Yangzhou Eight

Dayin Temple is a famous temple in Yangzhou. It has an excellent geographical location and is not far from the city. The carriage arrived in less than an hour.

Qin Zhi and Aruo each pulled Cai Xin and used their lightness skills to jump over the 999 steps, taking a shortcut to go directly to find Yiyuan.

"You two are so mean. I've been here so many times and I've always had to climb up from the bottom." Thinking of the hardships she had gone through in the previous visits to Dayin Temple, Cai Xin was full of indignation. Are you bullying her for not having light skills?

"Ahem, if you're so sincere, the Buddha will bless you." Aruo patted her head with a wry smile. There was no other way, she really didn't want to walk up these 999 steps, not even if there was a Buddha or a beautiful woman in a golden house.

The sound of a strong bell came from the mountain. The sky was already a little yellow. It was probably the time for evening classes. There was no one on the tree-lined path, and even the usual playful calls of kingfishers could not be heard.

On the entire path, the footsteps of the three people were the clearest. Qin Zhi gripped the scimitar tightly in his hand, winked at Aruo, and walked unnoticed behind the two girls.

Aruo pulled Caixin to his side and listened to her talking about Yangzhou's delicacies with a smile, from the tofu on the main street to the pine nut fish from Grandma Chen's house in the alley. When she was about to talk about her favorite braised crab meat lion head, a strong wind suddenly blew up on the road, and the trees on the roadside swayed in the wind.

"Aruo, why do you seem a little strange?" Cai Xin subconsciously leaned against Aruo, her face a little hesitant.

"It seems that someone wants to welcome us." Qin Zhi smiled, with a scimitar in his hand.

The wind suddenly stopped and a cold light flashed. Qin Zhi and Aruo grabbed Cai Xin and turned over to avoid the sneak attack. Several men in black had already landed in front and behind.

"Another man in black?" Aruo was a little speechless. "Hasn't robbery and looting become anything new these days?"

"Maybe it's because the bad guys are so ugly." Qin Zhi snorted and held the two girls behind him, spinning around and kicking the attacker away. After a quick assessment, Qin Zhi stretched out his hand to protect Cai Xin behind him, "Aruo, quickly call the manager over!"

Aruo lightly jumped away and frantically searched for it, "Wait a minute, I can't find the ocarina!"

Dayin Temple is Yiyuan's territory. They have summed up some communication and rescue skills from experience, but she hasn't used the calling tool for a long time, and she couldn't find it for a while after putting it in her waist bag.

The men in black looked at each other, two of them held Qin Zhi back, and the others all attacked her.

"Aruo!" Qin Zhi gritted his teeth, came back to his senses, sent Cai Xin to the side, and rushed over there waving a scimitar.

"Found it!" Aruo looked up in surprise, and the sword light was already in front of him.

The crisp sound of a flute cut through the air. Aruo crouched down, holding her head. The scimitar barely separated the long sword from her hair. Suddenly coming to her senses, Aruo stretched out her leg and swept across. As the enemy fell, she followed Qin Zhi's hand and flipped out of the encirclement.

"Aruo——"

Cai Xin's scream was particularly abrupt on the quiet path. Aruo turned around and saw that the burly man in black had grabbed Cai Xin's arm and was trying to drag her away. His uncovered face was covered with a thick beard.

"It's you?" Aruo noticed the man's long beard and immediately became furious. "You are indeed in cahoots with them!"

The bearded man's eyes widened when he heard this. Just as he was about to say something, Cai Xin kicked him hard in the knee. The pain made him let go. Cai Xin took the opportunity to throw him away. The bearded man wanted to chase him, but was interrupted by the attack of the man in black.

"Little Caixin!" Aruo caught the person who rushed over, spun around and kicked sideways, separating the chasing man in black and the bearded man. Pulling the person back behind Qin Zhi, he looked at the bearded man and the black-clad villain and roared in frustration, "Yiyuan, you bastard, why don't you get out of here!"

A pure and holy Buddhist chant suddenly echoed beside him. A red copper Zen staff plunged directly between the two groups of people. A young monk in a white robe fell to the ground, holding a Buddhist rosary with a calm expression. "This is a pure Buddhist place. I wonder what can I do for you, benefactors?"

"Yiyuan, they attacked us!" Qin Zhi said aggrievedly.

"One yuan, they want to steal the vegetables!" Aruo pointed at the bearded man angrily.

"Yiyuan, they are all bad guys!" Cai Xin pointed at the people opposite her angrily.

With a slight twitch of his eye, Yiyuan tried hard to maintain the demeanor of a high monk, spinning the Buddhist beads in his hand rapidly. "Donors, are you entering Dayin Temple armed with weapons? Are you planning to kill in front of the Buddha?"

"He's holding a knife too!" The bearded man pointed at Qin Zhi's scimitar, his tone a little aggrieved.

Several men in black came to their senses, narrowed their eyes and attacked.

"What's wrong with you? You're either carrying injured people or thieves!" Yiyuan's face darkened. He kicked someone over and cursed at Aruo, "Who have you messed with again?"

Aruo felt very wronged and took Caixin to avoid the bearded man, "How could I? This is your home. Don't you know what kind of people you've attracted to yourself?"

Being choked by her, Yiyuan couldn't help but reflect on whether he had done anything bad that was discovered recently.

The scene was a bit chaotic. Several men in black seemed unwilling to fight and all rushed towards Aruo. Qin Zhi and Yiyuan's faces began to look a little solemn.

"Aruo, go find Su Feng!" Yiyuan retreated to her side, grabbed Caixin, and said to Aruo without turning his head.

"Why are we looking for him? Isn't he injured?" Although this place was not far from Yiyuan's bedroom, Aruo was a little hesitant when she thought of Su Zirui looking a little weak.

It's hard to say whether his situation is helping or hindering.

"Even if he is dying, he is still stronger than a weakling like you who only knows light skills! Go quickly!" Qin Zhi roared after knocking down one person.

He could tell the man in black was trying to snatch someone, but he couldn't tell if it was Aruo or Caixin he was targeting. It should be evening service now, and most of the monks were still busy out front. The main hall was some distance away, so the fastest help would probably be from that man.

"Qin Zhi's words are hurtful!" Cai Xin was protected by Yiyuan. Aruo gritted her teeth, jumped onto the back of Qin Zhi's scimitar, used the force to jump out of the encirclement, and used her lightness skills to go to the bedroom.

He ran into the bedroom in two steps and found the target room. Without thinking, Aruo broke in, "Su Feng, help me! Why are you changing clothes?"

Turning around hastily, Aruo covered his face with his hands, the burning sensation quickly spreading from his neck to his head. He he he he he...he had taken off his underwear too!

At a glance, his skin was cold and flawless, his muscles were well-defined, his shoulders were broad and his waist was narrow, his lines were smooth and slender, he did not look thin but instead had a kind of strong and vigorous character like a pine tree.

Oh my God, she, her mind was full of his □□!

Suddenly, a white undergarment covered her head, carrying with it the lingering warmth and scent of his body. Her head felt like it had been struck hard, and Aruo couldn't even breathe properly. She frantically threw the clothes covering her down and turned around angrily, "Su Zirui! Why did you throw your clothes at me? You haven't even put them on yet!"

Su Zirui looked speechlessly at the girl who turned around quickly and buried her head in his clothes. He tied the belt of his inner garment and put on his outer robe. "Su is about to change clothes. What's wrong with you being so flustered?"

It was a special privilege for her to barge in while others were changing and not be thrown out by him, but she actually spoke as if it was his problem.

"No!" Aruo slapped his head and turned to him hurriedly, "Someone attacked us. Qin Zhi and the others are still on the other side of the path. Hurry and help!"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Su Zirui's face darkened. He picked up the long sword on the table and strode out.

Aruo was so angry that she was speechless. "I was going to say it anyway! Who knew you were...changing clothes. Hey, wait for me."

Without even turning his head, Su Zirui said, "Pack my clothes and send them to the laundry, and iron them yourself."

hold head high?

Aruo paused, the person in front of her already flying away. She looked down at the underwear in her hands, and suddenly felt it burning. "Su Feng! This is not right, why should I listen to him? Wait for me!"

Su Zirui's Qinggong was more than twice as strong as hers. When she arrived, the situation was already a little clearer.

He didn't look seriously injured. His figure was agile and free, his long sword slashing out beautiful white flowers, accurately finding the flaw in the man in black, leaving a bloody scarlet mark.

Aruo's impression of Su Zirui was still that he was pale and kept covering his wounds. She always thought that he had not recovered yet, but now it seems that she had misunderstood.

"Didn't I tell you not to come over?" Su Zirui slashed the enemy with his sword and still had time to reach out and catch the person who jumped down.

Ah Ruo was stunned, and then she was speechless when she remembered what he said about washing clothes. So he just gave the order casually to prevent her from coming over?

Following his hand and stepping aside, Aruo subconsciously looked for Caixin. This sight almost frightened her to death, "Little Caixin!"

Taking advantage of the gap between Qin Zhi and Yi Yuan, the bearded man grabbed Cai Xin from behind and tried to take her away. In panic, Cai Xin bit his arm hard and stumbled towards Aruo while he was in pain.

"Aruo, be careful--" Cai Xin, whose face turned pale, cried out in fear.

That beautiful face was twisted and hideous, and a sense of crisis suddenly hit Aruo. She was clearly aware that she was in danger, but her body could not react in time.

Suddenly, two forces from the left and right pushed Aruo backwards, and the sharp sword just scratched the tip of her nose. At the same time, Yiyuan and Su Zirui took a deep breath, and they both stretched out their legs to kick the person who attacked her away.

"Cai Xin——"

Qin Zhi dodged the sneak attack and watched helplessly as one of the men in black knocked Cai Xin unconscious and carried her to her feet, then retreated with his accomplices. Qin Zhi rushed over, but collided with the bearded man, and in his panic, he swung his scimitar wildly.

"Young Master Qin, stop!" Su Zirui saw the situation of the two men clearly, turned around and jumped in between them, separating the two fighting men with his long sword and scabbard.

"Su Feng, get out of the way!" Qin Zhi's face was gloomy, and murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

"Master Su?" The bearded man stared in surprise at the man who intervened in the fight with others with just a few moves.

The two men put down their weapons at the same time and looked at each other cautiously.

"Wait," Aruo pointed at the two people hesitantly, "Do you know each other?"

Su Zirui nodded and sheathed his sword, "This is General Cheng Shengcheng, the Major General of the Northwest Zhenyuan Army."

The next moment, Aruo and Qin Zhi took a step back in unison, keeping one step away from the two men.

Frowning slightly, Su Zirui turned to face the bearded man and saluted, "General Cheng."

His thick eyebrows were furrowed, and his bearded figure stood straight as he returned the greeting. "Sir Su, I didn't expect to meet you here."

Did she miss something? Aruo looked at this and then that, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Qin Zhi curled his lips and turned to the other side. He saw Yiyuan returning after Caixin and asked hurriedly, "Yiyuan, how is it?"

Yiyuan shook his head, his expression a little serious, "I lost him when we got to the back mountain."

The mountain behind Dayin Temple was quite steep, and he lost track soon after he chased after him. It was already inappropriate for him, the abbot, to leave at this time during evening classes, and it was even more inappropriate to send the monks out to search for him.

"What should we do? Why are they grabbing the cabbage hearts?" Aruo's eyes turned red with anxiety, and his hands holding Yiyuan's monk robe were shaking a little.

"So why did you stop me from saving Miss Caixin? And you even accuse me of being in league with the bad guys!" Bearded Cheng Sheng, upon hearing their words, unconcerned with Su Zirui, shouted angrily. He had originally wanted to protect Caixin after noticing the attack, but these people had already assumed he was the bad guy. Now that Caixin's whereabouts were unknown, he was extremely worried.

Aruo's face turned pale. She was taking it for granted. She bit her lip and subconsciously tightened her grip on the monk's robe. Yiyuan glanced at her without saying a word, but his expression was slightly displeased.

Su Zirui turned sideways, blocking Cheng Sheng's sharp, reproachful gaze. He shook his head almost imperceptibly, his eyes cold.

"What a joke! From the beginning to the end, when did you ever say you weren't in cahoots with them?" Qin Zhi sneered, raised his chin, and glanced sarcastically at the black clothes he was wearing. "We only saw you trying to take Cai Xin away again and again."

"I, I, this is because..." Cheng Sheng was stunned and patted his chest quickly to explain, but no smooth words came out.

Su Zirui turned his eyes away slightly and suppressed a sigh.

"It's just because you want to take advantage of the chaos to save the beauty and win the trust of others." Yiyuan flicked the dust off his monk's robe, his eyes as cold as if he could see through all disguises.

"Ridiculous!" The bearded man shouted angrily, his eyes wide open, but he felt a little guilty about what had just happened and could not refute it with confidence.

"We are not interested in knowing what General Cheng is planning, but when something goes wrong, he pushes the blame onto innocent people. I am a little worried about the way our dynasty commands its troops in the northwest." Yiyuan and Qin Zhi's expressions became increasingly distant, and they were not polite to the people in front of them.

Are you kidding? Both Caixin and Aruo were killed by them. To be frank, even if Caixin died here today, it would not be anyone else's turn to blame.

Su Zirui is not qualified, so who does Cheng think he is?

"You!" The bearded man narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on Aruo, who was protected behind them with his head down, thinking about something, and wanted to ask something.

"That's enough. Now is not the time to argue." Su Zirui supported Aruo and looked down at her pale face. "Are you hurt?"

Aruo shook his head, his voice hoarse, "It's okay, I just felt a little confused."

Cheng Da Huzi is a general, which means that the possibility of him hiding Lin Ya is very low. No, this person is a guest of Dayin Temple... Aruo thought about it, looked up and asked Yiyuan, "Do you know?"

Yiyuan took on the nonsensical words without any pressure, nodding as a matter of course, "He came to Dayin Temple with Madam Cheng to stay for a while. Besides, he pestered you and Caixin many times, so I checked it out."

"Why didn't you say it just now?" Qin Zhi hit him angrily.

"I know who he is, but how do I know if he's part of a gang of bad guys?" Yiyuan asked, "Are officials always good people?"

Liangliang glanced meaningfully at Su Zirui, who was standing with his hands behind his back.

Aruo rubbed his forehead and said, "I have no interest in him at all. I just want to know the whereabouts of Xiao Caixin."

"I'll send a message to my brothers in the gang to investigate, and we'll have news soon." Qin Zhi sent a signal to the Baiyan Gang.

"There's no point in being anxious. You should calm down. They couldn't have acted on impulse at Dayin Temple." Yiyuan said angrily, "You've been out there for so long, why haven't you learned to be more calm? Don't you see that Lord Su from the Ministry of Justice is here?"

Yes, but, his injury... Aruo pursed her lips and looked at Su Zirui.

"Don't worry, the Ministry of Justice has people skilled in tracking, so everything will be fine." Su Zirui pondered for a moment, "They retreated so quickly, so the hiding place shouldn't be far away. There are many caves and waterfalls near Dayin Temple, and there are other caves behind them, but hiding the people should be a bit difficult, so it won't be difficult to track them down... What happened?"

Aruo and Qin Zhi had strange expressions on their faces, especially Aruo, whose eyes shifted strangely between him and Qin Zhi, "Su Feng, are you and Qin Zhi officially a couple?"

Raising his hand and flicking her forehead, Su Zirui was speechless, "What do you mean by matching? What are you thinking?"

Yiyuan shook his head and sighed in disgust. Shouldn't they be wondering why Su Zirui knew the terrain near Dayin Temple so well?

"Yiyuan, aren't you good at light work? Why can't I catch her?" Qin Zhi crossed his arms and complained a little, thinking about where to start investigating.

Yiyuan glanced at him coldly, "If you're capable, why don't you chase him? You're carrying such a big knife, and you haven't seen many people killed. How dare you?"

Qin Zhi was furious. If this wasn't a Buddhist place, would he have the will to kill? He turned his head away and said aggrievedly, "Aruo, look, what is this bald guy saying?"

"Childish." Aruo complained unhappily, then turned to Su Zirui and said, "Su Feng, how's your injury?"

A hint of anxiety flashed across his black eyes. He covered his chest and abdomen with his hands. Su Zirui staggered and said weakly, "I just used my internal energy, it hurts a little..."

His face was a little pale, but... Aruo supported him and looked at him suspiciously, feeling that something was wrong. "Then, I'll take you back to rest."

Cheng Sheng stood aside and looked at these people with a bad feeling. This atmosphere that clearly separated people made him feel hesitant to say anything. He had always been able to get along well in the army, so he didn't understand why they inexplicably treated him with hostility.

Seeing them walking towards the Dayin Temple's sleeping quarters, Cheng Sheng couldn't help but call out to Su Zirui, the only person he had some acquaintance with and a decent relationship with, "Master Su, please stay."

His eyes were slightly closed, perfectly concealing the deep meaning behind it. Su Zirui patted Aruo's hand with a bit of regret and said gently, "You go back first, I'll be there later."

Worried about Caixin's whereabouts, Aruo nodded and quickly followed Yiyuan and the others to the bedroom.