Chapter 86

The night sky was shrouded in darkness, blocking out the moon. In the distance, a few owls cried out, and as if frightened, they flapped their wings and flew high up, leaving only a few tail feathers.

"Third boss, everyone is here, we can start." A man with a pointed face and a scimitar in his hand, looked eager to try.

They saw from afar the people who came today. They were dressed in rich clothes and rode fat and strong horses. They were obviously fat sheep, much better than the group of poor people in Qingquan County.

"Wang Er, why are you so anxious? The Third In Command said that we have to wait a little longer and take action late at night. Last time, you let the person escape because of your impatience. Otherwise, you will be laughed at by the Second In Command when you go back." The man next to him slapped Wang Er in the face and smiled ingratiatingly at the man in front who had been silent.

The man was burly, with a scar on his face that made him look even more ferocious. He drew the knife from his waist with a ferocious look on his face, "Shut up, how come the fire inside is out?"

"They are all asleep, right? Now is the time to take action and let them meet the King of Hell in their dreams." Wang Er said, waving his knife.

The third in command, Meng Hu, made a gesture and rushed out first. The people following him jumped out like ghosts and headed straight for the dilapidated house.

With a bang, Meng Hu kicked the door open and shouted, "Don't move. Take out the money and food you have."

The thugs following behind him came in holding torches, but saw that the house was empty and there was only a pile of burnt firewood.

"Oh no, we've fallen into a trap." Meng Hu kicked the pile of firewood away and said angrily, "The man must not have run far. Chase him."

As soon as he finished speaking, several arrows shot in with a whoosh, hitting the pillars inside the house with great force. Meng Hu looked at the arrows and shouted, "Get out of the way."

Then several more arrows shot at the two minions with the force of thunder. The minions spat out blood and fell to the ground.

This group of bandits had never seen such a scene before. They were so scared that their legs went limp. Wang Er said tremblingly, "Third boss, what should we do? These people don't look like the merchants we used to meet." How could a merchant get such skills?

Meng Hu's face was tense, and he shouted, "Why are you running? Come on, I don't believe he has many arrows left."

The clouds gradually dispersed, revealing a crescent moon hidden behind. The pale moon and sparse clouds made Xie Chen's profile look particularly cold and stern.

"Zhongxuan, thanks to your reminder, otherwise we would have fallen into a den of thieves," Lin Shuge was holding a crossbow in his hand, which he had asked Xiangli Gu to prepare early on. He had heard that there were bandits in Qingquan County, and this crossbow came in handy.

This small crossbow is lighter than those used in the army, but has great power. With Lin Shuge's arm strength, he can easily shoot the arrow.

"Brother, they are coming out." Xie Chen put the arrow on the arrow path, the tip of the arrow gleaming coldly, aiming at Meng Hu's head.

This man should be the leader of this gang of bandits. To catch a thief, one must first catch the leader. Xie Chen knows this best.

"Brother, step back." Xie Chen's eyes were as sharp as torches, staring intently into the distance.

Over there, Meng Hu kicked a few minions and asked them to walk in front, while he looked around with a knife in his hand. Unexpectedly, an arrow pierced the air and brushed past his ear, leaving a blood mark on his face in an instant. Immediately afterwards, the second arrow came straight towards him and was about to hit him. He reached out and pulled a minion in front of him. There was a "puff" sound, which was the sound of the arrow entering the body. The minion was hit and stared at Meng Hu with his eyes wide open.

Meng Hu threw his body away. This archery skill was definitely not that of an ordinary person. It would be difficult for him to leave today.

He ordered Wang Er and his minions to charge forward, while he slowly retreated. When he took a few steps back and was ready to run, he felt a piercing pain in his leg. He had to kneel on the ground and look at the arrow stuck in his leg. He stood up despite the severe pain, but unexpectedly another arrow hit his other leg.

"Third boss, are you okay?" Wang Er ran over to support him. Meng Hu closed his eyes and saw a pile of dead bodies lying beside him. He knew that today was the end. "Run quickly and tell my eldest brother to avenge me."

"I think you should just stay here and wait until I catch your boss so we can be reunited." The voice was clear, like the morning breeze, but to Meng Hu and Wang Er, it sounded like a death warrant.

The moon was bright and the wind was gentle as Lin Shuge and his men walked out from the darkness.

Meng Hu and Wang Er finally saw the people clearly and asked, "Who are you?"

Lin Shuge smiled and said, "Of course he is a good person."

Xie Chen was protecting him closely behind him. Meng Hu knew at a glance that this was the person who had just shot him. Although he was young, he was so cruel and ruthless. The arrows that shot into his legs were fast and fierce. It was obvious that he wanted to keep him alive but not let himself have an easy life.

"You...you'd better let us go, otherwise our boss will find out and you might lose your lives." Wang Er said with a trembling knife in his hand, looking stern but weak inside.

Suddenly a stone bounced over and knocked the knife out of his hand. Wang Er looked at his empty hands, his legs softened and he knelt on the ground, "Please spare my life, I..."

"Sir, Mr. Lu is waiting for us with the young master and the young lady on the official road ahead. What should we do with these two people?" Xiangli Gu took down the crossbow in his hand and asked the two of them.

"Give him a simple treatment of his wound and then take him to Qingquan County. We will go there first to meet them." Lin Shuge said.

It is still useful to keep these two men. After all, from what we just said, this gang of bandits seems to be well-disciplined and well-organized. We have to keep them and interrogate them thoroughly.

When Meng Hu heard Xiangli Gu calling him "Sir," he knew in his heart that he had made a mistake today and had offended someone from the government. They knew all the officials in Qingquan County Court, big and small, but they had never seen this person before. He should be the new magistrate of Qingquan County.

Xie Chen stepped forward and picked up Wang Er, "Carry him on your back. If you want to escape, you can try to see whether your legs are faster or my arrow is faster." Xie Chen looked at him coldly.

Wang Er almost wanted to throw his head away, leaving an afterimage. He had witnessed Xie Chen's archery skills today, and saw with his own eyes that the once powerful Third In Command was defeated by this man's arrow, so how could he dare to think of running away?

"Brother, you go first, I'll keep an eye on them from behind." Xie Chen's voice was a little gentle, but Meng Hu and Wang Er were startled when they heard it.

Lin Shuge said softly, "Let's go over there quickly. A Yuan and A Xuan will probably be worried."

Here, Lu Yuechuan, the twins and Xiaobai were waiting anxiously. Lin Qingyuan was so anxious that he turned around and around, "Mr. Lu, why haven't my elder brother and the others come yet?"

Although Lin Xuan did not say anything, she slightly tightened her hands around Xiaobai. Xiaobai cried out, and she touched it to comfort it as if waking up from a dream.

Lu Yuechuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, they have crossbows in their hands, they are just a group of bandits. Besides, don't you have another brother? I heard that he is an excellent martial artist, and ordinary bandits are no match for him."

Having said that, Lu Yuechuan still let go of the reins, got off the carriage, and silently looked in the direction he came from.

It was already slightly bright in the sky, and the shadows of trees on the roadside could be vaguely seen. Hearing the sound of horse hooves, Lu Yuechuan immediately became alert.

The person who came over here called out, "Mr. Lu."

It is Xiangli Valley.

Only then did he feel relieved and waved towards the distance.

Lin Shuge and the others got off their horses, and Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan immediately ran over, "Brother, Erlang, are you all right?"

"It's okay, Erlang is here." Lin Shuge said with a smile.

"Let's go directly to Qingquan County. Erlang, thank you and Xiangli Gu for riding horses to lead them." Lin Shuge pointed at Meng Hu and Wang Erdao.

"good."

Lin Qingyuan was still looking at the two captured bandits curiously when he was pulled into the carriage by Lin Xuan.

Lu Yuechuan drove the carriage and threw the reins, "Hold on tight, let's go."

Lin Shuge pinched his sore arm and closed his eyes to rest. This happened before he even arrived in Qingquan County. It seemed that this small Qingquan County was full of hidden talents.

Xiaobai jumped out of Lin Xuan's arms, jumped onto Lin Shuge's legs, stepped on him a few times, and meowed at him again.

"What's wrong with it?" Lin Xuan asked.

"My little ancestor is hungry." Lin Shuge replied as he took out food from his bag, "I'm sorry, you have to eat some of the leftover minced meat first. I'll make more for you when the time comes," he said with a smile, touching the little white-haired head.

This was a thrilling night. Not only the humans, but even the cat was tired. Fortunately, Xiaobai has been accustomed to seeing people since he was a child and has been raised in the yard, so he is brave. Otherwise, I am afraid he would be stressed out after going out this time.

Lin Shuge looked at it wolfing down its food, and it seemed to be fine.

The early morning sun shone into the carriage. A few bird calls were heard outside. Lin Shuge opened his eyes. Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan were sleeping together, with Xiaobai sleeping in his arms.

He slowly picked up Xiaobai, then quietly opened the curtain and walked out.

"Sir, we're almost there." Lu Yuechuan said after hearing the noise.

"Let me take over. You go in and take a rest."

Lu Yuechuan didn't act pretentiously. He stopped the carriage, exchanged seats with him, and then got into the carriage to take a nap.

Lin Shuge raised the whip and the horse galloped, passing the dead trees on the roadside and moving forward until he saw a city.

It's finally here.

Xie Chen and Xiang Li Gu, riding horses, had arrived ahead of them.

Lin Shuge stopped the carriage and said to everyone, "Let's go into the city first."

Naturally, everyone had no objection, and when they arrived at the city gate, the guards stopped them.

"Who is here? Bring me the clearance documents." said a soldier.

Lin Shuge took out the official seal and documents from his pocket and gave them to them. The officer bowed hurriedly and said, "Greetings, County Magistrate Lin. I hope you will not blame me for not recognizing the great man."

"It's okay, take us to the county government first." Lin Shuge said.

An officer quickly opened the city gate and let everyone in, while another soldier rode in front to lead the way.

It was just daybreak, and only a few shops in the city were open. There were not many pedestrians on the streets. Some people who had gotten up early to buy vegetables were walking on the streets carrying their baskets on their shoulders. They would immediately avoid them when they saw them.

Following the road westward, we finally arrived at the county government office. Lin Shuge stopped the carriage and got out.

A man was seen running out in a hurry while putting on his clothes. "I am Xu Zhengcai, the county magistrate of Qingquan County, and I am here to see the county magistrate Lin. I have been temporarily taking over the position of the Qingquan County magistrate and have been living in the county office. I don't know the whereabouts of the county magistrate today. I hope you won't bother with me."

Xie Chen and Xiang Ligu followed behind him, and Lu Yuechuan crossed his arms and watched the scene in front of him.

"Oh? Do you mean that I came at the wrong time?" Lin Shuge asked leisurely.

"I dare not."

Lin Shuge looked at him with a smile. Almost half an hour had passed since he entered the city. He had clearly seen someone riding back at full speed to report. But he only got out of bed at this moment. It was obvious that he wanted to show him a warning on purpose.

"No hurry, County Magistrate Xu, take your time to tidy up your appearance," he looked at an officer, "Go, call all the officials in the county."

The officer looked at Xu Zhengcai, who lowered his head and winked at him. Then he bowed to Lin Shuge and retreated.

Lin Shuge looked at him coldly, "Zhongxuan, let's go in first."

Xu Zhengcai hurriedly followed behind, but a stone flew at him from behind, causing him to stumble, step on his robe and fall to the ground.

Lu Yuechuan laughed at the side, "Mr. Xu, you are too polite. It is not a festival, so there is no need to kowtow to you."

Xu Zhengcai gritted his teeth and said, "It was my negligence, it was my negligence."

Xie Chen snorted coldly and rushed forward with big strides, "Brother, wait for me."