Holding the reins in one hand, Jia Boye carefully placed his boots on the fragile gems with the other, walking at the front of the team, closely behind the two tent porters.The mountain road was just wide enough for his reddish-brown horse to follow without haste. Just after dawn, they casually walked straight up a cliff.The morning fog was thick, and there was no sky above, and no river below, only the sound of rolling water from the foot of the mountain in the distance.But suddenly, it seemed as if a huge mouth took a deep breath, and the morning mist suddenly rose from the foot of the steep mountain. After spreading in all directions, it accumulated denser and denser until it hit the sharp corner of the rock.This morning mist is like a gentle and sweet breath, gently blowing across Jia Boye's face.

He blinked, put one hand on the horse's back, and stopped to watch.In an instant, the sun was dazzling and the sky was blue. However, he found that they had only reached the middle of this bottomless cliff.The mountain road does not lead to a valley, but to a crack in the rock of a high mountain. The crack is narrow, as if it was cut through by a giant axe.Under the sunlight, the emerald green broad-leaved plants and moss that climbed the cliff walls glistened with crystal water drops.The river about 200 meters away from the foot, due to the heavy rainfall in the past few days, the river's water surged and the eddies continued, and it was rumbling at the moment.Because the river is full of a large amount of sand and gravel washed down from the bank, it is dark red, and the degree of turbidity looks like mud used as firewood mud.Floating tree trunks, branches, whole weeds, or piles of orchids and cantua can be seen everywhere on the river.

He glanced back, like a ribbon of multicolored paper stranded on a green rock, and then Jia Boye saw clearly the long line behind him.Hundreds of porters stooped laden with gold, followed by an equal number of llamas, all saddled like asses, and then those Spaniards who held the reins, on the silver-encrusted crown of Ennando Pizarro. The blood-red feathers on the high-topped helmet, and finally, the large sedan chair carrying the honored guest of the Inca general Charleguzima. They left Cajamar five weeks ago and joined Anando who had gone south to search for gold.Now they are on their way back, not only successfully completing the task, but the harvest is even better than expected.

Enando used unique means, both soft and hard, and finally persuaded the chief general of the captured Inca king Atahualpa to follow them back.So, in his sedan chair, Chalecuzima—the most valiant of the Inca warriors of legend—followed them back to Cajamar to meet their master.There are not even twenty soldiers with him!Even though Jia Boye increasingly despises Anando's behavior, he can't help but admire the harvest of this trip.This method of arresting the Inca general without bloodshed may be able to appease the uneasy mood of the team members along the way.Since those Spaniards privately called this war the Great November, not a single soldier has opened his eyes in the morning without the fear that he has been sent against Atahualpa's army--so numerous and powerful, it is said, hard to estimate...

"Hey!" the Greek Bedo murmured behind Jia Boye, "is your lord allowing us to move on, or are we going to stare at this scenery until Christmas?" Jia Boye smiled but did not answer.The tall Greek had been grumbling early in the morning.Like many team members, he feels that pulling a horse is more tiring than riding a horse!Perhaps the reason for his bad mood was that his partner who had always been with him--the black Sai Batian--was not by his side, far behind the team. They strode cautiously again, holding the horses' mouths with the reins tied to them so that they would not open their mouths and scream.

They went up smoothly for a while, thankful that the sun was warm on their faces.After that, a shadow suddenly covered them all, like a black line quickly crossing the edge of the cliff. Jia Boye raised his head: a big bird was flying slowly and straight at the exit of the canyon, its wings were motionless.Even though it hovers high in the sky, it is still quite impressive in size. Jia Boye counted down the days for a long time, feeling that time passed really slowly, and Anna Maya was still far away in the sky.Every time he climbed a mountain, he always waited and watched carefully, knowing that it was impossible, but still hoped that this would be the last one, and then he could go down to Cajamar.

He missed everything about her, her voice, her mouth, her neck, her scent of licorice and spice.He really wanted to kiss her shoulders and slender hands, but what he sucked in with his mouth was the cold air of the high mountains.At night, he often woke up with a start, as if hoping to feel her gentle touch, soft voice and blue sky-like eyes.He missed her wild tenderness, the way she looked down and half-closed her eyes when he whispered "I love you" in her ear.He smiled and recalled how shy she had been when he had taught her to say it in Spanish. He got up from the bed, cold all over, wrapped in a damp blanket, and he waited for the dawn.Through the morning mist and drizzle, from the top of the mountain to the valley, he looked for her traces everywhere, her.So he felt that Peru, this country as strange as the stars hanging in the sky, was extremely beautiful, because it was her country and it belonged to her.Occasionally, during the long day of marching, he would carefully look at the melancholy and frightened eyes of the porters, hoping to find some of her demeanor from their expressions.

"Hey! Still dreaming!" Bedo de Gandía suddenly shouted from behind him, pointing forward with his gloved fingertips, "Look what's ahead!" About three hundred paces ahead, at a slightly drooping bend in the river, there is a suspension bridge connecting the two sides of the steep canyon.The bridge is very long, like a necklace hanging in front of the chest. Jia Boye slowed down.Bedo, with pale cheeks and a bushy mustache, followed angrily: "I don't like it here. Even horses hate it more than I do!" Jia Boye didn't hear what he said, but whistled softly, his eyes full of admiration.

"Oh, Saint Jacob! How could they build such a thing!" he marveled. "That question doesn't interest me at all, buddy! Why don't you think about how to get over it, and, is it strong enough...?" "Just put one foot in front of the other, I think." Jia Boye said jokingly, "Are you afraid, Greek?" "I'm not afraid, it's just that I don't like it." "Trust me, friend, you have no choice anyway, so try to like it! Or you'll have to turn your horse into a Pegasus..." Bedo curled his lips in disbelief. So they went up the cliff again, and found that at the end of the road there were some thick wooden posts, on which the cables of the suspension bridge were tied.The cables are carefully woven from strands of straw rope and are about as thick as a thigh.The railing of the bridge, too, was all rope and knotted, and was wider than the road they had just traversed.

Jia Boye was amazed and stood there for a while.Inca and architects, lacking any iron tools, saw, chisel, and plane, were able to make such beautiful and functional suspension bridges.Three thick cables lift the bridge deck, which is carefully arranged with large tree trunks.In order to reduce smoothness and danger, these trunks are also densely covered with thin branches, which are as smooth as the bridge deck. "Holy Virgin Mary," Bedo murmured in a low voice. "Look!...Look, Jia Boye, the bridge is moving! It's about to fall..." Indeed, Jia Boye also noticed it.The bridge was so heavy that it was almost a slope sloping down to the rumbling river at the foot of the mountain, and even swayed weakly from side to side with the wind.

"I tell you, it can't bear the weight of the horse!" Bedo insisted. "Hey, Greek, I thought you were very brave! Look at the thickness of those cables and the trunks. They are very strong." There are several Indian sentries on the other side of the bridge.The rest of the team began to follow slowly, and the porters waited listlessly, curiosity lurking beneath their numb appearance, the foreigners and their horses took the first step. Jia Boye took off the long scarf that was as blue as Anna Maya's eyes and never left his neck, and covered the eyes of his reddish-brown horse. "Follow me, Bedo," he ordered, "and cover the horse's eyes so that he doesn't look down or see the river..." Jia Boye carefully grabbed the top of the red-brown horse's rein, murmured a few words to it to calm his emotions, and then walked towards the wooden posts.After walking a few steps, he was already standing on the bridge.The further you go, the more ferocious the roar of the river is, it is like the barking of a dog from the abyss, endless. He glanced down from between the ropes on the bridge and saw the whole procession, the Inca general's palanquin, and the tuft of feathers from Enando's helmet appearing at the edge of the bridge.Everyone stared at him eagerly.he yelled: "Come on, Bedo, no problem!" "I'm already behind you!" Bedo roared back in his tenor voice, "Don't think I'll leave you alone as a hero!" Jia Boye smiled and quickened his pace.The reddish-brown horse followed closely behind, walking and riding the cart under his leadership.They calmly walked towards the lowest point of the bridge, but instead felt the bridge rise.Jia Boye had to lean his shoulders back, and every time he took a step, the heels of his boots seemed to fall into a muddy pothole, rather than walking on a bridge covered with branches.He held out his left hand to the rough rope as the horse's hooves moved forward, searching the tree trunks on the deck. The roar of the river was almost deafening, and even the tumbling sediment in the river could be seen. The turbulent waves collided with the stones and burst into little foam. The amount was like a drizzle rising from this end of the canyon. Then there was a loud bang and a scream.His red horse bumped against his shoulder, panting uneasily.Jia Boye turned around and looked for a while, and heard Bei Duo yelling and shouting: "What a ghost bridge!" Jia Boye almost laughed out loud.The Greek slipped and fell to the ground, one of his boots falling into the river.But his hands still held the reins tightly, and his mount, neck bent and upper body leaning forward, pulled its master. Bedo fell sideways, grabbed a rope, and, panting, rose from the ground to his knees.The red feather on the helmet snapped off, slipped, and drifted slowly down the bridge in a circle.It will take a long time to be swallowed by the fierce river. "Are you okay?" Jia Boye asked. "Why is it not good?" Bedo said angrily. At the head of the bridge, just at the entrance of the bridge, Jia Boye saw Enando, surrounded by his henchmen, with a smile on his face.Even though the distance was far, even though his face was full of stubble, Jia Boye could still guess that this smile contained hatred and contempt. "Keep going!" he yelled at himself. This little accident changed the balance of the deck, but it also seemed to accidentally bring the bridge to life.In addition to swaying from side to side, a strange fluctuation was added now, as if the entire bridge deck was suddenly pushed forward by a long wave.The further they went, the more the bridge shook.Every crest point and every shake made the horse hesitate.Although Jia Boye held the reins, he felt extremely sick.After a while, the sides of his underwear and jacket were soaked with sweat. After that, all the shaking stopped abruptly.Because it was close enough to the other end of the river, the ropes on the bridge were completely straightened.The Indian sentry smiled at them.Due to the nausea in his stomach and stomach, and his heart was about to jump out of his mouth, Jia Boye quickened his pace and almost ran across the bridge.He screamed unconsciously, as if he had been stabbed.The Indian sentries put away their smiles and hid in a building protected by a wall. The Greek followed closely on to the wide platform at the end of the bridge. They embraced, laughed loudly, and patted each other on the shoulders. It took almost an hour, and the llama and the Indian porter crossed the bridge easily.The agile figure of the bearer carrying the Inca general in the sedan chair is really jaw-dropping.They seem to be walking completely close to the ropes, unaffected by the swaying bridge deck back and forth.The sedan chair itself remained motionless and horizontal from end to end, except for a few curtains that fluttered slightly. As for the sensitivity of the Spanish cavalry and infantry regiments, it is uneven.They yelled wildly, competed with each other for courage, and completely lacked the regularity and precision of the Indians in their gestures.A few even threw up on the bridge, and most of them were pale when they reached the end of the bridge. Sai Batian crossed the bridge easily, came to the side of the two friends, and greeted them with a wink. It will be noon soon.A light wind blew away the last of the dark clouds that had settled over the western side of the valley.Under the scorching sun, the green bushes are covered with a layer of emerald green.Lines appeared on the cloudless blue sky, not just one vulture, but two, three, ten...flying around in a circle, the scene was spectacular.Jia Boye couldn't help but wait and see, he was very happy to see them flying closer and closer.He guessed they had long necks and big mouths like scimitars.What makes them even more special, though, is their impressive wings.It was completely pitch-black, and under the reflection of the sun, it looked like pieces of Damascus steel knives, swishing in the air.According to Jia Boye's judgment, the volume of these giant vultures should be much larger than the length of a horse. Unknowingly, they speed up their circle.After bending the body into the largest arc, leaned over and rushed to the upper reaches of the river.After that, he turned around and flew back, passing by at low altitude. Although the water was gurgling, a friction sound could still be heard from the air. At this time the last few porters were walking in the middle of the bridge. They were in a group of two, each carrying one end of a long bamboo pole on their shoulders, on which hung the skeletons of a few little llamas that the Spaniards cannot do without at the celebration banquet, and dozens of Indians were walking forward cautiously.Following the fluctuating frequency of the bridge deck, they had already walked halfway across the bridge, and only the group behind seemed unable to maintain their balance. Suddenly, the porters in front stopped and looked up at the sky with apprehensive eyes.Finally, Jia Boye understood.One of the vultures was hovering low in the sky, clung to the heads of the last two porters, and was about to hit them.Shocked, the two Indians raised their arms high in defense.The skeleton of the llama shook, rolled a few times, and fell to the ground. Then the second vulture appeared, ready to dive straight down. Immediately after drawing a graceful arc, the large bird flew back high in the air, arrogant and imperious, ready to attack the bridge again, looking as if it was angry that it missed its prey.Its companions immediately joined the camp.One after another, they spread their wings forward, retracted their necks into their white and flawless necks, and violently pecked those porters who were lying on the ground screaming in fright. Jia Boye finally heard their shouts: "Vulture! Vulture!" All the people standing on the bank looked at them in horror. The two Indians stood on the bridge, waving the skeleton of the llama high up. The last vulture, approaching them gracefully, flew so slowly that one might think it would come to a standstill.It opened its sharp claws as big as a human palm, grabbed the prey, and flew away to the sky. Jia Boye took a deep breath, and after the big birds flew away, he heard the Indian complaining in a low voice: "Vulture! Vulture! . . . " "My God, what's the matter with them?" asked Bedo the Greek, his eyes still widening. "For them, the vulture is a sacred bird," Jaboye explained. "The Incas believed that the vulture was the messenger of the sun god..." Before he finished speaking, a roar came, forcing him to turn around. Enando stood at the end of the bridge, angrily scolding the porters who just ran ashore. "A bunch of idiots! Afraid of birds! Who's going to let you throw those llamas away?" The porters, still in shock, stopped in front of the governor's brother.Enando grabbed the shoulder of Filipino, the interpreter who had been with them since they disembarked in the port of Tumbes. "Tell these monkey grandchildren that no one is allowed to waste food!" he ordered. Filipino muttered a few words.The oldest Indian, with bowed head, answered in a barely audible voice: "It is said that the vulture should be fed when it is hungry, otherwise the sun god will be furious!" "Fuck those savages!" Enando yelled, "Feed the birds, what else? I don't care! What sun god is furious! I'm angry now, that's the fact you should realize... " Taking a few steps forward, Enando stepped over the stone pillar at the end of the bridge, grabbed the hip of the old porter, and like a lumberjack, with a hey, grabbed him from the ground and dangled on the suspension bridge. Jia Boye couldn't believe what he saw: everyone looked panic-stricken, and the porter opened his palms and fell from the air. He opened his mouth before he could yell, and then he hit the sharp corner of the rock like a dancing puppet. Finally, it was thrown into the river like a pile of soft dough.He just disappeared, as if he had never existed. In the silence, Enando turned to face the Spaniard, grinning. "Hmph, a man who can't fly." He said with a sinister smile. The Indians were too frightened to move or even look at the river.Sai Batian couldn't help hiccupping in fright, and the smile on his face all day turned into a clown face; the black slave was ashen-faced and trembling helplessly.Jia Boye was furious and walked towards Anando.He stood straight in front of the governor's brother, so close that he could feel his breath on his cheek. "Mr. Enando, you are so fucking bad!" Anando didn't answer.He narrowed his eyes and shot resentment from them.Deep hate, never-ending hate.He lowered his voice and finally said: "I didn't hear what you said clearly, bastard." "Your existence has made the whole world a mess, Mr. Enando. You are a human being, not a god, and you don't deserve to be called this name at all. Your blood is as dirty as mud, and your brains have rotted long ago!" "In the name of the Father!" Enando drew his sword.Jia Boye quickly flashed his shoulder, and his neck was almost swept by the blade. "Aha!" Anando yelled, waved his sword in the air, and knelt down on the ground. However, Jia Boye stepped forward again, and after leaping away with a lunge, he stretched his arms and danced. "On the day you die, Mr. Enando," Jia Boye said in a calmer tone than before, almost teasing, "I'm afraid even vultures don't want to eat you!" "Let's do it!" Ainando roared and tore off his helmet in order to show off his skills. "Then, grab your sword, you stupid bastard!" The crowd around them all backed away.When Jia Boye easily pulled out the sword, the shiny soft blade made a swishing sound.The two knives struck each other, clanging.Suddenly, the two seem to slow down, as if there is an invisible and insurmountable block between each other. After that, Anando attacked forward, and the blade slashed across Jia Boye's; after the latter dodged, he bent his knees and raised his sword high over his shoulder.The two bodies collided violently.Jia Boye pushed Anando away, turned around and backed away, with a smile on his lips.The governor's brother was hulking, panting with rage, and so irritable that his head was dull.Like a dog wagging its tail, he swung his sword wildly in the air.Jia Boye took it easy.He saw that Anando's eyes were full of crazy anger, so he jumped in front of him, turned his upper body sideways, slid the blade across Anando's long sword, and circled gently.Afterwards, Jia Boye used all his arm strength, put his weight on the two swords, and then twisted his wrist forcefully, throwing the opponent's sword to the right. With a sound of Ding Dang, Anando's long sword floated to Bedo's feet, and he couldn't help smiling. Jian Xin pointed at the enemy's jacket, and Jia Boye pushed him away, forcing him to retreat.Anando twisted his mouth, and his eyes showed a look that Jia Boye had never seen before. "He's also afraid sometimes." He thought triumphantly. "You forgot that pain has two expressions, Mr. Anando," he gasped, "It's very exciting to see fear in other people's eyes, but what do you think of the feeling of being frightened now? What? I just need to push a little more and you can feel the new weight of the shoe..." While speaking, Jia Boye forced Anando to retreat to the shore, forcing him to leave the place where the poor porter was. "Don't be afraid, I will not kill you. However, I am sure that Mr. Francisco will punish your crime. Although you will return to Cajamar with a lot of gold and a general here, you still cannot completely replace You are exonerated." "If you want to threaten me, there is no door! Let's wait and see who is the unlucky one in the end." Although Anando had a sneer on his face, everyone knew that he was not convinced in his heart; because he had been too insulted just now. "Reconcile, my lords, a lesson has been learned for all!" interposed the Greek Bedo, putting his hand on Jaberye's arm, "may God testify for me that for the sake of the conquest, you two conquerors should not fight each other without regard for dignity. !Mr. Enando, this is your sword. Please go!" Ananduo and Jia Boye glanced at each other.Jia Boye lowered the long sword in his hand, while Anando lowered his eyelids. Behind them, the door curtain of General Xia Leguzima's sedan chair was lowered silently again. After the whole team went back on the road, Sai Batian grabbed Jia Boye's arm, and after walking a few steps in silence with him, he leaned into his ear and said softly, "Thank you."