Snow was like silver, sword like rainbow, and horses like dragons.
Ding Hao was wearing a long green gown and riding a rare white tall horse, which was the Lion-dragon Beast of Snow Province.
That horse was bought at a higher price, and it had a devil bloodline. Before Ding Hao entered the Snow Dragon Mountain for training, he had left the horse to be fostered in a horse house in Peaceful City. The horse enjoyed a winter there. It became fatter and seemed to have gained some weight. It was more handsome, like a little white dragon on the ground if it was seen from a distance.
What was interesting was that the horse was very spiritual. After six months, when it saw Ding Hao, its little master again, it was very cordial so that it sneezed merrily all the way.
“Senior Brother Setting out, how long will it take us to get to the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect?”
Gao Xue’er asked curiously.
The little girl’s delicate and pretty face was tightly wrapped. She was wearing a thick leather armor under a red dust-coat with a red leather cap. She was riding a red horse, and kept looking everywhere curiously with a pair of big eyes.
That was the first time for the little girl to travel far away. Everything in the wilderness was extremely rare for her. It was always not enough for her to look on the way, just like a canary that had just been released from the cage. She twittered and was very lively so that she asked all sorts of questions.
“According to our leg strength, it will take about three days,”
Ding Hao replied with a smile.
The horses for Gao Xue’er, Zhang Fan, Fang Tianyi and w.a.n.g Feng the bald man, were strong and they were bought at a higher price in Peaceful City. Although they were not as good as Ding Hao’s magic horse, a Lion-dragon Beast of Snow Province, it was nothing difficult for them to run for 1,000 or 2,000 miles a day. If Ding Hao, Zhang Fan and Fang Tianyi had not taken care of the little Gao Xue’er, they would have to rest for a while from time to time. it would have taken less than three days; they might have even reached their destination within a bit over a day.
“Senior Brother Setting out, is the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Mountain really just like what the legend says that is like a fairyland with evergreen scenery?”
“Senior Brother Setting out, could I see Senior Brother Yunqi immediately as soon as we arrive the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect?”
“Alas. The entrance examination for the Sect will start this June, so I, Xue’er, have to wait for more than three months!”
“Senior Brother Setting out, do you have many good friends in the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect? Are they good friends like Senior Brother Xiaofan and Senior Brother Tianyi?”
“Senior Brother Setting out…”
“Senior Brother Setting out…”
The little girl Gao Xue’er was really a curious baby. She had endless questions. Very soon Ding Hao felt a headache. Fortunately he had Zhang Fan with him. Zhang Fan was always patient. Later on, all sorts of strange questions made by her were answered by Zhang Fan one by one.
“All right, Xue’er, Setting out with One Saber is my pseudonym. My real name is Ding Hao. When we arrive in the Sect, don’t call me Senior Brother Setting out.” Ding Hao felt it necessary to correct her first.
“Hee hee, okay. I, Xueer, will call you Senior Brother Hao from now on!” That very clever little girl knew of the seriousness involved, so she did not get to the root of things.
Very soon one day had pa.s.sed.
When the night fell, they camped in a leeward col.
Zhang Fan was very experienced so he set up some warning signs and arranged some defense settings around the camp to avoid being attacked by demons at night.
Ding Hao looked at Zhang Fan who was busy. He didn’t know why he couldn’t help but think of the first few days from the time five or six monthgs ago, when they went out for the first trial training in the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect. Disciples of the Eastern Academy of Green s.h.i.+rts almost had no experience in the field camping; it was Zhang Fan who was busy getting everything ready.
Since more than half a year had pa.s.sed, there had been too many things happening to him and the things were still there, but the man was no longer the same one.
Although Zhang Fan had not said anything in the past few days, Ding Hao could always feel that after the incident of the magical power rebellion, Zhang Fan had some unclear changes, as if the former honest and striving hunter teenager were slowly experiencing some unspeakably bizarre metamorphosis.
Along the way, Ding Hao wondered whether it was his own illusion. He had always felt that Zhang Fan looked at him with some hesitation for several times; he wanted to say something but said nothing. Even sometimes he was looking at the distant sky vault and mountains, being c.u.mbered with care and n.o.body knew what he had in his mind.
After dinner, taking advantage of the others’ rest, Ding Hao walked out of the camp. On the east, south, west and north sides, he carved the same half line of the poem on the wet ground.
“After encountering all kinds of difficulties and experiencing all kinds of hards.h.i.+ps, at the end of the day we will see the light at the end of tunnel!”
The handwriting was engraved on the black land that had not been thawed. The nicks were very shallow and the characters were almost invisible. There was a faintly dark silver flowing light between strokes. They seemed to be frost on the ground. The light was flowing among strokes, locking a mysterious power in the handwriting. And even the wild beasts and devils with the most sensitive ears and sharpest eyes could not perceive their existence.
They were part of a verse inscription.
That was Ding Hao’s unique way of inscriptions.
The handwriting of 56 characters was hidden in the dark, and it was more effective than the various traps set by Zhang Fan. Ding Hao could not only perceive the approaching devils at the first time, but he had also trapped them where they were, after they were inspired. Their power was equal to a strike by a master in the Martial Soldiers’ Completion Realm with full effort.
After doing all that, Ding Hao returned to the camp and saw that Zhang Fan and Fang Tianyi were sitting around the campfire, talking and laughing. He sat down with them.
The raging bonfire illuminated three faces, flickering.
When they talked and talked, the topic was changed unconsciously to the time when they had first joined the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect. Ding Hao sighed with emotion and took out the good wine from the storage ring. The three of them didn’t drink much, but they had already gotten slightly drunk.
Zhang Fan, who was honest and reserved, talked too much that night.
At the beginning, all three people spoke, but then, it turned out that Zhang Fan held Ding Hao and Fang Tianyi’s hands and they listened to his talk alone.
Speaking of his childhood while in the hunting era in the Baiman Mountain, the young man’s mouth corners had always showed a soft smile. He talked about the years when he practiced martial arts and played with Ding Hao and the others together; he was extremely excited. He mentioned his experience in the last outside training, during which he had obtained the Supreme Kung Fu Devoted by Ten Emperors, and he even imitated some movements like dancing…
“My name is Zhang Fan. Maybe I am destined to be very ordinary like this name. I am not like Senior Brothers Ding and Fang, you are very talented. No matter what kind of swordsmans.h.i.+p, you can learn it by just watching it once…”
“In almost a year, my efforts were no less than anyone’s and my sweat is definitely no less than anyone’s. But no matter how hard I tried and no matter how much I sweated, I have just made little progress in cultivating Qi. We all practiced skills from the Taixuan Sword-seeking Scripture together, yet I have made the slowest progress. There are more than 2,000 disciples in the Sect, I am the last person without any doubt.”