The direction that Fu Jiuqu led Xin Yi away was from Nongzhai to the old forest in the mountains. After the horse was hit by an arrow, it lost control and rolled down Fu Jiuqu and Xinyi. The ditch was the link between Nongzhai and Xidong.

boundary.

The other end of Haogou is within the territory of Xidong.

The cave master of Thirty-sixth Cave was caught between the Song and Nong armies, and his attitude had always been ambiguous. Although the elder of Xidong brought Fu Jiuqu into Nongzhai intentionally or unintentionally, Nong Zhigao would not be there.

At this juncture, he rashly led his troops to look for someone in Xidong...

Moreover, the Haogou at the junction of the two places is unfathomable. At the foot of the cliff is a primitive jungle that no one has ever set foot on. The mountain walls are so dangerous and steep that they are like natural dangers. Even the bravest hunter in the village has never come and gone safely...

Nong Zhigao led his army to search near the mountains and forests for a long time, but no trace of humans or horses was found.

Finally, he sat on the edge of the bottomless mountain cliff for half an hour, sighed deeply, and ordered the soldiers to return to Nongzhai and never looked back.

~

"If you fall from here, there is no chance of survival."

At the other end of the creek cave, the Song army was also searching in the dense forest beside the cliff.

Compared with Nongzhai, the cliffs on this side of Xidong are steeper and precipitous, with nowhere to climb. Not to mention people, even birds have no way to land.

"Go back, Master Cao."

Zhang Xun looked expressionlessly into the black and boundless abyss.

"In front of the two armies, there are dangers everywhere. If we continue searching like this, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the Xidong chieftain..."

The gray-haired old chief in Xidong stood aside with a smile on his face.

"Nong Zhigao and I have nothing to do with each other. This, this is not a big deal...but the imperial envoy is right. Saving people right now is nothing more than giving the best of one's heart to the survivors."

He sighed and said: "This place is called Shenxian Ridge. It is ten miles in radius and is inaccessible. No one can tell clearly how deep the abyss under the mountain is. I heard from the old man in the village that the place where immortals practice here leads directly to the three realms and six realms.

No living thing can set foot in this world..."

Cao Yi and Ji Wu looked at each other with sad eyes.

They also did not expect that Fu Jiuqu would escape from the team on the way back to Beijing and lead people directly to Nongzhai to rescue others. This approach is not crazy. The two of them have known him for many years and find it incredible...

The Prince of Guangling County, who had a prosperous and prosperous life, ended up dying in a foreign land with no trace of his body left?

Both of them were inexplicably sad about this result.

"Amitabha!" Jiwu held the Buddha's hand and recited the Dharma name. His voice was faint and deep, as if a story was coming to an end with a sense of sadness.

Then, he sat cross-legged on the cliff, closed his eyes, twisted the beads in his hands and recited the sutra, as if he was trying to save the souls who fell off the cliff.

The mountain breeze was quiet and no one responded.

Zhang Xun frowned and listened quietly to the Zen music for a moment, then slowly walked to Cao Yi's side and stood still.

"Does Mr. Cao really not know that Prince Guangling wants to escape?"

It was Cao Yi who arranged to bring Fu Jiuqu back to Beijing this time.

Hearing this, Cao Yi frowned and looked at Zhang Xun, "Does the Imperial Envoy want to hold Cao accountable?"

Zhang Xun bowed his hands and said respectfully: "Master Cao misunderstood. How could I have the intention to blame Master Cao? I just..."

He raised his eyes and looked at Cao Yi, as if he was pointing something out.

"The official family feels the most distressed for the Prince of Guangling. It is precisely because they are afraid that he will act on his own initiative and ruin the future for a woman, so they come to the rescue urgently to summon the Prince back to the capital... At the moment, the Prince is trapped in the mountains of Nongzhai. I am afraid that

It's hard for Mr. Cao to explain to the officials."

Cao Yi stared into Zhang Xun's eyes and smiled, feeling a little sad and lonely.

"Compared to their lives, what does it mean if I get a scolding?"

After a long journey from Pennsylvania, both of them looked tired.

But compared to Cao Yi, Zhang Xun looked much calmer.

"Life and death are fateful, and it's not up to you or me."

Cao Yi's eyelids twitched, a layer of mist suddenly filled his eyes, and he asked Zhang Xun in a rather sad tone.

"Isn't Mr. Zhang sad?"

Zhang Xun was silent for a moment, "What can I do if I'm sad? The dead are gone, and the survivors must live on no matter how hard they suffer, right?"

Cao Yi pursed his lips solemnly, but saw Zhang Xun suddenly glanced over with sharp eyes.

"When I broke my wings at Kunlun Pass, they all thought I was dead. Didn't they all survive with strength? That's exactly what we should be doing today."

Cao Yi said: "Master Zhang was seriously injured and fell into the river, but there is still a chance of improvement. Now the prince has fallen off a cliff and his life and death are unknown. How can we give up the search?"

Zhang Xun smiled slightly, with a sarcastic smile at the corner of his mouth, and said coldly: "Then when I fell into the river, did the imperial court send a large army to search for my body?"

After a faint retort, seeing Cao Yi's face sinking, Zhang Xun quickly raised his hands and saluted.

"Lord Cao, please forgive me, although human lives are distinguished by their dignity...but as generals, we should focus on the overall situation. Now is the critical moment to defeat the Nong army. Our strength should be used on the edge of the sword. If we send a large number of troops to search

The remains of the county prince are bound to ruin the imperial court’s crusade plan...I’m afraid you and I can’t bear this responsibility, right?”

Cao Yi stared at him with heavy eyes.

"Are you still angry at Chonglou?"

Zhang Xun was startled, shook his head and laughed.

"Master Cao was joking. I got acquainted with the king of the county. Although we had some dissatisfaction with each other and have always had a grudge, I am not a vicious person. How could I sing for the loss of others' lives? It's just... Master Cao,

When appointing officials for the imperial court, you should not act emotionally."

Zhang Xun took two steps forward, looked at the mountains and abyss, and sighed helplessly.

"The soldiers of the Song Dynasty were going to die, and they should die on the battlefield. How could they make unnecessary sacrifices? Look at this abyss, it is difficult for birds to cross, and there are no traces of people. If we insist on searching for the bones of the prince, how much will it cost?

How many people are going to die?”

Cao Yi was silent.

Zhang Xun smiled lukewarmly.

"No matter how despicable a soldier is, he is also the darling of his parents. There are old men above him and young men below him. If they lose their lives, Mr. Cao... can you bear it?"

There was a solemn silence between heaven and earth.

I don't know when, night has fallen.

Cao Yi sighed and closed his eyes tiredly.

"That's all. Give me the order to stop the search - return to camp."

~

The warm moisture hindered Xinyi's breathing, and water stains slid down her forehead, blurring her eyes.

The picture in front of me was blurry and unclear.

"Brother Ninth! You, let me down..."

"Don't talk." Fu Jiuqu carried Xin Yi on his back and walked staggeringly in the dark dense forest. His whole body felt like it had been washed by sweat. The humidity in the forest was heavy, and his clothes were as damp as soaking in water.

He took a deep breath, held onto the tree, and felt a trace of solemnity coming out of his mouth and nose.

"Hold on for a moment longer."

Xin Yi knew that he wanted to save her and would not give up easily, and felt even more sad.

After falling from the cliff, Xin Yi woke up and found that he was tied to Fu Jiuqu's back with a belt.

Her body hurts, everywhere. Now she is like a doll whose skeleton has been dismantled and reassembled, her consciousness and body are faintly separated...

Very seriously injured.

She might be dying.

This feeling of dying made her depressed and frightened. Although her body was in unbearable pain, her mind was extremely active. The scenes she spent with Fu Jiuqu kept replaying in her mind. She was laughing, making trouble, and getting annoyed.

Angry...

There are also the pavilions, pavilions, crowds and traffic of Bianjing City, and the prosperous scene is like a mirage, all in front of you, like a flashback.

"Don't leave anymore."

Xin Yi called him softly like a moan.

Fu Jiuqu was so thin that he didn't know how he abused him during the days of separation. In Xinyi's memory, the slender and lean Prince of Guangling had such a heavy back that he could touch his ribs with his hand.

Her head hung down on the crook of his neck, showing her tall bones.

Xin Yi wrapped her hands around his neck, listening to his uneven breathing, feeling uncontrollable pain.

"I have gained a lot of weight recently and am heavy...don't waste your energy."

Fu Jiuqu didn't say anything, his body jolted, he didn't know what he kicked, and he fell down. He quickly protected Xin Yi and stabilized his body, but his head hit the tree heavily, and blood dripped down his face.

He didn't cry out in pain, but turned back to ask Xin Yi.

"Eleven, are you okay?"
To be continued...