"It's almost the end of the year." A man in ragged clothes wiped the sweat from his head and couldn't help but sigh.

Another person said: "Yes, I really miss my homeland. Especially after meeting these barbarians, I miss the Central Plains even more."

The third man was panting and said: "Stop talking. Run for your life. The pursuers may be coming soon."

So the three people speeded up their pace slightly and trudged painfully on the Gobi.

These three people were the same alchemists who bid farewell to Li Shui outside the palace and went to the Western Regions to find the Immortal Mountain.

They once studied under the same master, so they were from the same school.

The eldest brother is called Qiuxian, the second brother is called Jianxian, and the younger brother is called Xuexian.

The three brothers traveled thousands of miles to avoid the Huns. They walked on countless hills along the Kunlun Mountains, but with a strong willpower, they managed to survive.

In the end, the weather got worse and worse, and they couldn't stand it anymore. But with the intention of looking for the immortal, they gritted their teeth and walked on.

Finally they came to Dayuezhi, and from Dayuezhi to Wusun.

At this time, the three of them were in an extremely embarrassed state. They could not understand the language and could only rely on gestures. The three of them asked the Wusun people if there were any immortals here.

Unfortunately, they didn't find the answer.

Originally, these three people wanted to continue searching, but a war broke out between Wusun and Dayuezhi. King Wusun was killed, and the place was in chaos.

The rebels went around attacking and killing civilians and looting their property. The civilians gathered together as thieves and began to attack and kill civilians and loot their property.

The three brothers couldn't stand it anymore and began to return eastward. At first, they returned eastward, but recently they were targeted and began to flee eastward.

The reason for focusing on them is simple. They brought several animals with them and some property on them.

Qiu Xian said: "We might as well get rid of this Hu Ma. Without Hu Ma, those Hu Ma will not chase us. We must not give up our lives rather than our wealth."

Jianxian said: "Brother, this is wrong. Without this wild horse, would you carry the things on the horse? Without the property and food on the horse, we would all die on the road. This place is thousands of miles away.

It’s so crowded that it’s not easy to find a sip of water.”

Xuexian said: "Both of you are wrong. First of all, this is not a Hu horse at all. Those Hu horses said that this thing is called a donkey."

Qiu Xian said: "Nonsense, you see it is very similar to a horse and can be ridden. It must be a horse. It just looks a little weird."

Xuexian said: "It is completely different from a horse. It is nonsense to say that it is similar? Look at this donkey, its ears are so long, while the ears of a horse are very short. Look at this donkey, its tail is like a thick rope.

And the horse’s tail is loose. They obviously have many differences.”

The two were debating when Jianxian suddenly said quietly: "Then is this one in my hand a horse or a donkey?"

The three people surrounded the mule and fell into deep thought...

At this time, the three animals suddenly barked and began to run forward. The three looked back and saw that the pursuers were coming again.

They looked up to the sky and sighed, and began to run wildly.

An hour later, the three brothers and their livestock hid among the rocks, temporarily escaping the pursuers. As a result, a strong wind blew again in the sky.

In an instant, the sky and the earth became dim, and no one could be seen clearly from a few steps away. The three of them hid behind the boulder, shivering.

Suddenly, the three animals were frightened, neighed, broke their reins, and ran forward.

The three brothers exclaimed and followed closely behind, pulling the livestock with all their strength.

The animals carried all their food and water on their backs, and if they were lost, they would surely die.

I don’t know how long it took, but the wind finally stopped. The good news is that they caught the livestock, not one of them was lost, and the food and water were still there.

The bad news is... they've lost their way.

Xuexian lay on the ground and said panting: "Brother, my lips are chapped and I'm dying of thirst. Give me a courgette."

Jianxian took out a courgette from the donkey's back and said, "It's good to eat it, but it's big and heavy. It's cumbersome to carry it around. I wanted to throw it away before."

Xuexian sighed: "This thing tastes delicious. I plan to dedicate it to Mr. Huai. Maybe Mr. Huai will tell us how to meet the immortal when he is happy."

Qiu Xian was silent for a while and said: "Mr. Huai once met an immortal. How broad his vision was? How could a courgette impress him?"

Xuexian said: "Perhaps the gentleman saw us traveling thousands of miles to bring the courgette back, and was moved for a moment, so he said so. But... now your life is at stake, so just eat it. You must have the chance to go back to see Mr. Huai, right?

?”

Then, Xuexian punched it hard, and the dark green courgette split open, revealing the red flesh inside.

Xuexian broke the melon into several pieces and handed it to the other two people. Then he said: "Keep the melon seeds. Maybe they can be planted again in Xianyang."

Qiuxian took a bite, sighed with satisfaction, and then said: "This melon is so delicious, but it is given a ridiculous name. It is not good."

Jianxian thought for a while and said: "This melon comes from the far west, why not call it watermelon?"

Xuexian said: "The name is not grand enough, why not call it Xiangua."

The other two people nodded, thinking this name was good.

After eating the melon, the three of them discussed for a while, determined the east according to the sun in the sky, and then continued to move forward.

This time, they walked eastward for a long time, and the Gobi gradually disappeared and grasslands appeared.

Qiu Xian suddenly said nervously: "Grassland? Aren't the Huns grazing cattle and sheep in this kind of place?"

Jian Xian nodded in agreement, and then suggested: "Perhaps, we should head south immediately."

Unfortunately, the three of them were captured by the Huns before they could set out.

The Xiongnu tribe here often traded with Qin merchants. The tribal leader also had a high status in front of Shan Yu, so he was proficient in the Central Plains language.

The three men were tied up and pushed down in front of the leader.

The leader asked: "Who are you?"

The three of you looked at me, I looked at you, and said honestly: "Qin people."

There is still a difference in appearance between the Central Plains people and the Hu people. Now that I have been caught, if I look carefully, I can always see that lying is useless.

After the leader heard that they were Qin people, his expression softened a little: "They are Qin people. Untie them and let them drink some water."

The three brothers looked at the leader with some confusion: Aren't the Qin and the Xiongnu hostile? Why are the Huns so polite? When Sha Tilie was envoy to Qin, he was humiliated by Mr. Huai again and again. Don't they resent it? The Hu people are indeed the Hu people.

There is no structure and it is difficult to figure out.

The leader asked again: "What do you want to do when you enter my land?"

Qiu Xian said: "We three brothers are people seeking immortality. We strayed into the territory of your country and are willing to leave immediately."

The leader asked in surprise: "People looking for immortals? Do you know Huaiguzi?"

The three brothers were a little nervous. They were all thinking: Huaiguzi is Sha Tilie's biggest enemy. If he claims to know him, will he be silenced by the Huns?

The leader became impatient and asked: "Do you know Huaiguzi?"

Looking at the posture, it seems that if you answer the question incorrectly, you will be killed on the spot.

Qiuxian said tentatively: "No... I don't know. We are just ordinary alchemists who seek immortality."

The leader exclaimed: "So you are alchemists. Huaiguzi is at odds with the other alchemists, so you are his enemy."

When Qiu Xian heard this, he almost went crazy: What? Did these words reach the ears of the Huns?

They didn't know that Wu Tong had tasted the benefits after visiting the Huns. He opened a trade route and sent a steady stream of caravans to do business with the Huns.

The two sides communicated more, and some interesting stories in Xianyang City would inevitably reach the ears of the Huns.

The Huns were extremely interested in the word Huaiguzi. After all, Huaiguzi was a good friend of Shatilie.

Huaiguzi helped Shatilie sacrifice 5,000 pig heads in Huashan, and Shatilie rewarded him with countless cattle and sheep. This beautiful story has spread throughout the Huns.

Therefore, the Huns always listened most carefully to his affairs.

Seeing the leader's evil eyes, Xuexian seemed to want to push them out and kill them, so he quickly shouted: "We are from Huaiguzi, we are Huaiguzi's envoys, and his disciples. We are following the master's order to go west."

The Xiongnu thought for a while and said: "There is some truth to it. I heard from those merchants that all the alchemists in Xianyang City have been killed long ago. Since you can survive, you must be close to Huaiguzi."

The three brothers were shocked when they heard: All the alchemists in Xianyang were killed? What is going on?

The leader of the Xiongnu said: "Since they are Huaiguzi's envoys, they cannot be neglected. Come, please send them to the court of Shan Yu."

The three brothers felt like duckweeds in the water, unable to help themselves, being carried by the current and floating towards unknown distances.

They arrived at the Shan Yu's court in fear and trepidation along the way. Shatilie heard the news in advance and simply hid.

Chanyu met them and asked: "The envoy of Huaiguzi?"

The three brothers said bravely: "Yes."

Shan Yu chuckled and asked with a complicated expression: "Which mountain are you offering sacrifices to again this time?"

Three brothers, you look at me, I look at you, and hesitantly said: "Kunlun Mountain..."

Chanyu couldn't believe it. Sha Tilie was sent to Daqin as an envoy for just over a month. He went from Huashan Mountain to Zhongnan Mountain, then to Mount Tai, and now to Kunlun Mountain. Could it be that he had been rushing on the road for more than a month?

However, he was too lazy to delve into this. He waved his hand and said a little tiredly: "Give it to them and send them away."

Looking at Shanyu's meaning, it's like swatting away flies.

So the three brothers were taken out with bewildered expressions and pushed into an oxcart.

Immediately afterwards, a group of Huns soldiers escorted them towards the south.
Chapter completed!