Under the sky

Chapter 301 The long night of suffering

The Qiyang city gate was open, and residents from nearby villages came into the city in twos and threes to sell goods. Gu Qingshang looked up and saw that on the city wall, which was only two feet high, the green tiger symbol flag was flying instead of the Hengshan Armillary Sphere flag.

Sooner or later, we will bring Qi Yang back, Gu Qingshang thought.She followed Liu Zeng, and the disciple Dian Cang at the city gate stopped them: "I've never seen you before, where did you come from?"

"Master, I live in Baizhu Village in the south. This is my little girl." Liu Zeng said calmly, "My daughter-in-law is pregnant. Come grab two doses of anti-fetal medicine."

"What do you do?" the guard disciple asked again.

Liu Zengdao: "My daughter is a carpenter and does some housework."

"Extend your hand and let me see." Disciple Dian Cang said again.

Liu Zeng and Gu Qingshang opened their hands. Liu Zeng had calluses on the roots and knuckles of both fingers, and Gu Qingshang had calluses on the knuckles of his right hand.At that point Cang disciple said "Huh?" and called his brothers beside him to ask: "Is this a carpenter's hand?"

Another disciple looked at it and said, "It's probably a chisel in one hand and a hammer in the other."

At that point, disciple Cang took Gu Qingshang's hands and squeezed them again and again, and said with a smile: "If a good hand is broken, it will no longer be tender." After that, he pinched Gu Qingshang's buttocks secretly and said, " Go ahead."

Patrolling Dian Cang disciples can be seen everywhere in the city.Zhuge Ran was in charge, Gu Dongcheng did not dare to run the army laxly, and the Qiyang defenders did not disturb the people. However, most of the food, ironware, fabrics, medicinal materials and other materials were taken away, the doors on the roads were closed, and there were few pedestrians.

Gu Qingshang asked Liu Zeng to inquire about the news and go buy medicine himself.The medicine shop was closed and closed for business. Gu Qingshang knocked on the door and the shopkeeper replied: "All the medicinal materials have been moved away by disciple Dian Cang!"

Gu Qingshang asked: "My sister-in-law has fetal gas, is there any anti-fetal medicine?"

The shopkeeper said: "Your sister-in-law is lucky, she still has some longevity pills, how much do you want?"

Gu Qingshang hurriedly asked: "How many are there?"

The shopkeeper said: "Let me give you a round number, twenty taels of silver, do you have it?"

Gu Qingshang was shocked: "Isn't this just raising the price?"

The shopkeeper said: "This girl talks nonsense and doesn't even look at what's going on outside. If you have medicine, you have to thank Bodhisattva for blessing, and you still bargain?"

Gu Qingshang touched his arms and found that there was only a little more than one penny. After all, who came out to be a spy, would it be easy to give away a pair of silver notes after death?Gu Qingshang gave the silver and some copper coins to the shopkeeper and said, "That's all. My sister-in-law is weak, so the shopkeeper thinks it's a good deed. Please give me more."

The shopkeeper said: "We all ask the medicine shop to do good deeds, why not ask Dian Cang to do good deeds and leave a few kilograms of medicinal materials for me to make a living?"

Gu Qingshang took the opportunity to test: "This is my first time in the city, and there are so many Dian Cang disciples."

The shopkeeper took some paper, spread it out, took pills from the medicine cabinet and poured them on the paper: "Is this too much? I've lost more than half of it this month."

Gu Qingshang thought about it and asked: "It must be that the war in the southern camp is tense?"

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes: "Which village do you live in? When did you see the Dian Cang Brigade pass by?"

Gu Qingshang said: "I didn't see it in the south. Did it go north?"

The shopkeeper wrapped the medicine and said, "The road to the north leads to Qidong. Disciple Dian Cang is right to go north, but a little to the left and take the northwest branch."

Gu Qingshang asked: "Where does that road lead?"

The shopkeeper pushed the medicine bag: "Shao Yang, why are you asking so many questions? The medicine is ready, I will give you two more pills to make a whole pill, take it once a day. If there is any other movement among pregnant women, please come back with enough silver."

Gu Qingshang said: "How can two pills be enough for my sister-in-law to have a baby? When my father comes, he still has some money, is it convenient?"

The shopkeeper spread his hands and said, "You think I'm busy?"

Gu Qingshang covered her mouth and said with a smile: "Then don't bother me."

The shopkeeper's face was filled with suspicion: "You're a very polite girl."

Gu Qingshang was afraid that he would be suspicious, so she hurriedly held the medicine bag in her hand. Suddenly she remembered something and asked: "Shopkeeper, where are the medicinal materials in your store produced?"

The shopkeeper looked distressed: "It's all Sichuan and Guizhou medicinal materials, it's good."

Gu Qingshang said: "Sichuan and Guizhou are so far away, is it the road you just took to Shaoyang?"

The drugstore shopkeeper had no business to do and was bored. He got up and closed the door of the shop, pulled up a stool and sat at the table. He said: "Go along the northwest road and you will arrive ten miles north of Lengshuitan. Continue to the north to Shaoyang. To the south is Lengshuitan, which is the road they took."

Gu Qingshang said: "The person from Dian Cang might have returned to Lengshuitan."

The shopkeeper said: "If you want to go to Lengshuitan, it's much closer to take the road from the south to the west of the city. Some people guess that Dian Cang can't defeat Qidong and will attack Shaoyang instead."

"Has the shopkeeper walked that road?" Gu Qingshang asked again, "Is there a mountain on the left and right?"

Seeing her many questions, the shopkeeper became suspicious again: "Why does this girl talk so much?"

Gu Qingshang said aggrievedly: "I have only been to Qiyang, and I am curious."

The shopkeeper said: "There is Siming Mountain to the northwest and Chaotian Ridge to the west. The road is under the two mountains."

Gu Qingshang asked again: "Is there a way to Siming Mountain?"

The shopkeeper waved his hand: "I don't know, I haven't heard of it, I haven't been there."

Gu Qingshang kept these words in mind and became more confident in his guess. Liu Zeng happened to come to the door and Gu Qingshang asked him to pay. Liu Zeng looked unhappy.The shopkeeper of the medicine shop said strangely: "My son-in-law, how can I pay you some money? You can't bear to part with it?" Liu Zeng had to take out more than one yuan of silver and asked the shopkeeper to pack two more medicines.

He left the south of the city and walked far away. When no one followed him, Gu Qingshang breathed a sigh of relief and asked Liu Zeng what he had heard.Liu Zengdao: "I saw few people on the road and couldn't find out anything. I only heard that the road to Qidong was full of people, either spies or checkpoints."

Gu Qingshang knew that he was not dedicated, no wonder even Shi Xin didn't respect him at all. He sighed: "Mr. Liu, you are so indifferent, and you are still an ordinary disciple even when you are 60 years old." Liu Zeng just ignored her.

Afterwards, he met Jiang Tonglu and Shi Xin. Gu Qingshang told the news he had learned in Qiyang, pointed to the northwest and said, "Let's find the mountain and we'll know the result after we go around the mountain."

The group of people set off on the road again, passing Qiyang and heading far to the northwest.The roads leading to Qidong were equipped with checkpoints and patrolling disciples. This stopped Liu Zeng from wanting to go around to Qidong to inform Hengshan, so he could only continue to follow Gu Qingshang.Be careful along the way. Although no one has discovered you, there are no people around. There are few villages to the north of Qiyang. There are woods and wild grass everywhere in the wilderness. People just walk towards the mountains without knowing the path. Even if there are villages, they will miss them. It is almost dusk. , came near Siming Mountain.

"You have to find a water source." Liu Zeng took a big sip from his skin bag and poured the remaining water into the horse's mouth. "Otherwise the horse won't be able to hold on."

"Senior Sister Gu, how should we go?" I don't know if it was the longevity pill that took effect or if he had enough rest. Jiang Tonglu regained his energy a little and pointed to Siming Mountain and asked.

The south side of Siming Mountain is the fastest way, but it is estimated that when you reach the main road, it will be less than a hundred miles away from Lengshuitan. If Dian Cang's army has set off, there may be Dian Cang disciples along the road.If you go around Siming Mountain, you firstly don’t know the route, and secondly you don’t know how long it will take.Crossing Siming Mountain is the most dangerous, but the view from the top is good, and the mountain is not high, probably only about two hundred feet. Gu Qingshang is the one who gives the orders and has to make the decision.

"Go up to Siming Mountain." Gu Qingshang said, "As long as you go up the mountain and take a look, you will know whether I guessed wrong. This is the job of our spy team."

"It's getting dark. It's very dangerous to go up the mountain in the dark, and there's no way." Shi Xin said, "Let's find a place to rest at the foot of the mountain first."

Taking advantage of the twilight, everyone went up the mountain to look for water. Shi Xinxi said: "There are woods over there!" Where there are woods, there must be water. Regardless of the rugged mountain road, a few people ran towards it. In the dim light of the twilight, there were figures passing by in a daze. Gu Qingshang just said he was dazzled and asked: "Did you see anyone just now?"

Jiang Tonglu shouted: "There is someone, be careful!"

Gu Qingshang said: "Shi Xin, go and explore!"

Shi Xince immediately stepped forward and suddenly shouted: "I found water! Miss Gu, there is water here!"

The group of people hurriedly rode over and saw a trickle of water. Gu Qingshang was still worried and said: "Where is the figure just now? Let's look for it first."

The four people searched along the trickling stream and came to a steep slope. They saw two pieces of clothing hanging on a rope. Although the image of the armillary sphere on it was broken, the color of the clothing was correct that of Hengshan disciples.Shi Xin was overjoyed, rode his horse and shouted, "Are you a disciple of Hengshan?"

Gu Qingshang was surprised that there were Hengshan disciples here. Suddenly he saw two figures jumping out from behind his clothes. Before he could shout, they had thrown Shi Xin to the ground.One person held him down and folded his wrist. Shi Xin couldn't help crying out in pain, while the other person held a dagger on his neck.

At the same time, a figure pounced on Gu Qingshang, and another figure pounced on Liu Zeng. The two of them failed to react in time and were knocked off their horses.Gu Qingshang fell heavily and landed on his left shoulder, which affected the wound on his lower back and caused a sharp pain.The man came around the horse to catch her. In the critical moment, she kicked her left foot, and the man grabbed her ankle. Gu Qingshang raised her body with her right hand, turned around, and kicked the man in the face with the toe of her right foot, forcing the man to Let go and retreat.

Gu Qingshang got up quickly. Jiang Tonglu was waiting to rescue her. Seeing that she was safe, Liu Zeng was knocked to the ground. He had no time to pull out his daggers and struggled with the opponent. Jiang Tonglu stepped forward to help, but the opponent couldn't help him and hurriedly retreated to his companions. around.

Shi Xin was pushed to the ground, still confused, and shouted: "We are also disciples of Hengshan! We are our own people, our own people!"

The four people's expressions changed greatly when they heard this, and they held Shi Xin back.The other party had a hostage in hand, and Gu Qingshang did not dare to approach, so he could only endure the pain and hold his sword on guard. The other party did not intend to approach, so the two sides faced off quietly.The sky darkened, and the figures on both sides disappeared into the darkness without realizing it. "Old Liu, light the torch!" Jiang Tonglu shouted.Liu Zeng lit the torch, and Jiang Tonglu saw that the other party was only covering himself with animal skins and tree bark, with a fierce look on his face, and his eyes were bloodshot, and he suddenly became alert: "He's a deserter!"

The identities of the four people were revealed, and the dagger was pressed tightly against Shi Xin's neck. Shi Xin was so frightened that he said anxiously: "Don't kill me!"

I just heard some people couldn't help cursing: "Fuck! They're all hiding here! Fuck! Fuck you!"

Gu Qingshang said: "We are a spy team, not here to catch deserters!"

The man who was escorting Shi Xina said: "Put down your weapons!"

Jiang Tonglu shouted: "You would rather point weapons at your own people than go to the battlefield to kill some Cang disciples?"

The man who was holding Shi Xin yelled: "You bitch, shut up!"

He tightened the dagger in his hand, and the tip of the blade pierced into the flesh, oozing blood. Shi Xin cried and begged for mercy: "Don't, don't kill me! I...we are not here to arrest you, spare your life...spare your life!"

Gu Qingshang was afraid of irritating the other party, so he bent down and leaned over the hilt of the sword, backed away slowly, and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, what do you call me?"

The other party gritted his teeth and did not reply. Jiang Tong said: "Senior Sister Gu, they are deserters!"

Gu Qingshang then remembered that the other party must not reveal his name, and secretly cursed himself for being stupid, saying, "My surname is Gu, and these are Junior Sister Jiang and Senior Brother Liu. We are spies, and we want to cross Siming Mountain to find out the news. It has nothing to do with you. Just let it go. People, let’s go and live in peace.”

As she spoke, she backed away slowly. The sky was already dark, and only the light of the torch and the heavy breathing of the other party were left.

"We don't want to die..." Gu Qingshang heard someone whispering, almost sobbing, whispering curses, and the sound of angry stamping of feet.

She remained alert and tried her best to relax and adapt to the situation: "You go, let them go to a safe place." She felt that she had given in to the end.

The man who held the dagger against Shi Xin suddenly shouted: "Kill them!" He stabbed and pulled out the dagger and rushed forward.Gu Qingshang raised his sword to fight, and two of them rushed towards Liu Zeng. They believed that Liu Zeng was the man with the highest martial arts skills.

Gu Qingshang dodged the incoming sword and kicked his opponent's knee. When he fell, he penetrated his back with a sword. He drew his sword and ran towards the two men who were besieging Liu Zeng.Liu Zeng held a short dagger in his right hand and a torch in his left hand. He couldn't help but wave it to resist. Gu Qingshang grabbed him and pierced one of the men's thighs with his sword. The man screamed, turned around and struck with the knife, as heavy as he exerted all his strength.

Gu Qingshang tried her best to block it, but suddenly felt pain in her calf. She turned around and saw that the person who had just been stabbed in the back by her sword was still alive. He reluctantly crawled forward and slashed her calf.Gu Qingshang kicked the man in front of him, Liu Zeng shouted, and the torch fell to the ground. It turned out that the deserter who had the sword in his thigh threw him to the ground without thinking about his life. The other man had already slashed at him with a knife. When he saw the knife in his hand, Gu Qing Chang hurriedly used the "Moonfall Pearl Spring" move to pierce the man's heart from the back, saving Liu Zeng at the critical moment.

Liu Zeng also pierced the lower abdomen of the man with his dagger. When he dragged it, the man wailed loudly, and Liu Zeng pushed him away.Gu Qingshang was limping and was about to help Jiang Tonglu when he heard another scream and Jiang Tonglu had knocked down his opponent.

Gu Qingshang hurriedly shouted: "Go and see Shi Xin!"

Liu Zeng picked up the torch and stepped forward, only to see Shi Xin falling to the ground, his face pale, his hands covering his neck, and blood gushing out from between his fingers.The dagger did not cut his throat, but it was fatal enough. He burst into tears and kept whining: "Old Liu...save me...Old Liu..."

Gu Qingshang leaned over and looked at the wound on his neck. Blood was flowing all over the floor. Liu Zeng didn't even look at it, just shook his head.

"Take me to the doctor, please..." Shi Xin cried, reaching out and grabbing randomly, his voice was very weak, "Take me to the doctor... please... take me to the doctor..." His pupils gradually became blurred, "Take me to the doctor... I haven't married yet..." He was still young, and he thought that this mission would be the same as every other one in the past, that he would be safe and be rewarded for his merits. Thought I could survive.

Shi Xin died, and the screams of the deserters who had not yet expired had not stopped, echoing in the dark night. Liu Zeng cursed "fuck" and walked towards the rolling and groaning deserters with a torch.

The night finally fell silent, and the disciple uniforms with the image of the Hengshan Armillary Sphere were swaying in the light of the fire.

Gu Qingshang felt sad, took the torch from Liu Zeng, and pushed aside the clothes hanging on the line.It was a protruding rock, only seven feet high from the ground. Using this rock as a roof, the four deserters moved branches and built a simple tent one foot deep and two feet wide with soil, vines and bark against the rock wall. cabin.The house only has three sides, leaving one side empty for easy access. The house is filled with animal skins, and the fishy and putrid smell assaults your nostrils.Outside the house there were piles of firewood and several small clay jars. It was unknown what they contained. There was even a pit dug inside the hut for ventilation and heating. The pit was full of charred branches and ashes. They had obviously been hiding for a long time. , maybe he has been hiding here since the fall of Qiyang, spending the cold winter in this broken house.

Gu Qingshang kicked something and bent down to pick it up. It was a xun made of clay, the size of a palm, and the workmanship was rough.She put it to her lips and blew it. The sound was muffled. She caught a glimpse of a few words carved on the stone wall. She brought the torch closer and saw that it read: "Never quarrel."

They lived in isolation, relying on each other, making musical instruments for their own entertainment, and even agreed not to quarrel, so they just wanted to hide in the mountains.Like Shi Xin, they thought they could survive.

Jiang Tonglu groaned and sat down. Gu Qingshang hurriedly stepped forward to check.Jiang Tonglu looked at the words on the stone wall and said: "We are not alive, but we are not dead yet."

Gu Qingshang remained silent.Liu Zeng tied the horse, moved the firewood piled outside the house into the hut, lit a fire in the pit, and stuffed the small branches into the small hole one by one. The hut suddenly became bright and warm.There was a new wound on Gu Qingshang's right calf, and the bleeding continued. Liu Zeng took a needle and thread to suture the wound for her. The pain made her moan while biting her cotton-padded jacket.

"Go to sleep." Gu Qingshang said with a pale face, "There is no need to keep vigil tonight."

She fell asleep amidst Liu Zeng's whispered curses. She tossed and turned in an uneasy sleep. In addition to nightmares, she also had pain in her feet. The wounds were deeper than she thought.

Jiang Tonglu got up earlier than Gu Qingshang. When Gu Qingshang saw her, she was swallowing longevity pills.Liu Zeng was touching the bodies of four deserters, but he didn't find anything valuable. He only found a bunch of dried meat outside the house.Liu Zeng took off the dried meat and asked, "What's next?"

"You go up the mountain with me, Junior Sister Jiang stays here." Gu Qingshang replied, "When we get to the mountain, we will know where Dian Cang's army has marched."

"Let's go together." Jiang Tonglu said, "It's inconvenient for you to have an injured foot. I'm the squad leader and can't be left behind."

Gu Qingshang said: "You are pregnant, which will be a drag. We don't need you to go up the mountain to explore the road."

"If you die, am I hiding here as a deserter? Hiding until the child is born?" Jiang Tonglu asked, "Where can I go now? Surrender? We are on the same team and can only advance and retreat together."

Gu Qingshang stopped trying to persuade her and took the crossbow from Shi Xin's horse, and the group of people rode along the trickling stream to the top of the mountain.Although it was bumpy at first, the horses could still walk. But halfway up the mountain, the terrain became increasingly rugged and the horses could not enter. They were far away from the river and were afraid of getting lost.

"There is no road, and the horse can't go up the mountain." Liu Zeng asked, "What should I do?"

Gu Qingshang chose a terrain that seemed to be slightly gentle and said: "Dismount and climb up."

Liu Zeng frowned: "Okay, I will listen to you."

A group of people walked up the mountain carrying dry food and water bags.This can no longer be described as rugged. There are thick rocks on the soil, and the height is different every time you step on it. Sometimes the hard rocks hurt your feet, and sometimes fragments of gravel and shale are embedded in the soles of the boots. The moss-covered stones made my feet slippery.Many times they have to climb a steep slope using their hands and feet, and carefully climb up a stone wall several feet high.They were able to overcome the terrain with Qinggong, but their Qinggong was not as good as walking on flat ground, and Gu Qingshang's foot was injured. She could keep up at first, but then the pain became more and more severe, and finally she became numb and couldn't use her strength. She tried It was possible to jump onto the eight-foot-high platform, but now I could only climb over by digging at the rocks.

Jiang Tonglu was also struggling. Although she tried her best to hide it, Gu Qingshang could see that she was acting very carefully.She climbed carefully, tried to breathe evenly, and tried her best to protect her belly.She tired easily, and Gu Qingshang was afraid that she would have fetal gas again, so he ordered her to rest every step of the way. This would undoubtedly slow down her pace, but Gu Qingshang had no intention of urging her.

After walking for a long time, the top of the mountain was still far away. Gu Qingshang suddenly felt worried, fearing that he would not be able to climb to the top of the mountain.Damn it, why did I feel no closer after walking for so long?She was also afraid that when she got to the top of the mountain, she would find that her guess was wrong. The Cang army was not attacked in Lengshuitan, but they just retreated.

She fell on a slope and slid down two feet. She was bruised in several places on the inside of her hands and feet.She felt a little tired, and Liu Zeng didn't stop swearing along the way.

What about Jiang Tonglu, who is still tired and whose kung fu is slightly inferior to her?She is still pregnant, what if it turns out to be nothing?Gu Qingshang became more and more worried.

"Let's take a rest." On a slightly wider flat ground, Gu Qingshang ordered to take a rest.They went up the mountain early in the morning and it was almost noon.

"Junior sister Gu, your feet can't hold up. Captain Jiang still has a child." Liu Zeng said, "We have been walking all morning. Although going down the mountain is faster than going up the mountain, we are not familiar with the terrain. Without Shi Xin, can we find the original The road back is also a problem, if we continue walking, we will have to find a place to sleep tonight."

Gu Qingshang glanced at Jiang Tonglu. Jiang Tonglu pursed her lips tightly. Gu Qingshang knew that she was struggling.

"Come down the mountain and pretend you've never been to Siming Mountain before." Liu Zeng said.Gu Qingshang finally understood why Liu Zeng didn't object. He felt that they couldn't hold on.

Gu Qingshang took off the cloth strips on his feet. Blood soaked into the cloth strips, which had already turned black.She rinsed the wound with water. Yesterday's sutures were opened. She asked for gold wound medicine and sprinkled it on it, and wrapped the cloth more tightly.

"I'll keep walking, you and Captain Jiang will turn back first."

What is this mountain?Just that high, higher than the mountains on both sides of Jinzhou, higher than the mountains surrounding Bazhong?This is a hill.The more difficult it was, the more Gu Qingshang didn't want to admit defeat and wanted to show off his strength.

Jiang Tonglu said: "I said, we are on the same team."

Gu Qingshang shook his head: "You are already strong enough. You have to be soft when it's time to be soft. Anyone who can't be as good as you has no right to laugh at you."

Gu Qingshang walked up to Liu Zeng. She originally wanted to persuade Liu Zeng. With his lazy and complaining temperament, if he really became the captain of the team, he would not be able to lead the whole team, and he might even kill the whole team, but she wanted to Liu Zeng is also at this age. It is impossible that no one has tried to persuade him. He is not expected to listen, so he said: "Mr. Liu, it is not easy for you to accompany me all the way here. You and Captain Jiang will hide in the room last night and wait. I have news that if you can’t wait any longer, you, the captain of the Jiangjiang Guard, will go around Siming Mountain to find a way to Shaoyang.”

Liu Zeng said angrily: "I know, I have to protect Captain Jiang!"

Gu Qingshang was always worried about this man, so he had no choice but to entrust Jiang Tonglu to him.She was about to find a place to continue going up the mountain. When she reached the edge of the cliff, she saw another mountain in the distance. She thought about it and saw the Dian Cang team advancing at the foot of the mountain from a distance among the mountains.

It turned out that although she had not reached the top, she was high enough, and she could overlook the west side from here. Although it was not an unobstructed view, she could still see a large area of ​​the camp. Gu Qingshang was overjoyed and shouted: "My guess is right, click here." Cang is indeed on this road!"

Liu Zeng and Jiang Tonglu heard the sound and rushed over, and sure enough they saw the Dian Cang flag.Jiang Tonglu said happily: "Senior Sister Gu, you know that the enemy plane is ahead this time!"

Liu Zeng was taken aback, pointed down the mountain and said, "What are they doing? Are they going up the mountain?"

Gu Qingshang looked down and saw Dian Cang disciples filing up the mountain.

(End of this chapter)