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　　從十月到十一月，行走在路上，時光就流轉的快起來。五百人的旅隊，到如今篩選的只剩下不足五十人的普通駝隊，有時季玖望著這支小隊，也不知這些將陪伴自己穿過沙漠的男兒們，有幾個能完完整整的返回家中。都是些大好年華的年輕人，風華正茂的年紀，或許會葬在沙流裡，或許會死在敵人的刀戈下。未來會怎麼樣，誰也不知道。
　　其實就算知道又如何呢？誰也不會中途退場。
　　他們是軍人，死亡是他們的使命。若能死前飲一口敵人的血，也就死而無憾。
　　這五十人是季玖審慎觀察精挑細選出來的，從身手到秉性，五百人的隊伍中十裡選一，既然選了，便是以命交付，再無懷疑。
　　往後無論順境還是逆境，他們都會並肩戰鬥，互相扶持，彼此搭救。
　　
　　直至目前，旅程還算平靜。不曾遭遇賊人，也沒有發現敵方探子，連朝中那些一心要他死的人也尚未出手。平靜的像是一場幻覺。
　　在生死搏殺裡，沉溺在偽造的平靜裡的獵人是必死的。季玖一日都不敢放下警惕，早明白這一路將顛僕不斷，坎坷橫生，卻也氣定神閑。
　　遇山爬山，遇水涉水，遇敵則殺伐，這是他的道。
　　
　　黃沙在打著旋的風裡撲面而來，眾人屏住呼吸，一一低下頭躲避風沙，到了十一月，風沙就大了，吹得猛烈時，沙粒砸在臉上生疼，眼睛都睜不開。待風沙過去，眾人拍了拍衣裳，簌簌的拍下一層來，跺跺腳，牽著駝隊繼續前行。
　　季玖走在中間，背著木箱的沈玨走在最後。
　　五十人的駝隊拉成一道長長的線，在漫長無際的道路上蜿蜒前行，除他們之外，沒有人知道它會延伸到哪裡，亦不知道能走多遠。
　　只能一直走下去，直到腳下的路斷裂，劃開生與死。
　　
　　天漸漸黑了，季玖命隊伍停下，倚著一座山丘，眾人搭起了帳篷。
　　說是帳篷，其實也不過是簡單的布匹撐起來的一方小天地，擋不了風，遮不了雨，頂多歇進去三五個人，也就圖個安心，好歹有個遮蔽之所。
　　眾人開始分工，拾了些幹樹枝燃起了篝火，取了些乾糧出來吃。
　　夜裡越來越冷了，沒有火堆，這趟行程將變得更加艱難。並非每到一處都有客棧，愈往西，人煙就愈稀少，再走一段路，就該進入沙漠，進入真正的跋涉。
　　火苗的暖光撲閃在臉上，季玖啃著面餅，低聲道：“明日就能到城鎮，補一下乾糧和水，好好歇一夜。”
　　將士們都點頭應著，哄飽肚子後，扯了毛氈蓋在身上，或枕著石塊或倚著貨箱，閉目休憩。
　　
　　剛睡下沒多久，不遠處傳來駝鈴聲，聲音愈來愈近了，想是見到這邊火光尋蹤而來。這個時候，這樣的地方，除了商隊並無他人。
　　季玖剛有動彈，沈玨站起來，沖著黑暗裡喊了一嗓子，問：“何人？”
　　那邊有人應著，果然是商隊。
　　很快這群人就走到了火堆邊，與季玖等人在一處寒暄。
　　十五人一行隊伍，為首的姓周，旁人都喚他周老大，看起來四十歲出頭，面上是常年風沙打磨出來的粗糲，嗓門粗獷，有東南口音。一問才得知，也才三十出頭的年歲，奔波使他看起來老成許多。這十來人也非他駝隊裡的人，其中有路上遇見的獨行游商，見他們人多，就一起搭伴趕路。
　　這一次估量錯了時辰，一行人就碰上了季玖。這都是他自己所言。
　　寒暄過後，周老大問季玖等人：“兄弟們這是從哪裡來，要到哪裡去？”
　　季玖道：“南方來，去找財路。”
　　“南方好啊，”周老大抹了把臉道：“去年我運了一批絲綢來，可是賣了個好價錢。”
　　季玖笑起來，道：“北邊風沙大，絲綢織物看著光鮮卻不實用，你今年又運絲綢了？”
　　“哈哈，兄弟好見識。後來再販絲綢就不吃香了，所以今年我運了些藥材茶葉來賣。”周老大問他：“兄弟這麼多人，想來運的都是好東西，這條道上我也跑了十來年，卻從未見過兄弟。不知兄弟是做什麼生意，跟什麼人做買賣？”
　　
　　剛剛相識，不過旅途偶遇而已，他這樣問，實在是有些過了的。坐在季玖身邊的兵士們都冷了臉，覺得他不識分寸。
　　季玖卻覺得有趣，這人看著粗咧，說話也魯莽，卻是直奔目的不繞圈子。這樣的人，要麼就是不懂套路的蠢直，要麼就是城府深到已經無諱外路招式。
　　很明顯，這樣在路途奔波十來年的漢子，不是前者。季玖笑了起來，眼角眯起，撥動了一下身前火堆，放下木棒，便開始扯謊。
　　他先說邊南之處，有叢林茂密，常年高溫的巨大叢林裡生養出好些怪禽異獸。這是說了個開頭，而後望著那周老大的眼，又緩緩道：“周兄可曾聽聞，南地偏密處有一村，外人喚作‘巫村’，盛巫蠱之術，其中又因‘蠱’而聞名於世？”
　　周老大呆了呆，很快道：“也聽聞過，卻從不曾親眼所見。莫非……”
　　“聽兄弟說完，”季玖擺擺手示意他不要插言，很快繼續道：“那巫村男女老少，人人養蠱，有百足蟲，黑蜘蛛，山林中的劇毒之物，無一不養，他們抓了毒物來馴養，又以毒蟲互相廝殺演練，最後留一蠱，這才養成。其開始至結束，養一隻蠱需得三五年時光，若是再苛刻些，幾十年養一隻蠱也是有的。兄弟麼……就是自那處來。”
　　
　　這夜漆黑，天空唯月無星，在這荒寂黃土山丘旁，季玖坐在火堆前，明黃火光在他臉上跳躍，明明暗暗，無端生出三分扭曲詭異，甚是駭人。
　　
　　季玖又撥弄著火堆，不徐不疾道：“周兄，在下販賣的東西，不過如此。我這一隊人一生也不過販這一趟而已。兄弟所販之物，周兄搗弄不到手。周兄販賣之物，在下也無意涉足。如此便是井水不犯河水，兄台無須擔心在下攔了財路。”
　　笑了笑，季玖說：“指不定來日周兄蒙難，還需兄弟趕著，送你回家。”最後一句，他說得極輕，也就是因為太輕，才仿佛驟然振聾發聵。
　　周老大還未反應過來，已經有人驚叫一聲，喊道：“莫非你們有趕屍人？！”
　　深更半夜的荒郊野外，只這一句，已經唬得那十來人，臉色慘白。
　　
　　季玖既不承認，也不否認，起身對他們拱手作揖，帶著自己人撤至另一邊，重新燃了篝火搭了帳篷，遠遠的避開了這一群人。
　　東西重新歸置好了，駱駝也都再次臥下，這五十來人便圍著篝火坐在季玖身旁，低笑道：“將軍一張嘴，好能說道。”
　　季玖歎了口氣道：“這一路上，也遇到了好些商隊，你們都不曾仔細聽他們談話嗎？”
　　有人問：“什麼談話？”
　　季玖道：“前些日子我聽聞過，這道商路有一周姓人掌控著，來往商賈所獲之利無不向他繳三成，否則這一路便不太平。你們當時也在場，怎麼就沒有記下？”
　　又道：“你們看那人說話直來直往，以為是莽撞無知嗎？他不過是毫無忌憚罷了。那些商販所言的十有八九便是這人。與其與這號人糾纏，不若趁早叫他們怕了我們，也少些麻煩。”
　　沈玨道：“你那麼一說他們就怕了嗎？”
　　季玖道：“無所謂他怕不怕，只是這幾天連續奔波，大家都乏了，暫且唬一唬他，等明日進了城，好生歇息了再收拾他就是。”
　　原來竟是懶得動手，只願意先耍耍嘴皮子。眾人領會到這點，瞅著季玖一時都無話可說。
　　
　　季玖打了個呵欠，直起身，懶洋洋的回帳篷裡去了。若不出差錯，這一夜會天下太平。便是要看戲，也得等到明日。
　　
　　第二日清晨趕路，日落時分到了城鎮，這已經是最後一座城鎮了。再往前，便是沙海，一片焦黃，唯海市蜃樓而已。
　　季玖等人進了客棧，先飽餐一頓，又叫小二打了熱水梳洗。滿身沙粒塵土滌淨後，沈玨道：“那人來了。”
　　那周老大帶著人馬也進了客棧，一時間後院裡吵吵嚷嚷，喧鬧的不成樣子。合上窗戶，季玖道：“無事，對我們這群人他心裡無底，不敢貿然動手，歇息一夜，明日進了沙漠，若還跟著，就殺了他。”
　　語氣是淡然的，卻透露出冷酷之色。
　　
　　沈玨“嗯”了聲，將身後木箱解了，放到季玖床榻上，就出去了。
　　關好門，季玖歪在床頭，手裡捧著本書看。也不知多久，便困了，將書收好剛要躺下，便看見窗櫺縫隙中有白光閃過，仿佛有人手持兵器。季玖微怔過後回過神，想了下就揭開軟被，將被子裡那條醉了一個多月的大蛇摟了起來，抱在懷中。
　　就這麼抱著，將粗長蛇身繞上自己的腰，季玖抱著它下了床，走去桌邊喝水。
　　
　　他披著一頭濕發，飲完茶水抬起眼來，沖著窗外似笑非笑，那條烏黑大蛇纏在他雪白裡衣上，渾身遍佈的細小鱗甲在燭光下折射出絢麗光澤，光澤映射在他臉上，那笑容瞬間透出一股妖異之氣，仿佛豔毒的妖物。
　　只這一刹那，窗外人聲俱寂。
　　
　　季玖撫摸著那些冰涼鱗甲，又站了片刻，確定該看的人已經看過，再無人觀賞了，便回床放下布帳，與那蛇一起消失在帳幕之後。

——————————————————

From October to November, time flies by fast while walking on the road. A caravan of 500 people has now been narrowed down to an ordinary camel caravan of less than 50 people. Sometimes Ji Jiu looks at this small team and wonders how many of these men who will accompany him through the desert will be able to return home intact. They are all young people in their prime years, and they may be buried in the sand flow or die under the swords of the enemy. No one knows what the future will be like.

Even if we knew, what would it matter? No one would quit halfway.

They are soldiers, and death is their mission. If they can drink a mouthful of the enemy’s blood before dying, they will die without regrets.

These fifty people were carefully selected by Ji Jiu after careful observation, from skills to character, and one was chosen from ten miles out of a team of five hundred. Once chosen, they were committed to a commitment without any doubt.

In the future, whether in good times or bad, they will fight side by side, support each other, and rescue each other.

So far, the journey had been relatively peaceful. He had encountered no bandits, had not spotted any enemy spies, and even those in the court who wanted him dead had not yet made a move. The peace seemed like an illusion.

In the battle of life and death, a hunter who indulges in a false calm is doomed to die. Ji Jiu did not dare to let down his guard for a single day . He knew that there would be many setbacks and setbacks along the way, but he remained calm.

Climb mountains when encountering them, wade through water when encountering it, and kill enemies when encountering them. This is his way.

Yellow sand blew in the swirling wind. Everyone held their breath and lowered their heads to avoid the wind and sand. In November, the wind and sand became stronger. When it blew violently, the sand hit their faces and hurt, and they couldn’t even open their eyes. When the wind and sand passed, everyone patted their clothes, patted off a layer of them, stamped their feet, and continued to move forward with the camel team.

Ji Jiu walked in the middle, and Shen Jue, carrying a wooden box, walked at the end.

The camel caravan of fifty people formed a long line, winding along the endless road. Except for them, no one knew where it would extend to or how far it could go.

You can only keep going until the road beneath your feet breaks, dividing life and death.

It was getting dark, Ji Jiu ordered the team to stop, and everyone set up tents against a hill.

It is called a tent, but in fact it is just a small space supported by a simple cloth. It cannot block the wind or shelter from the rain. At most, three or five people can rest in it for peace of mind and to have a shelter.

Everyone began to divide the work, picked up some dry branches to light a bonfire, and took out some dry food to eat.

The nights were getting colder and colder, and without a fire, the journey would become more difficult. Not every place had an inn, and the further west we went, the fewer people there were. After walking a little further, we would enter the desert and begin our real trek.

The warm light of the fire flickered on his face. Ji Jiu ate a piece of bread and whispered, “We will reach the town tomorrow. Let’s replenish our dry food and water and have a good rest for the night."

The soldiers all nodded in response. After filling their stomachs, they pulled a blanket to cover themselves, and then rested with their eyes closed, either resting their heads on stones or leaning against cargo boxes.

after I fell asleep , I heard the sound of camel bells not far away. The sound was getting closer and closer. I think they saw the fire and came here to find the trace. At this time, there was no one else in this place except the caravan.

Just as Ji Jiu started to move, Shen Jue stood up and shouted into the darkness , asking, “Who is it?"

Someone responded over there, and it was indeed a caravan.

Soon, the group of people walked to the campfire and chatted with Ji Jiu and others.

There were fifteen people in the team. The leader was surnamed Zhou. Everyone called him Boss Zhou. He looked to be in his early forties. His face was roughened by the wind and sand for many years. His voice was rough and he spoke with a southeastern accent. After asking, I learned that he was only in his early thirties. His busy life made him look much older. These ten people were not from his camel team. Among them were lone merchants he met on the road. Seeing that there were many of them, he joined them to travel together.

This time they miscalculated the time and ran into Ji Jiu. He said all this himself.

After the greetings, Boss Zhou asked Ji Jiu and the others, “Brothers, where are you from and where are you going?"

Ji Jiu said: “Come to the south to find a way to make money."

“The south is good," said Zhou Lao Da, wiping his face. “Last year I brought a batch of silk here, but I sold it for a good price."

Ji Jiu smiled and said, “The winds and sands are strong in the north. Silk fabrics look shiny but are not practical. Are you transporting silk again this year?"

“Haha, you are very insightful. Later, silk was not popular, so this year I brought some medicinal herbs and tea to sell." Boss Zhou asked him, “There are so many brothers, I think you are transporting good things. I have been running this road for more than ten years, but I have never seen you. I wonder what business you are doing and who you are trading with?"

They just met and it was just a chance encounter during the journey. It was really a bit too much for him to ask like this. The soldiers sitting next to Ji Jiu all looked cold, thinking that he was not sensible.

Ji Jiu found it interesting. This man looked rough and spoke bluntly, but he went straight to the point without beating around the bush. Such a person was either stupid and straightforward and didn’t know how to act, or he was so cunning that he didn’t even bother to use his tricks.

Obviously, a man who has been on the road for more than ten years is not the former. Ji Jiu smiled, narrowed his eyes, stirred the fire in front of him, put down the stick, and began to lie.

He first said that there was a dense forest in the south , and that the huge forest with high temperatures all year round gave birth to many strange animals and birds . This was the beginning, and then he looked into the eyes of the boss Zhou and said slowly: “Brother Zhou, have you ever heard that there is a village in the remote south, which is called ‘Witch Village’ by outsiders. It is full of witchcraft and is famous for ‘Wu’?"

Boss Zhou was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, “I’ve heard of it, but never seen it with my own eyes. Could it be…"

“Listen to what you have to say, brother." Ji Jiu waved his hand to signal him not to interrupt, and quickly continued: “In that Wu Village, men, women, old and young, everyone raises Gu , including centipedes, black spiders, and extremely poisonous creatures in the mountains and forests. They catch poisonous creatures to tame them, and practice with poisonous insects fighting each other, and finally keep one Gu to cultivate it. From the beginning to the end, it takes three to five years to raise a Gu . If it is more demanding, it is also possible to raise a Gu for decades . Brother… you come from that place."

The night was dark, with only the moon but no stars in the sky. Ji Jiu sat in front of a fire beside a desolate loess hill. The bright yellow flames danced on his face, flickering in and out of nowhere, making it look distorted and weird, which was very scary.

Ji Jiu fiddled with the fire again and said calmly , “Brother Zhou, what I sell is just this much. My team only makes this one trip in their lifetime. What you sell is out of your reach. I have no intention of getting involved in what you sell. So we can keep to ourselves and don’t need to worry about me blocking your way to wealth."

With a smile, Ji Jiu said: “Who knows, Brother Zhou may be in trouble in the future, and you may need your brothers to rush and send you home." He said the last sentence very softly, and it was because it was so soft that it seemed to suddenly wake you up.

Before Boss Zhou could react, someone screamed, “Do you have a corpse chaser?!"

In the middle of the night in the wilderness, just this one sentence was enough to scare the dozen people so much that their faces turned pale.

Ji Jiu neither admitted nor denied it. He stood up and bowed to them, then led his people to the other side, rekindled the bonfire, set up a tent, and stayed away from this group of people.

After everything was put back in place and the camels lay down again, the fifty or so people sat around the campfire next to Ji Jiu, laughing softly , “The general is very talkative when he opens his mouth."

Ji Jiu sighed and said, “We met a lot of caravans along the way. Didn’t you listen carefully to their conversations?"

Someone asked, “What talk?"

Ji Jiu said, “I heard a few days ago that this trade route is controlled by a man named Zhou , and all merchants passing through must pay him 30% of their profits, otherwise there will be no peace along the way. You were there at the time, so why didn’t you remember it?"

He added, “Do you think that man is reckless and ignorant because he speaks directly? He is just fearless. The man those vendors are talking about is most likely this man. Rather than getting entangled with this kind of person, it is better to make them afraid of us as soon as possible, so as to avoid trouble."

Shen Jue asked, “Are they scared when you say that?"

Ji Jiu said, “It doesn’t matter if he’s afraid or not. We’ve been running around these past few days and we’re all tired. Let’s just scare him for now . We’ll deal with him tomorrow after we get into the city and have a good rest."

It turned out that he was too lazy to do anything and just wanted to talk. Everyone understood this and looked at Ji Jiu without saying anything.

Ji Jiu yawned, stood up, and lazily went back to the tent. If nothing goes wrong, the world will be peaceful tonight. Even if you want to watch a show, you have to wait until tomorrow.

We set off early the next morning and arrived at a town at sunset. This was the last town. Further ahead was the sea of sand, a scorched yellow sea with nothing but mirages.

Ji Jiu and the others entered the inn, had a hearty meal, and asked the waiter to get some hot water for them to wash up. After washing off the sand and dust on their bodies , Shen Jue said, “That man is here."

Boss Zhou also entered the inn with his men. For a while, the backyard was noisy and chaotic. Closing the window, Ji Jiu said, “It’s okay. He has no idea about us and doesn’t dare to act rashly. Let’s rest for a night. If he still follows us when we enter the desert tomorrow, we will kill him."

The tone was indifferent, but it revealed a coldness.

Shen Jue said “hmm", untied the wooden box behind him, put it on Ji Jiu’s bed, and went out.

After closing the door, Ji Jiu leaned on the bedside, holding a book in his hand to read. After a while, he felt sleepy. He put away the book and was about to lie down when he saw a white light flashing through the gap of the window frame, as if someone was holding a weapon. Ji Jiu was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses. After thinking for a while, he opened the soft quilt, picked up the big snake that had been drunk for more than a month, and held it in his arms.

Holding the snake like this, Ji Jiu wrapped its thick and long body around his waist, got off the bed and walked to the table to drink water.

He had wet hair, and after drinking his tea he looked up, with a half-smile towards the window. The black snake was wrapped around his snow-white tunic, and tiny scales all over its body refracted brilliantly under the candlelight, which was reflected on his face. That smile instantly revealed a weird aura, as if of a poisonous monster.

At that moment, all voices outside the window were silent.

Ji Jiu stroked the cold scales and stood for a moment, making sure that everyone who wanted to see it had seen it and there was no one left to watch it. Then he returned to the bed, lowered the curtain, and disappeared behind the curtain with the snake.