The mountainous path leading from Peach Blossom Valley to the Southwest foreign country was winding and complicated, making it incredibly difficult to traverse. Yet a group of madmen, for the sake of a bet, raced along it as if it were level ground.
An Shiliu, An Shiqi, and others mustered all their strength to beat Hua Yan; they even ate their dry rations on horseback, nearly without rest, day and night. On this most challenging stretch of the road, they scattered, and the fastest among them completed it in just three days and nights.
On the fourth day, they arrived within ten miles of Wolong Canyon.
An Shiliu reckoned that he had covered more than a thousand miles. He had been leading the way the whole time, never catching sight of Hua Yan catching up from behind. An Shiqi was right on his heels, with the rest straggling behind, so he felt certain that victory was his.
