Chapter 69: Reunion Once More

  Zhang Fei's words caused a burst of hissing sounds. Lu Min, Liu He and several other scholars did not deign to comment on this statement, but simply pretended they had not heard it. However, the number of people who believed in immortals was not small, and some even exceeded Liu Xiu's imagination. Many people, including Liu Bei, believed in the existence of immortals. They hissed at Zhang Fei, not because they did not believe in immortals, but because they did not believe that what they saw was an immortal. Since it was an immortal, how could it be possible for ordinary people to see it casually?

  So they also thought Zhang Fei was talking nonsense, even Mao Qiang felt that Zhang Fei was a bit unreliable and turned his head away, pretending not to have heard what he had just said.

  Zhang Fei did not feel any shame at all. He leaned over to Liu Xiu and asked in a low voice, "Sir, do you think they might be immortals?"

  Liu Xiu looked at him with a strange gaze, and also walked to the side. Liu Bei and others saw it, couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. Zhang Fei's eyes widened, just about to retort them, when suddenly from that mountain top came a long whistle, clear and melodious, piercing through such a far distance, though not loud, yet as clear as if by the ear, the howling mountain wind seemed unable to affect it in the slightest.

  Liu Bei and the others' laughter suddenly stopped, their faces changed, and they looked at each other unintentionally, revealing an expression of disbelief. Most of them were martial artists, and they still had a sense of distance. Although this four or five hundred steps was not extremely far, there was nothing blocking in between, but the mountain wind was strong, and a long whistle could reach everyone's ears, so clear, even if it wasn't a god, it wasn't something an ordinary person could do.

  "What kind of person is this?" Liu Xiu was also stunned, and the feeling reminded him of Huang Yaoshi who could summon a boat with his whistle. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming and had entered the world of martial arts. However, the sound of the mountain wind blowing on his face and the expressions of Zhang Fei and others beside him were so real that he couldn't help but believe that all this was true.

  Mao Jie was standing right next to him and heard his question. After a moment of silence, he said: "A Fei said that one of the two people is wearing green clothes?"

  Liu Xiu blinked his eyes and nodded, he also saw that green shadow.

  "It might be a Taiping Dao person." Mao Niang said softly: "Do you still remember the green-clad woman we saw a few days ago?"

  Liu Xiu thought for a moment and suddenly understood who Mao Jie was referring to. He felt it was somewhat unbelievable, turned his head and looked at Mao Jie's slightly serious face: "Taiping Dao people... are they immortals?"

  "I don't know if it's a fairy or not." Mao Jie glanced at him, raised the corner of her mouth, seemingly wanting to smile, but didn't. She was silent for a moment, then said: "However, Taiping Dao people have many unusual methods, this is true." She turned her head to look at Liu Xiu and added another sentence: "I've seen it with my own eyes once."

  Liu Xiu was surprised, and just as he was about to ask her how she had seen it, Lu Min called him over from the other side. He could only suppress his curiosity and walk over to Lu Min's side. Lu Min pointed at the mountain valley below and said: "De Ran, you're skilled in drawing things, can you draw a map of this terrain and add it to the 'Dong Hu Zhi'?"

  Liu Xiu looked down and slightly furrowed his brow: "Brother, the painting can be painted, but it may not have much effect. For a military expedition, just having an impression is of little use. In my opinion, it's better to go to the governor's mansion to examine the relevant maps."

  Liu He nodded in agreement with Liu Xiu's words, and Lu Min did not insist, but said: "In that case, let's stay here for a few days and take a rough look at several important sections. Maps are important, but they are still somewhat different from the actual situation on the ground. Being able to see these dangerous sections with our own eyes will be very beneficial to everyone in the future."

  Liu Xiu didn't object to this, but seeing that it was getting late and estimated that they would be descending the mountain in the dark, he also didn't know if the people left behind at the foot of the mountain had made preparations for camping. He urged Lu Min to descend the mountain earlier, otherwise walking on the mountain road at night wasn't safe. Lu Min listened and called out to everyone to descend the mountain together. Originally, after climbing high and taking a look, everyone was somewhat excited, but once they thought about that long whistle from 400-500 steps away, everyone's excitement shifted, no one spoke again about the terrain, instead they enthusiastically discussed whether or not there were really immortals in the world.

  Having arrived at the foot of the mountain, it was already very dark. The men guarding the horses were getting anxious and, upon seeing Lu Min, said: "Sir, let's hurry up and go! If we're late, the city gate might be closed, and then we'll have to spend the night in the mountains. There are wild beasts in these mountains, you know."

  Liu waved his hand in disagreement: "It doesn't matter, we have the governor's pass issued by the Taishou Prefecture, and since it's an exit permit, even if we're late, I'm sure they won't refuse us entry."

  Liu Xiu suddenly remembered that this team was not ordinary, not only the son of a historian, but also the son of the governor of Zhuo County, and others were more or less some big household sons, even if Shanggu and Zhuo County were relatively far apart, there were still some connections.

  Everyone stopped talking and boarded their horses, hurrying along under the rising moonlight. The mountain road was very narrow, with steep slopes on both sides blocking most of the moonlight, making it extremely dark and tense. The atmosphere was further heightened by the occasional calls of unknown wild beasts in the deep forest, adding to the fear. Liu Xiu felt inexplicably tense, while Liu Bei and Zhang Fei seemed relatively calm, only increasing their vigilance and occasionally calling out to each other.

  Lu Min and others walked in the middle of the team, no longer speaking, but silently moving forward. Mao Qiang tightly followed Lu Min's carriage, occasionally stretching out her hand to steady the carriage that was shaking due to the rocky road, while loudly reminding the people behind to watch their step. The valley echoed with her clear and crisp voice, dispelling some of the tension in everyone's hearts. Among the twenty or so young people, it was she, a woman, who seemed the most composed.

  It seems that Mao Zong's reverence for this elder sister is not unreasonable. Liu Xiuxiu thought to herself, looking at the back of Mao Jie in her taut attire.

  After walking for nearly an hour in the valley, they finally arrived at the foot of Juyong Pass. Liu He stepped forward to negotiate, and the guards on the pass saw the token from the prefecture of Zhuo County and heard Liu He's identity, so they didn't dare to be slow and quickly opened the gate, letting them enter the pass.

  Due to the terrain, Ju Yong Pass was not large and seemed a bit cramped. As soon as Liu Xiu and others entered, several carriages and more than ten horses were somewhat unable to turn around, until a middle-aged man who looked like an officer came out and had people lead the carriages and horses to the empty city on the side, which made things much clearer.

  The middle-aged officer heard that the young man in front of him was the son of the great Confucian scholar Lu Zhi, and his face suddenly became respectful. He warmly invited Lu Min to ascend the pass and take a look. Although Lu Min was already exhausted, he did not want to be rude, and besides, it was rare to hear the guards talk, so he followed them up onto the city wall. The Guan City of Juyong Pass was built in the valley, with both sides rising up the mountain slope for dozens of steps, cutting off the entire mountain valley, even the remaining water became part of the pass city.

  Liu Xiu accompanied him to walk up the high and sturdy city gate, and at a glance, he saw a green figure, and couldn't help but take another look. The person heard the footsteps and also looked over here, with the bright moonlight, Liu Xiu could see clearly that one of them was the green-clothed woman he had seen by the roadside that day, standing beside her was a middle-aged man of medium build, wearing a single robe that reached his knees, looking very simple, leaning against the city wall to look out, without even turning his head.

  It wasn't clear if she felt Liu Xiu's vigilant gaze, but the woman in green pressed the long sword at her waist and fixed her eyes on Liu Xiu's face. The middle-aged man seemed to say something, and the woman in green took a step closer to him, nodded lightly, and then turned her head to say something else. The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment before turning around, and their two gazes, as solid as substance, swept across each other before landing on Liu Xiu's face.

  Liu Xiu subconsciously tensed up, then relaxed again. He met the middle-aged man's gaze and saw a hint of unusual color in his eyes, which quickly returned to normal as he nodded slightly. Liu Xiu also nodded out of politeness, and the two immediately looked away from each other.

  Although Liu Xiu didn't look at him again, his expression didn't change and everything seemed normal. However, only he knew that the middle-aged man's glance had made him feel an immense pressure, causing a thin layer of sweat to seep out from behind his back, making his clothes stick to his back. The night wind blew, feeling icy cold and extremely uncomfortable.

  Liu Xiu almost immediately made a judgment: this is the person who has been longing for a long time.

  _________

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