The Tuma Pass was especially cold this year. Although it wasn't to the point where young people were frozen to death, there were still some lonely old people in the villages near the pass who managed to survive the winter with great difficulty. However, they didn't manage to survive the cold that was said to be the gates of hell by the common people. However, this kind of silent death wouldn't cause any waves. Anyway, if they didn't die in the turmoil of war, they would die of old age on their beds at home. Who would be willing to care about them? Only some retired old soldiers could be casually arranged by the government. They could be considered to have died of old age. Compared to Liyang, they were already very lucky. The two rode to the Tuma Pass and rested for a while before leaving the pass. Taking advantage of the lingering charm of the Lantern Festival, the pass' market was still quite lively. The children were all staring intently at the old crow playing chess and other games. The travel-worn Hsu Fengnian was chewing on a big flatbread as he led the horse forward. His sharp eyes saw a familiar-looking chubby boy among the children. He walked over and lightly kicked the chubby boy's butt. The boy was so engrossed in watching that he didn't even turn his head to look at the thing that kicked his butt. The chubby boy angrily turned his head and was about to curse when he saw that it was a handsome young master leading a horse and carrying a sword. He was stunned for a moment before finally recognizing that it was the knight who gave him a meat bun. He quickly stood up and saluted according to the etiquette taught by the private school teacher. The Hsu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Where's You Song? Didn't he play with you?"
The chubby boy looked around and said with a smile, "He was here just now. Song Zi came to the market with his mother to buy some satin. Now his mother must have pulled him away by the ear. Young master, do you want me to help you call for Song Zi? "
Hsu Fengnian shook his head and said, "No need. I have to leave the pass immediately. You can go back and tell You Song when you see him."
Then, he saw the chubby boy swallow his saliva and stare at the half-eaten meat bun in his hand. Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "If you don't mind being bitten by me, take it."
The little fatty smiled shyly and shook his head vigorously. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of two sabers of different lengths hanging on the young master's waist. He became even more envious. Hsu Fengnian handed the child a meat loaf. While the child was chewing on the meat loaf, he mumbled, "Young Master, I heard from my father that it is very difficult to come out of the Closed Door now. It seems that there are many, many soldiers outside the Fallen Horse Pass. Around the end of the year, not many people have entered the Pass."
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "I have some connections with the officials who are in charge of closing the door, so I am not afraid."
The chubby boy smiled innocently and said, "I knew it. Young Master, you must be a big shot. Pine Zi often talked about you in the private school, but no one believed him. Only I helped Pine Zi and said together with Pine Zi that you are a hero who roamed the Jianghu."
Hsu Fengnian rubbed the chubby boy's head and turned to leave. Behind him, the chubby boy immediately bragged to his playmates about how familiar he was with the young master who had a horse and a saber. Most of the children who had studied together in the private school did not believe that he was with Zhao Yousong. Now that they had seen the chubby boy get half a meat loaf as a reward, this friendship could not be faked. The chubby boy's "Jianghu status" suddenly rose by several levels.
The military parade of the Beiliang Frontier Army had been held for nearly 20 years. It had always followed the old rule of holding a small military parade every year and a big military parade every three years. However, last year's big military parade was delayed to this year for no reason. It was also set at the beginning of spring, which had never happened before. Two rules were broken in succession. In addition, the scale of this military parade was particularly large, which made many border soldiers feel an unusual atmosphere. The small border pass, Tuma Pass, was small, but there were many Bodhisattvas. If Deputy Commander Zhou Xian and Han Tao, who had the meritorious rank of Hanging Bow Commandant by his side, wanted to smoothly enter and exit the pass, especially if the goods were valuable, they had to be careful of these two sworn enemies. At this moment, the local tyrants of Tuma Pass, Zhou Xian and Han Tao, were standing respectfully on top of the wall. They did not even dare to breathe loudly. Not to mention the two local tyrants who had just entered the ranks, even a dragon would obediently lie down. This was because beside them stood two big Bodhisattvas who could decide a person's life and death with a single word. The deputy commander of Youzhou, Shi Qiangao, and the special commander of Youzhou, Li Guiweng, were both third-rank officials. At this moment, Han Tao and Zhou Xian, these two old enemies, no longer had any intention of making things difficult for each other. They could only pinch their noses and cooperate, thinking about how to deal with this mission. They did not have the ability to know the inside story. They only received news that an important person was coming out of Tuma Pass.
Deputy Commander Zhou Ziru, the son of Deputy Commander Zhe, had the status of a border soldier, so he was also able to stand on top of the wall and wait. However, he was very far away from the two powerful officials of Youzhou. This border general, who had once almost wiped out the Fish-dragon Gang in an instant, cautiously glanced at Shi Qiangao's bright armor, as well as Li Guiweng's official uniform patch embroidered with a peacock design. His eyes were filled with awe and passion. Shi Qiangao was a veteran general. He was old but vigorous. This time, he was the most promising candidate to become a general of Youzhou. In the end, Huangfu Cheng, who was only a military officer at that time, beat him to it. The people of Tuma Pass were trembling with fear, mostly because of this reason. They were afraid that Shi Qiangao, with his fiery temper, would vent his anger on them. On the other hand, Li Guiweng had always been as amiable to everyone as the rumors said. When climbing the wall, he intentionally walked behind Shi Qiangao and took the time to exchange a few warm words with Zhou Xian and Zhou Ziru. For some reason, Zhou Ziru carefully noticed that even General Shi Qiangao, who had a completely different personality, was somewhat nervous. This time, they chose to read Beiliang at the mouth of the gourd. Chu Lushan, the Governor of Beiliang, had already arrived outside the pass. Yan Wenluan, the commander-in-chief of the infantry, and Yuan Zuozong, the commander of the cavalry, had already arrived outside the pass early. The new nobleman of Beiliang, Great Ancestor Gu, as well as the general of Liangzhou and his two deputy generals, who were not part of the border army, had also rushed north on the third and fourth day of the first lunar month. Even the Administrator of Beiliang, Li Gongde, was no exception. It could be said that almost all of the big shots in Beiliang had arrived at the mouth of the gourd around the Lantern Festival. Zhou Ziru could not guess who could make Shi Qiangao and Li Guiweng treat them so cautiously. Although the general of Youzhou, Huangfu Cheng, who did not have a solid foundation, was half a rank higher than them, he should not have such prestige. At Tuma Pass, Shi Qiangao and Li Guiweng were naturally waiting for His Royal Highness.
Actually, Xu Fengnian could have entered the Tumbling Horse Pass earlier, but he was stopped by a wandering Daoist, who shamelessly wanted to tell his fortune and palm. He swore that not only did he not want to pay if his fortune was not accurate, he even had to pay for it. Hsu Fengnian calmly glanced at Xu Yanbing. For the first time, the latter did not immediately give an answer. Hsu Fengnian was somewhat amused. To be able to make Xu Yanbing unable to tell the depth of the Taoist, either this sloppy Taoist really did not have any internal energy, or he was a Heavenly Phenomenon expert who was good at disguising himself, or he was directly an Earth Immortal. What a big prize! Hsu Fengnian smiled as he followed the shifty-eyed old Taoist to sit in front of a roadside stall. He went straight to the point and teased, "Old Zhenren, with your appearance, it's very difficult for people to believe that you're an expert."
The old Taoist sighed and said, "It's just like my name, it's all given by my parents. What can I do? I'm really hungry and cold, so I have no choice but to set up this stall to make a dangerous living as a fortune-teller. The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed, but if I don't earn money, I'll starve to death. I'm using my life to exchange for a life, no matter how you look at it, it's still a bitter life. "
Hsu Fengnian was about to speak, but the old Taoist seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. He sighed and said, "Only when the secrets of heaven leak out one can it revolve endlessly. This one, in my opinion, is myself. Therefore, young master, please don't ask me why I'm good at fortune-telling, but I can't tell my own fate."
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "Old Zhenren, let's not talk about other things, but your observation skills are quite good."
The old Taoist who called himself Four Directions stared and said, "How is this observation, I've clearly seen through your thoughts. The right time, the right place, and the right people, I can calculate the heavens, the earth, and the human heart. I'm different from those immortals who came from the ancestral court of Taoism. I don't calculate the heavens, I only calculate the human heart. "
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