General Zhennan's relay token can indeed be passed everywhere without any hindrance.
Along the way, although the identities of Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu were strange and did not match the official impressions in the past, the tokens in their hands were real.
These official servants all do jobs worth a few taels of silver. At a glance, they can become the deputy director of a post station at a young age. This is already the best.
Why not a supervisor? Because the supervisor also has a son.
So for them, it doesn't matter whether they can make meritorious deeds, the most important thing is not to make mistakes.
Does it matter whether General Zhennan gave them the token or gave them instructions to use it?
It's okay if the token is genuine. As for other responsibilities, these officials won't be able to be held accountable.
Therefore, Yin Xiu didn't even need to waste any words. As soon as he took out the token, these people obediently changed their horses for them, provided them with accommodation and food, and treated them as honored guests.
With such help, within a few days, Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu arrived at the small town closest to Jiaozhi.
This place is hundreds of miles away from the city where General Zhennan is located, and the environment has become completely different.
Before they entered the town, they had already discovered that the surrounding trees were dead, the rivers were dry, and the grass was gone.
Feeling the hot wind blowing against her face, Ma Xiaoyu wrapped a gauze scarf around her mouth and nose, which made her breath easier.
Yin Xiu opened the water bag, took a sip and handed it to Ma Xiaoyu.
"I'm afraid it will be difficult to find water next." Yin Xiu said worriedly.
Ma Xiaoyu took a sip and wiped her mouth with her hand.
"The further south you go in southern Xinjiang, the wetter and humid it should be. But now, the weather has really changed."
As she spoke, she glanced at the compass. The needle on it seemed a little slow, but it was still normal.
"Do you think the source of the disaster is in Jiaozhi?" Ma Xiaoyu asked.
"Don't you think so too?"
Yin Xiu said firmly: "No matter what the reason is, we know that Ren Qi and Liu Banxian finally lost their traces on the way to Jiaozhi. Now we have to get there first to know the answer to the mystery."
"Then let's go into the city."
Ma Xiaoyu turned her head and saw Yin Xiu staring at her.
"Any questions?"
When she asked this question, Yin Xiucai laughed, shook his head and said, "I just feel that when you wear a veil, you seem to have an extra layer of special attraction."
"What, you mean I'm usually not that good-looking? So I cover up my shortcomings by wearing a veil?" Ma Xiaoyu said seriously.
Girls are the easiest to tell the truth about this kind of thing.
"You know that's not what I meant."
Yin Xiu explained: "I just said, it's very special."
"Hmph, do you like holding the pipa and half covering your face?"
Ma Xiaoyu rolled her eyes at him and rode forward.
When the two of them entered the town, their original relaxed mood disappeared again.
I saw that the town was probably in a semi-deserted state, with yellow sand everywhere, and straw, buckets and other debris scattered on the streets.
Pedestrians walked in a hurry, burying their faces in their sleeves or turbans to avoid the wind and sand, walking down the street with their heads down and their waists bent.
Based on previous clues, Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu rode to the restaurant mentioned in the letter.
The name of this restaurant is Dingtai House, and even the plaque is swaying around.
The door of the restaurant was open as usual, but there was no waiter at the door to greet the guests.
Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu got off their horses, tied them to the door, and walked in together.
It's desolate outside, but it's lively inside.
There were more than a dozen tables in the store filled with people, but only the corner by the window was unoccupied, probably because of the strong wind and sand.
As soon as she entered the door, Yin Xiu smelled a faint smell of sweat and other strange smells.
The people sitting on these tables are probably the so-called heroes of the world, all of them have strong bodies and fierce eyes.
When they entered, they had already glanced at Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu with malicious eyes.
Even though she was wearing a veil, Ma Xiaoyu's eyes still made people see her beauty, and her figure was tall and graceful, so they couldn't help but make people take a second look at her, and they also made people more curious about the identities of these two people. Heart.
After Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu sat at the table, the waiter walked up lazily carrying a teapot.
When it came up, he didn't pour the tea, but stretched out his hand first.
Yin Xiu felt a little funny, "What are you doing?"
"Give me money!"
The waiter said seriously: "You have to pay for tea and a bowl of water."
"There was no such rule before."
"Now there is."
The man yawned, "Drought, water is more expensive than gold."
“How expensive can it be?”
Yin Xiu handed a silver dollar to the waiter's hand, "What dishes do you want?"
“Only cooked beef.”
Ma Xiaoyu pointed to another table: "Then what are they eating?"
"Where?"
The waiter glanced there and said lazily: "You can eat dog meat if you want. Just go and grab one from the street."
"No need, just cooked beef. Are there any other side dishes?"
"Pickled cucumbers, pickled radish, pickled cabbage, pickled steamed buns."
"Wait, steamed buns can also be pickled?"
"You said it wrong, the steamed buns are dry."
Ma Xiaoyu glared at him, "Don't you know eating so many pickled products is bad for your health?"
The waiter didn't take it seriously, "Those who are in poor health because of this will have died of hunger and thirst first."
"Just cut into four pounds of cooked beef and boil a pot of wine."
Yin Xiu waved his hand and asked the waiter to hurry up and get ready.
"You're not picky."
Ma Xiaoyu pouted, obviously dissatisfied with the "low standard" of this meal.
“I can’t be picky anymore.”
Yin Xiu smiled helplessly and said: "In my opinion, the water supply in this town has been cut off for about half a month. It would be good to have some food."
The two of them ate and drank, and whispered from time to time, which naturally made others feel dissatisfied.
Because the happiness of these two people made their depression become more and more depressed.
If it were normal times, of course no one would come to trouble this couple if they had nothing to do.
But in today's troubled times, people's already restless hearts have become more elusive, restless, and savage.
Therefore, someone quickly got up and prepared to come to Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu.
Although Yin Xiu's back was turned to him, he could hear everything going on behind him, and he didn't take these people seriously, so he just drank slowly.
The man who was trying to make trouble with his drunkenness had just walked halfway when two more people came in at the door.
They were two women, wearing silver ornaments on their bodies and heads, with exquisite scimitars hanging from their waists.
One was wearing a long skirt and a headscarf, while the other was wearing a short skirt and straw sandals, revealing her strong, white legs.
These are two Miao people, part of what Lin Baoyi, the Zhennan general, calls the Southern Barbarians.
They looked around, and although there was no murderous look in their eyes, there was a certain fierce aura about them that made it impossible for people to look directly or make contact with them.
So after being glared at by one of them, the drunk man pretended that nothing happened and sat back down again.
"Are her legs beautiful?" Yin Xiu nodded blankly, "Not as white as yours."
"Really?"
Yin Xiu's eyes widened when he heard the cold voice first, and then the sharp pain in his waist.
"I'm not looking at her legs." He explained quickly.
"If you're not watching, how do you know how her legs are?" Ma Xiaoyu increased her strength.
"I mean, I mean..."
Yin Xiu grinned in pain, "She seems to have a magic weapon hanging on her waist."
"Magical weapon?"
Ma Xiaoyu let go of her hand and looked at the Miao girl in a short skirt.
The girl was petite and dainty, probably about the same age as her, and there was a sense of youth and vitality everywhere.
Her eyes are watery, her nose is neither too big nor too small, and her two thin lips make her look younger. She also has a pair of earrings hanging on her ears like Ma Xiaoyu, but they are bigger and more conspicuous.
As he looked down, Ma Xiaoyu also saw something hanging on the girl's waist.
It was a gourd, a silver gourd that looked like it was used to hold wine or drinking water.
But there is a special Bagua pattern painted on it.
The gossip is not the kind that is commonly seen on the market to fool children or follow a mold. Instead, it is a mess of the four-image gossip and arranged in a special way.
It's not Maoshan or Laoshan. The mark of Longhu Mountain should be a small dharma lineage from a certain Taoist sect.
But the girl doesn't look like a Taoist priest, so it might be a combination of fellow shamans or something weird.
Noticing that Ma Xiaoyu was watching her, the girl turned around keenly but was not angry.
She smiled and said: "Waiter, since there is no room here, let's share a table with the handsome men and women at that table."
She speaks with an obvious Southwest accent, or in fact, she speaks Southwest Mandarin, and every word reveals obvious regional characteristics.
It wasn't until she sat down at the table that she asked, "Do you two mind if we sit down?"
"Do you mind?"
Yin Xiu looked at Ma Xiaoyu cautiously.
Ma Xiaoyu smiled and winked at Yin Xiu: "Aren't you the one who makes the decision outside? I listen to you."
"Then I understand."
Yin Xiu looked at the Miao girl and was about to ask them to leave, but the waiter had already put tea on the table.
Yin Xiu could only show his hands to Ma Xiaoyu and express that he had tried his best.
Ma Xiaoyu took a deep look at him and turned her head to the side.
The Miao girl just pretended not to see him and introduced herself with a smile.
"My name is Bai Fenghuang, and this is my sister Bai Peacock. Please give me your advice."
Yin Xiu knew it was a "stage name" as soon as she heard it, and she didn't reveal it. She just smiled and clasped her fists and said, "I'm dismounting, Tianyou, this beauty is Kuang Xiaoling."
"Nice to meet you."
"I have admired you for a long time."
After the two sides greeted each other, Bai Fenghuang began to greet the waiter again.
"Is there anything to eat?"
“Only cooked beef.”
“Only cooked beef?”
Bai Fenghuang couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. His laughter was as cheerful as a silver bell.
Suddenly, her face turned cloudy again and became gloomy.
"I don't eat beef."
There was murderous intent in her voice.
Even though her face was gloomy, Bai Phoenix's face still looked beautiful and moving, exuding a moving luster just like the silver jewelry on her body.
"Don't want to eat? Then don't eat."
The man put the rag on his shoulders and walked away.
The expression called White Phoenix froze on her face. She never imagined that that guy was not afraid of her?
After a pause, she could only return her original expression and said with a smile: "Oh, you're just going to act like a fool. If you don't want to eat beef, just eat something else. It's not like I won't give you money."
Hearing her voice soften, the guy turned his head expressionlessly.
"Pickled radish, pickled cucumber, pickled cabbage, pickled steamed buns, do you want them?"
"Just two pickled steamed buns."
Bai Fenghuang took out two copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the table.
"Four." The guy said coldly.
"Hammer! So expensive?" Bai Fenghuang's face darkened again.
"Whether you like it or not."
The guy is about to turn around and leave again.
"Ouch! My sister is just kidding you, eat, eat, eat."
Bai Fenghuang took out two more copper coins and gave them to him.
"If you want to eat, just tell me earlier, it's a waste of my time! Do you know that wasting other people's time is equivalent to seeking money and killing people? A customer like this is just a cup of tea. If there are a few more like you, I can't do it all day long. ”
The waiter glared at the white peacock next to him who had his hand on the knife and raised his eyebrows as if he was about to have a seizure.
"Kick me to death."
"Ah?" Bai Peacock was stunned for a moment.
"I said chop me to death!" the guy repeated expressionlessly.
Now the white peacock could only retract his hand in a daze and put it on the table.
The waiter rolled his eyes angrily and said, "Let me kill you and see who serves you food. Damn it, do you all think you are some kind of hero? Isn't it majestic to be carrying a knife and a gun? Why don't you just sit here and wait?" I serve?”
While cursing, he turned around and went to the kitchen. None of the murderous heroes along the way dared to refute him.
"Isn't he so angry?" Ma Xiaoyu was obviously frightened.
Yin Xiu shook her head, "A person is not afraid of death, and there is no one at home. What can you do to him?"
When the two of them were whispering, Bai Phoenix and Bai Peacock were still embarrassed.
Through the detail that the two of them did not eat beef, Yin Xiu was more certain that they had learned Taoism.
Although not all Taoist priests do not eat beef, such as Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu, their lineage does not avoid eating raw or cold meat except dog meat.
However, there are also many sects of Taoist priests who do not eat beef. Especially the smaller the dharma lineage, the smaller sects that only pass down the law to three or five people in one generation, the more taboos and rituals there are.
Bai Fenghuang coughed twice and tried to find a topic to ease the embarrassment just now.
So she asked: "Where are you two from? Are you traveling to southern Xinjiang? Have you ever bought jade or jewelry? I know there are several shops here that sell good jade bracelets."
"You are the guide... No, you are the guide?" Yin Xiu asked.
"Do I look the part?"
Bai Fenghuang was particularly serious. He stood up and turned around. While his short skirt was flying, a burst of fragrance belonging to the wild flowers in the valley also drifted into Yin Xiu's nose.
"Resembling it? Do I look like a guide?"
"It's not like that."
Yin Xiu picked up the chopsticks and continued to pick up the meat.
"Come, eat vegetables, eat vegetables." (End of Chapter)