yang Yan would be furious. This donkey has a difficult temper, but he didn't seem to care. She didn't anger him at the moment and replied: "I'm sorry."

"I caused you to be hunted down and said I'm sorry. You lied to me along the way and you said I'm sorry. Now we're settled." Yang Yan turned over and said, "Go to bed."

Wang Hong felt that this man had an unpredictable personality and asked: "You...don't blame me for lying to you? I'm just a slave...Aren't you worried that I can't help you?"

"Now that I think about it, you were secretive when you talked to me before..." Yang Yan said, "This is not considered taking advantage of you. If I can learn martial arts outside the customs, even if we cooperate, if we don't succeed, you will die with me. Owe each other.”

Yang Yan asked again: "How old is your brother this year?"

"Three years younger than me, seventeen."

Yang Yan said softly: "Slaves outside the customs...are they not having a good time?"

Wang Hong also said softly "Hmm".

"If I really become the God of Sasha..." Yang Yan said, "I will definitely find a way to save your family."

Wang Hong was stunned for a moment, and felt a hint of warmth in her heart, but she still said: "Save your life first."

After walking for a day, they felt very sleepy and soon fell asleep.The next day, the sky was still gray. The two got up and turned eastward to follow the original route.

The two of them were silent all the way, and they were not afraid of disturbing anything. They walked from twilight to sunrise, and from sunrise to noon. Yesterday's big bird had already eaten all its feathers, and they had no intention of hunting at the moment. Even if they hunted, they had no time to cook.The kettle was empty early, and the two of them were thirsty, so they arrived at the place where they split up to hunt yesterday.

"Almost." Yang Yan said, "Not far ahead is the big tree. You said that there is a tribe in that tree."

Wang Hong suddenly said in shock: "Look!"

Yang Yan looked back and couldn't see clearly. Wang Hong said anxiously: "It's them, they came back!"

Only then did Yang Yan see a vague figure approaching in the distance, and said anxiously: "Are they really those refugees? Let's go quickly!"

Wang Hong suppressed the shock in her heart, thought hard, and gritted her teeth and said: "Don't run, no matter how you run, you can't run faster than a horse. If we see them, they must also see us. If we run and look guilty, they will definitely chase us." "

Yang Yan said: "How about we go up the mountain and hide for a while?"

Wang Hong said: "It's too late! The mountain road is difficult, and there is no place to hide!"

Yang Yan asked anxiously: "What should we do?"

Wang Hong said: "Calm down! Walk slowly and pretend nothing is wrong!" Then he said, "I hope he is reasonable, or at least not that bad."

Yang Yan could only listen to her instructions, and the two of them pretended not to know and continued on their way.Not long after, the refugees came on horseback. More than ten riders came first and stopped in front of the two of them, forming a circle to surround them.

Wang Hong pretended to be surprised and yelled loudly: "God Sa, above, are you refugees going to hurt Sa God's people?"

Yang Yan pulled out the wildfire and looked alert.It's not that he's being hypocritical, but that he's really on guard.

Not long after, more than fifty riders followed behind, and about sixty people were swirling around Yang Yan and Wang Hong like layers of lotus petals, getting closer and closer.

Yang Yan and Wang Hong didn't dare to move and were on guard.After a while, one of them made a sharp whistling sound, and the horses stopped and surrounded the two men.Yang Yan saw that those men all had long weapons hanging on their horses, and they all had knives on their waists. The knives were different from the thick-backed knives in the Central Plains. The blade was slightly curved, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. The blade was estimated to be about two feet long.

A horse walked out from the group of horses. The man on the horse was strong and walked up to the two of them.

Wang Hong said: "Want to rob? The people of the Liu tribe don't need money. We don't have what you need."

"My name is Wu En!" Wu En said solemnly, "There is a tree in front of me, where the knife and scale trade is. You take away the prey and leave behind the insult."

"What?" Wang Hong pretended to be surprised, "God Sa, we will not make such a mistake. Wu En, we don't know you, why should we insult you?"

"Who else is there besides you?" Unn yelled, "You are the only two travelers on a day and night journey!"

"Uen, we must be reasonable on the prairie. We just came down from the mountain yesterday, you can't accuse us unjustly."

"On the mountain? Are there tribes on the mountain?" Wu En asked, "Which tribe are you from? Why are you here?"

"I am a subject of Nabu Batu and a subordinate of Gursasi. I came here to receive news from outside the customs on the order of Sasi." Wang Hong said, "If you don't believe it, take us back to Nabu Batu. There are many people there. People can prove my identity.”

"Batu" is not only the name of a tribal force, but also a place name. It is the capital of the tribe and the residence of Sasi. Yang Yan heard Wang Hong say it.

Wu En was doubtful and asked: "News from outside the customs?"

Wang Hong said: "Yes. Wu En, if you hurt me and prevent me from responding to Sasi's instructions, Sasi will definitely hold you accountable."

"We are refugees! Refugees with nothing!" Unen yelled, "Today we are in the east and tomorrow we will be in the west. Gulthas can't scare me!"

"I'm not trying to scare you! Unen, I know you are a brave warrior, but you don't understand Sasi's foresight. You don't know what kind of mission we are shouldering!"

Wu En was doubtful, looked Wang Hong up and down, and asked, "Where did you say you came from?"

"On the mountain." Wang Hong said, "Two months ago, Gulthas sent a large number of people to the mountain. Don't you know?"

Of course Wu En knew that, together with the soldiers carrying the goods, there were over a thousand people going up the mountain, and less than half of them came down.Wu En originally thought that those people were here to "hunt" again, which was the favorite thing for the nobles of Atulie Batu.After they evaded for a while, they realized that those people had not launched an attack, but had gone up the mountain.

Wu En believed him a little more and said, "I let you go not because I'm afraid of Gulthas, but because Wu En is a reasonable person."

Seeing that he had no intention of making things difficult, Wang Hong breathed a sigh of relief, tugged on Yang Yan's sleeves, and the two of them turned and left.Don't look at Wang Hong, who was so sharp-tongued just now, but now she feels like her feet are filled with jealousy, and they feel weak with every step she takes.

"Wait a minute!" Wu En couldn't help but become suspicious when he saw Wang Hong pulling Yang Yan's sleeve.He looked at Yang Yan and saw that he was on guard with a knife, his eyes full of anger, and he saw a pair of red eyes. He jumped off the horse and walked forward.

Yang Yan saw Wu En approaching and said in a deep voice, "What do you want to do?"

(End of this chapter)