At noon, the convoy walked out of the last section of the valley.
My eyes suddenly opened up.
It is no longer a narrow valley and steep mountain road, but a wide dirt road with deep grooves made by the wheels, with sparse birch forests on both sides. On the horizon in the distance, faint smoke from cooking - human smoke can be seen.
"We've reached the main road!" a guard shouted.
There was a lightness in the voice as if a burden had been lifted.
After walking through dangerous terrain for several days and fighting for their lives against poisonous and ferocious beasts, everyone was on edge. Seeing this ordinary dirt road now, I actually felt friendly.
Yang Scarface reined in his horse and looked around.
The official road extends north and south. To the north is the market town on the edge of the Iron Shoumen's sphere of influence. To the south is the mountains they walked through. There are occasional traces of carriages and horses on the road, and the fresh horse manure has not yet completely dried - indicating that a caravan passed by not long ago.
"Go north along the official road, and walk another thirty miles, there is a posthouse." Yang Scarface said, "Have a rest there tonight, and you can enter the town before noon tomorrow."
Everyone nodded, no one objected.
The motorcade drove up the official road.
The wheels pressed against the hard dirt road, there were no more gravel bumps, and the speed was obviously faster. The sound of horse hooves also became brisk, thumping, and rhythmic. The guards relaxed their hands holding the knives, and some even took off their leather helmets and wiped the sweat from their faces.
The head of the Feng family sat on the horse, his back finally no longer straight. He let out a long breath, turned to say something to Feng Ming, and Feng Ming nodded vigorously, with a smile that he had not seen for days.
Qin Tiexin was walking in the middle of the motorcade.
The coarse cloth wrapped around his left hand has been removed, and the wound on his palm is covered with dark brown scabs. His movements are still a little sluggish, but it is not serious. The "injury" he suffered during the fight with the bear has fully recovered after half a day of adjusting his breath and nourishing it with bear meat - at least on the surface.
He ate a bear paw and three large pieces of bear meat. Demon Beast The flesh and blood contained Spiritual Qi, which turned into warmth after entering the abdomen, nourishing the muscles and bones. He could feel that the Dantian cyclone was a little more solid than in the early morning.
But it's not enough.
The barrier on the fourth level of Qi Refining was as thin as a cicada's wing, but extremely tough. He knew there was no need to rush, so he stopped thinking about it and just adjusted his breath step by step.
Li Yun walked beside him, her steps brisk. She changed into clean clothes, a green robe, and the cuffs were tightened to facilitate movement. The Ice Soul Needle was put in her arms so that it would no longer be exposed.
"One day will come," she said.
"Yeah." Qin Tiexin responded.
"When we get to town, I'll treat you to a nice meal." Li Yun looked at him sideways, "I heard that the stewed lamb bones there is one of the best."
Qin Tiexin nodded, but glanced at the baggage truck ahead.
The car drove smoothly on the official road, and the wheel axles made regular squeaking sounds. The head of the Feng family followed the car on horseback, and the distance was farther than the previous few days, about two feet.
In the afternoon, the sun turns to the west.
The motorcade stopped at a fork in the road to rest. There was a flat piece of grass on the side of the road, and there was a stream next to it, and the water was clear to the bottom.
Unloading carts and drinking horses.
The guards sat scattered on the grass, munching dry food and talking and laughing in low voices. Most of the topics were about what they would do when they arrived in the town - take a bath, drink, and find a soft bunk to sleep until dawn.
The head of the Feng family and Feng Ming sat on a stone by the stream and took a water bag to fill the water. Yang Scarface checked the horses' shoes and used a dagger to remove the stones embedded in the hoofs from time to time.
Qin Tiexin walked to the baggage truck.
The car stopped under a birch tree, and the shadows of the trees fell mottled on the oilcloth. He stretched out his hand and patted the car's shaft.
"Master Qin?" A guard next to him who was brushing the horse looked up.
"The axle made a noise." Qin Tiexin said, "I'm afraid the bearing was damaged when going into the mountains."
The guard put down his horse brush and came over. "Let me take a look?"
"I'll do it." Qin Tiexin said, "You continue to farm horses."
The guard scratched his head but did not persist and went back to brush the horse.
Qin Tiexin squatted down and looked under the car.
There is indeed something wrong with the axle - there is a crack in the left axle, but it is not serious and can barely hold up to the town. He reached out and touched the bearing, and his touch was warm, which was caused by long-term friction.
Then, seemingly unintentionally, he pressed his right hand on the floor of the car.
The palm of your hand has just been placed on the wooden board.
Deep in the sea of consciousness, [Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts] suddenly shook.
It was not a slight tremor, but a violent vibration that almost broke through the skull. It was as if countless fine needles were piercing into the soul at the same time, and it was as if a loud bell was roaring in the ears.
Qin Tiexin's body froze slightly for a moment.
He maintained his crouching position, his right hand still pressed on the floor of the car, but his fingertips were slightly white.
--It is [Spiritual Material Sensing], which can have weak sensing ability to spiritual materials.
The ability brought about by the completion of the last mission, Qin Tiexin has tested it, and the distance it can sense is about a hundred steps. The larger the spiritual material is, the more advanced it is, and the stronger the reaction.
At first, Qin Tiexin did not suspect that there was spiritual material in it. He thought it was something relatively precious, or something like silver, Spirit Stone, and the [Spiritual Material Sensing] did not respond before.
Now it seems that it must have been obscured by the contents of the box.
Inside are extremely high-grade rare spiritual materials, and the size is not small - otherwise there would not be such a strong concentration of energy.
Qin Tiexin slowly retracted his hand.
He stood up, patted the dust on his hands, and looked as usual. He turned around and said to the guard, "The bearing is cracked, but it can still be used. It will have to be replaced when we get to town."
"Okay, I've written it down." the guard responded.
Qin Tiexin walked back to the stream and washed his hands.
Cold water rushed over his palms. He looked down at the water, thoughts racing in his mind.
The Feng family leader's anomalies along the way - clinging to the baggage truck, preferring to abandon the human life rather than abandon the truck. When the mine was in danger, the first reaction was to check a certain box, and reacted violently to Yang Scarface's suggestion to abandon the truck...
The warm jade car is in front, swaggering through the market, attracting attention.
The baggage truck is behind, seemingly loaded with sundries, and is inconspicuous.
So that's it.
The plank road was built in the open and crossed to Chencang secretly.
The real valuable goods are not at all in those five warm jade carts. Those warm jade may be valuable, but compared to the spiritual material in the baggage cart, they are probably not worth mentioning.
Qin Tiexin straightened up and shook off the water droplets on his hands.
He raised his eyes and looked at the Feng family master.
The head of the Feng family was talking to Feng Ming, with a smile on his face, pointing to somewhere in the distance, as if he was describing the scene in the town. He relaxed, his shoulders drooped, and his face, which had been tense for days, also relaxed.
Qin Tiexin looked at him, his eyes were calm, but there was a hint of coldness deep inside.
Not anger, not annoyance at being deceived, but an almost indifferent clarity - it turned out that the dangerous journey, the poisonous beasts, and the injured and disabled guards were all just paving the way for the things in this car.
The head of the Feng family noticed the gaze and turned around to look.
Eyes facing each other.
The smile on Patriarch Feng's face froze for a moment, and then became brighter. "Master Qin, have you washed yourself? Come here for a drink of water?"
Qin Tiexin walked over.
The head of the Feng family handed over the water bag. Qin Tiexin took it, took a sip, and handed it back.
"Thanks to Immortal Master Qin for this journey." Family leader Feng said in a sincere tone, "If it hadn't been for Immortal Master's repeated actions, Feng's life would have been lost in the mountains long ago."
"It's your job." Qin Tiexin said.
"When we get to the town, Feng will be rewarded heavily." The head of the Feng family lowered his voice, "In addition to the reward for the sect's mission, Feng has another intention, and I hope the immortal master will accept it."
Qin Tiexin looked at him and didn't answer.
The head of the Feng family felt a little uncomfortable when he saw him. He laughed twice and turned around to greet Feng Ming.
After a two-quarter-of-an-hour rest, the team got back on the road.
The official road was flat, and the speed of the car was much faster. The sun was setting in the west, making the shadow of the convoy long. The guards were riding horses on both sides, and someone was humming a tune. The tune was rough and the words were inaudible, but they were relaxed.
Li Yun walked to Qin Tiexin's side.
"What's wrong?" she asked directly.
Qin Tiexin looked sideways at her.
Li Yun's eyes were clear and questioning. She noticed it - maybe it was his stiffness at that moment, or maybe it was the change in his eyes when he looked at the Feng family master.
"There is something wrong with the car." Qin Tiexin said in a low voice.
"Which one?"
"A baggage train."
Li Yun was silent for a moment and looked at the car. "What's inside?"
"I don't know." Qin Tiexin said, "But it's very valuable."
"More valuable than warm jade?"
"Hmm."
Li Yun asked no more questions. She walked slowly, unconsciously rubbing her sleeves with her fingers, which was her habitual action when thinking.
"Do you want to tell Captain Yang?" she asked.
"No need for now." Qin Tiexin said, "We're almost there."
We are indeed almost there.
At the corner of the official road ahead, you can already see the outline of the posthouse - a few gray tiled houses with low courtyard walls and lanterns in front of the doors. Although they are not lit, they are clearly visible in the dusk.
The convoy speeds up.
The guards urged the horses to trot, and the coachman whipped up his whip and shouted. The fatigue of the past few days seemed to dissipate at this moment, and everyone wanted to arrive quickly, lie down quickly, and end the trip quickly.
Qin Tiexin is still going at the same speed.
He looked at the excited motorcade in front of him, at the baggage truck jolting forward in the dusk, and at the head of the Feng family following the car on horseback, his back stretched into a slender shadow in the sunset.
On both sides of the official road, birch trees rustled in the evening breeze.
The outline of the mountains in the distance gradually blurred, blending into the dark blue sky. The first star appeared in the eastern sky, very faint, but clearly visible.
Calm dusk.
But Qin Tiexin knows what is hidden under this calmness.
He shook his left hand, the palm of his hand was crusty and hard.
Then take steps to follow the convoy.
Behind him, Edgeless was silent in the dusk, and the rough rope on the handle of the knife swayed slightly in the wind.
The inn is getting closer and closer.
The lantern has been lit, and the dim yellow light dims in the twilight, like a gentle eye, watching the tired motorcade coming out of the mountains.