Chapter 647: Reunion with the "Gambler"! (5k)

In the wilderness outside the city in spring, a "flying boat" towed by a giant bird slowly moved in the air, casting a shadow on the earth.

The refugees were terrified. Some tried to flee, but were forced back by arrows shot down from the flying boats. Some even shouted in fear:

"It's a Liaoren..."

"Recruiting team?" Zhao Duan was inconspicuous in the crowd and looked at Yuxiu curiously.

The female Taoist priest squinted her eyes at the flying boat in the sky and explained:

"As far as I know, the Liao people have a small population, so they have a tradition of 'recruiting soldiers' when going to war.

In Xinjiang, if there are frictions or small-scale battles between tribes, they will drive many beasts to fight each other to reduce casualties.

During several historical conflicts with the Yunfu people, it is said that they also liked to drive the people from the border to the frontier, so that the Liao warriors could restrain the soldiers of the Yu State.

Zhao Duan rubbed it and said suddenly:

"So it's cannon fodder?"

Cannon fodder? Yuxiu chewed on the unfamiliar word and nodded.

"That's a pretty accurate description. It looks like we're not too far from the Liaoren army, but we're not close either.

These people should be a small group sent out to recruit soldiers, and then they will drive us to join the main force."

After a brief pause, Yuxiu looked at him, asking in a questioning tone:

"Do you want me to take action and eliminate them? Or capture them alive and torture them?"

The flying sword in the sleeve of the female Taoist priest is eager to try...

Zhao Duan shook his head:

"Not yet, let's see what happens. I actually have a suspicion that one of their motives might be to find us.

Oh, if Song Zhi isn't too stupid, he'll definitely send someone to report our group to the front lines. If we're exposed, we'll probably attract more people to encircle and suppress us."

Tuoba Weizhi said expressionlessly:

"The slave will protect the master from any danger."

Zhao Duan smiled and resisted the urge to ruffle the girl's long, straight black hair:

"I'm not afraid of being surrounded. I just want to see the situation first."

With the combat power of a few people, as long as they don't encounter the main force of the Liao people, they are really not afraid of anyone.

At this time, the people on the road squatted down in fear, and Zhao Duan and his companions also squatted on the ground like the refugees.

Playing the pig and eating the tiger is the case.

Although the four of them had changed into ordinary clothes along the way, their appearance was still somewhat outstanding.

Fortunately, Yuxiu had rich experience in traveling, and she took action herself and quickly dressed up several people in a tacky and ugly manner.

In addition, the entire team is large in number, so as long as they are careful, they can still hide.

Not long after, a group of "bandits" emerged from the distant mountains and forests. They were almost all people from the Yu State, with only a few Liao people warriors mixed in.

This group of "bandits" were very arrogant. They brandished swords and whips, and loudly gathered the refugees to give them a lecture.

"Is this... puppet troops?" Zhao Duan had a strange expression.

Yuxiu glanced at him and explained:

"It seems that they have defected to some traitors from the Liao people. However, these people don't look like ordinary bandits. They are obviously well-trained."

Well... a qualified puppet army...

Zhao Duan silently labeled this group of people as "deserving to be killed" in his heart.

At this time, the bandits suddenly separated, and a young man who was obviously the leader of this "puppet army" came out.

He was wearing a gray cloak with soft armor underneath, and it was obvious that he was of much higher status than the other bandits.

It's just that the young man is a little feminine, and the dark circles under his eyes caused by alcohol and sex make him lack some of his bandit spirit. Instead, he exudes a sense of "nobility" that comes from years of pampering.

The young man looked down at the shivering refugees and loudly preached:

"...I am the Crown Prince of Prince Mu's Mansion. You have left my residence without permission, and you are guilty! Today, I will give you an opportunity to redeem yourself and make meritorious contributions. Follow me to the border town and escort our food and fodder..."

During this kind of propaganda, they naturally wouldn't be frank about the fact that they were using the refugees as cannon fodder. Instead, they simply told them to help transport military rations and made various promises. This was just a trick to appease the people and prevent the refugees from going all out and refusing to cooperate...

Capturing these local people to share the task of escorting the baggage can further save the Liao people's manpower...killing two birds with one stone.

However, Zhao Duan in the crowd was stunned:

"Prince of Prince Mu's Mansion?!"

He quickly realized that after Zhao Shixiong pacified Yunfu Road, he had sent a memorial back to the capital, which detailed the process of his suppression of the rebellion.

It was mentioned that when he led his troops into Yunfu, a group of retainers and soldiers stationed in the rear, led by the eldest son of Prince Mu's Mansion, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, saw that the situation was not good and evacuated in advance and fled into the mountains in the southwest.

The southwest is mountainous and there are many bandits in the mountains, which are difficult for border troops to suppress.

After the remnants of Prince Mu's palace "became bandits", it was difficult to eradicate them in a short period of time.

For this, the empress did not punish Zhao Shixiong. After all, Prince Mu's Palace had been completely destroyed. Although the few remaining remnants were troublesome, they could not cause any major disaster.

In the current situation, with a powerful enemy at the door, there is no time to take care of these small characters, and they can only be eliminated slowly in the future.

However, unexpectedly, this group of remnants of Prince Mu's palace actually defected to the Liao people and became guides and "fake soldiers".

What’s even more coincidental is that Xu Jingtang’s eldest son actually appeared here and became the leader of this recruiting team.

"Prince?"

"Is he Prince Mu?"

After hearing these words, the refugees were actually driven to gather together because of their deep-rooted fear of Prince Mu's Mansion. They abandoned a large amount of their property and only took dry food with them as they were driven north by this group of people.

"Do you feel that enemies often cross paths?"

Yuxiu smiled and whispered:

"It seems that what you said before was right. If I had not waited a moment and had directly killed the Liao people in the sky, I'm afraid Prince Mu would not have come."

Several of them had a deep grudge against Xu Jingtang.

Zhao Duan grinned, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light, and whispered:

"I can understand rebellion and treason. After all, it's all a civil war within the royal family. But being a guide, haha, is a way to death."

However, Zhao Duan still did not rush to take action. He wanted to wait a little longer to see if he could join up with other recruiting teams, lure out more enemies, and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

So the four of them lowered their heads and walked among the panicked refugees.

“Bang!”

Suddenly, Zhao Duan heard the sound of whips and wailing. He saw in front of the team that the prince of Prince Mu was holding a whip and beating a slightly wealthy middle-aged man to the ground.

The middle-aged man was dressed modestly, but all of his clothes were made of high-quality materials. His melon-shaped hat had been knocked off his head. He covered his bloody face and begged for mercy loudly:

"Young Master! It's me, don't you remember? When the prince was still alive, I was the one who went to the mansion to present gifts every New Year and every festival. I was also your thirteenth concubine..."

“Bang!”

The eldest son lashed out with the whip again, hitting the middle-aged man, leaving his skin and flesh torn.

The prince with a feminine appearance said sinisterly:

"Stop trying to get close to me! And you still think I'll let you go? Who the hell do you think you are?! Come on, strip this bastard of his clothes and give him a good beating. Just in case these dishonest people see it."

Behind him, two subordinates came up with a grim smile and dragged the middle-aged man away like a dead dog. Soon, screams like a pig being slaughtered were heard.

The eldest son then turned around and fawned over a Liao warrior who was walking towards him after hearing the noise. He bent over fawningly and explained in a gibberish in Liao language.

In the end, he only provoked a slap from the beastman, leaving five finger marks on the eldest young master's face, but he remained submissive and put on a smile. The beastman then laughed and turned away.

In the crowd, Zhao Duan watched coldly, without any sympathy.

…

…

The team kept moving forward.

At noon, they joined up with another recruiting team, and the size of the entire cannon fodder team expanded again, reaching one or two thousand people.

In the evening, as the sun set, the team finally stopped and the refugees were driven to set up tents.

Some of the dozens of Liao people entered the tent, while others landed the flying boat to feed the big bird.

They always kept a safe distance from the refugee group, not too close, nor too far.

"It seems that only these people have gathered today, and they are still a long distance away from the main force." Zhao Duan said in a low voice.

As the sun set, the sleepy Jin Jian gradually regained consciousness. Her stomach began to growl. She covered her stomach with her hands, looking embarrassed.

"I'm hungry..."

Yuxiu held her forehead with her hand, feeling a little embarrassed.

Zhao Duan smiled and was about to say something when he suddenly noticed a fight breaking out in the crowd not far away. This attracted the attention of a "bandit" who started cursing:

"What are you fighting for? If you want to fight, how about I join you? If I can't kill you..."

As he spoke, the bandit swung the whip in his hand with a "snap". The force was so great that if someone was weak, this whip could really kill him.

Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and was about to step forward but stopped in his tracks. He saw that one of the two fighting parties, a young man who was originally pinned to the ground, suddenly jumped up, pressed his opponent under him, and used his back to withstand the whip, letting out a scream.

The people around them also dispersed.

In the blink of an eye, the only person left in the open space was the man who had been whipped and was lying on the ground, but no one paid any attention to him at all.

"Huh?" Yuxiu suddenly cried out in surprise, tugged at the golden slip with her hand, and whispered:

"Does that person look familiar to you?"

"..." Jin Jian had no expression on her face. She just stared at her senior sister silently with her astigmatism eyes - in order to avoid being different, she had hidden her glasses long ago.

As if to say: Are you sure you want to ask me?

Yuxiu was extremely embarrassed and whispered, "It seems to be Fourth Junior Brother."

Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, confused and uncertain: "Who?"

Yuxiu said uncertainly:

"Master's fourth disciple, Han Zhao. But he's been traveling around, and we haven't been in touch for a long time."

Han Zhao? The fourth disciple of the old Heavenly Master?

Zhao Duan's heart moved: "Go and take a look!"

At this time, the sun was setting slowly, smoke was rising slowly from the camp of thousands of people, and the sky was getting darker.

Zhao Duan and the other three walked over, surrounded the young man on the ground, squatted down and looked at him.

As if sensing someone coming, Han Zhao, who was lying motionless on the ground as if unconscious, opened his eyes, hummed twice, and turned over. He saw four dirty big faces filling the sky above his head.

"ah!"

Han Zhao was startled and Zhao Duan immediately covered his mouth with his palm. Han Zhao widened his eyes and thought to himself, could there be any bad people among these refugees?

“Wuwuwu…”

He subconsciously activated his magical powers, trying to force himself to stand up. With his worldly realm cultivation, no one in the entire camp could hold him down... Huh?

However, just as Han Zhao was trying to mobilize his magic power, Tuoba Weizhi stretched out his hand and slammed him back to the ground.

Han Zhao: “…”

Yuxiu carefully identified the face in front of her and said in surprise:

"It's really the fourth one."

Jin Jian rubbed his highly astigmatist and myopic eyes, moved closer, and said in surprise:

“It’s true!”

Zhao Duan lowered his voice: "Han Zhao, don't make a sound, I am Zhao Duan."

Han Zhao: ? ?

At this time, Yuxiu raised her hand and restored her true appearance.

Han Zhao was also stunned and almost cried out in surprise. Suddenly his eyes lit up and when he saw Zhao Duan let go of his hand, he whispered in surprise:

"Second Senior Sister? And...that's the Junior Sister? Why are you here?"

Yuxiu whispered:

"It's a long story. We were surprised you're here. This is the current Shao Bao, Grand Commander Zhao..."

She took the initiative to point at Zhao Duan.

Han Zhao was surprised and confused: "Are you the pretty boy that His Majesty kept?"

Zhao Duan: "...Tuoba."

Tuoba Weizhi said nothing, stretched out his little hand again, and pressed Han Zhao's head into the ground with a "bang".

The four disciples of the Tianshi Mansion were completely unable to resist.

…

After a while.

In this corner of the camp, Han Zhao got up, sat cross-legged on the ground, and saluted respectfully towards Zhao Duan:

"Han Zhao, the priest of the Heavenly Master's Mansion, is honored to meet you, Master Zhao. I have long heard of your great name and am delighted to have the opportunity to meet you today."

Zhao Duan, Yuxiu, Jinjian and Tuoba Weizhi also sat cross-legged on the ground, accepting his defeat calmly.

Han Zhao looked at Tuoba Weizhi with awe again, and said cautiously:

"I wonder who this person is..."

Tuoba Weizhi's face was unhappy, and he had no good feelings towards this guy who had offended his master:

"I am the master's maid."

Well, it could also be a male servant...

Han Zhao, who was thin and had arms larger than those of an ordinary person, was shocked and looked at Zhao Duan with a different look.

I suspect that I have been wandering for too long and have become out of touch with the world.

Such a powerful person, who could suppress him with one hand and make it difficult for him to circulate his magic power, was just a maid?

"Well, let's not talk about this," Zhao Duan said seriously:

"I wonder why Brother Han is here?"

Han Zhao also became serious after hearing this. He first glanced at Yu Xiu, and after receiving an affirmative nod, he said seriously:

"I have been traveling around the world these years, and I used to wander around the Western Regions.

Later, the Western Regions were in turmoil, and the bald monks of the Buddhist ancestral temple began to purge the Western Regions of non-Buddhist monks. I sensed that something was wrong, so I left early and went to Yunfu.

I originally wanted to find Senior Sister Yuxiu to inquire about the world situation, but unexpectedly learned that the Liao people had sent troops to attack the Yunfu border troops. I thought that the Liao people must be empty at this time, so... ahem, I prepared to go and slay the demons and eliminate the evil.

Yuxiu interrupted with a sneer:

"Slay demons and monsters? Are you trying to get some free money to support your cultivation?"

Han Zhao smiled awkwardly but politely:

“Both, both…”

Zhao Duan thought that the rumor about the priest who was in charge of correcting the god "fate" and called himself "the Saint of Gambling" was interesting.

She wasn't as steady and reliable as the young Taoist priest Zhong Pan, nor was she as arrogant and aloof as the "Green Jade Sword" Yu Xiu. Instead, she was quite humorous and couldn't help but smile and said:

"Go on."

"Okay," Han Zhao said with a serious expression.

"I accidentally learned in the Western Regions that there were valuable treasures hidden in La Garden. As the saying goes, treasures belong to the virtuous... But unexpectedly, when I approached the main camp, I was discovered by the Liao people's sentries.

A Liao man named Man Gu, with hundreds of Liao people’s brave generals, chased me.

But what means do I have?

Even though we were surrounded and retreated temporarily, the hundreds of fierce generals who escaped were like wild dogs... In the end, knowing that they could not catch up with me, I had no choice but to give up..."

Being hunted by Man Gu... hundreds of Liao warriors... Zhao Duan, Yu Xiu and Jin Jian all had strange expressions.

If I'm not mistaken, was this the "spy" that Man Gu was chasing before he changed his target?

However, there are only twenty or thirty people in total. When did they become hundreds of elite soldiers?

Besides, it was obvious that Man Gu retreated temporarily because he sensed that we were there, right?

Han Zhao failed to show off, but he still didn't realize it, and scribbled:

"Just as I was about to leave, the world in the forest suddenly changed. I vaguely saw a familiar blue cloud shaking the sky, and then the big Laba was also startled.

Out of caution, I didn't get close, but if I'm not mistaken, the only Heavenly Dao cultivator in the world who can fight against evil spirits is probably Master..."

Having said this, Han Lao Si suddenly paused, then belatedly stared at the few people and asked tentatively:

"Speaking of which, Lord Zhao, you appear here..."

Yuxiu had a blank expression on her face, a cold attitude that cut him off from her:

"We rushed to Dajiang with our master. Oh, and we also ran into the Man Gu you mentioned, but he didn't have hundreds of people with him."

Han Zhao's body shook.

Jin Jian pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and said seriously:

"Master beat Man Gu to death. We interrogated the Liao people and they said they were chasing a spy and were about to capture him, so they came looking for us at short notice."

Han Zhao's body shook again.

Zhao Duan smiled and said:

"I can't tell you the details, but basically, when Zhang Tianshi was fighting Da Laba, I sneaked into La Garden with two priests and brought someone out. Yes, it was her."

He pointed at Tuoba Weizhi, who was ruthless and taciturn, and said with a smile:

"She is the high priestess of the Liao people and the guardian of the La Garden. She must be the 'treasure' you are looking for."

Han Zhao felt a numbness in his spine going straight up to the top of his head.

Zhao Duan continued:

"We just escaped from the southwest border not long ago and are preparing to go to the border town to join the imperial army. What about you?"

Han Zhao suddenly held his head:

"My mind is a little confused..."

Zhao Duan smiled:

"Then calm down and tell me why you are here?"

Han Zhao answered subconsciously:

"I didn't dare get close to Master and the Heretic God. I originally wanted to go to La Garden, but I felt something was wrong there and it was very dangerous, so I retreated cautiously. Later, I found out that the entire Liao people were hunting someone, so I had no choice but to run away and hide among the refugees."

(End of this chapter)