The horse's hooves raised dust, and the man on the lean black horse crouched down and galloped away.
It had been seven days since Ao Xi left the capital, and he finally arrived near Huangkou County.
He shortened the journey from twenty days to eighteen days, and it goes without saying that he had to work day and night to overcome all obstacles.
The long journey made Ao Xi lose weight, and the dark circles under his eyes were almost spreading to his chin.
The black horse under his crotch was also extremely tired. When crossing a stream, it stumbled and almost fell off.
Ao Xi quickly grabbed the reins. The horse was breathing heavily through its nose, and its big eyes seemed full of accusations.
Although a horse may not necessarily have so many dramas, Ao Xi still felt a little guilty. He stroked the black horse's mane and said, "Good brother, you have worked hard. Let's take a rest before we go."
They happened to be near Huangkou County, and he also wanted to ask how Asong was doing.
After Ao Xi coaxed the black horse, he climbed on it and planned to rush forward.
However, before he had run a few steps, a person suddenly ran out on the road.
"Village leader!"
Seeing that he was about to collide with the newcomer, Ao Xi tightened the reins and shouted, "Whoa—"
Seeing that the figure was a woman, Ao Xi's lips curled up before he could think, "Mother... Red Mushroom?"
Looking at Ao Xi's disappointed look, Honggu couldn't guess what he was thinking. He simply mistook her for Su Man.
Thinking of this, Honggu couldn't bear it any longer, "Village leader! I have something important to tell you!"
Seeing that it was Red Mushroom, the smile on Ao Xi's face completely faded. "If I remember correctly, you should be in the prison of Black Wind Village now. According to the village rules, you will be severely punished for escaping without permission."
"Whether it's beating or killing, Honggu has no complaints. Honggu just wants the village chief not to be deceived by Xia Man!"
"Shaman?"
Ao Xi's brows tightened. "Didn't you throw Xia Man off the mountain? How could she deceive me?"
"Village leader, you've been deceived! The wife you married is not Xia Luoran, but Xia Man!"
Red Mushroom's voice was so sharp that it made Ao Xi's ears numb. He felt uneasy, but he scolded her, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Honggu thought Ao Xi didn't believe her, so she said anxiously, "Everything I said is true. Fang Junyi told me personally. That day, he exchanged Xia Man for Xia Luoran. They colluded with each other and wanted to steal the defense map of the Black Wind Village."
"shut up!"
The loud shout startled Honggu. Ao Xi's face was gloomy, and his frowning eyes made him exude a sense of low pressure. "Honggu, I remember that you have followed me for many years, so I will not kill you. But you have made mistakes repeatedly. Neither I nor the Black Wind Village can tolerate you. Go away."
"Village leader..."
Honggu's eyes were red. Ao Xi had clearly said that he would not kill her, but she felt as if she had died once, and there was no part of her body that did not hurt.
She still remembered that year when Ao Xi appeared when she was in deep trouble, and said with a smile, "Do you want to go home with your brother?"
At that time, she didn't know who Ao Xi was or where he would take her, but she extended her hand to him without hesitation.
Because she had just killed someone, Ao Xi had a strong smell of blood on her body, but that smell made her feel extremely at ease.
From that day on, she vowed not to marry anyone but him.
But all this was ruined by Xia Man.
Ever since she came, there was no place for her by Ao Xi's side, and every joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness of his was because of him.
Finally, God took pity on her and she caught Xia Man with bad intentions, but Ao Xi actually chose to believe her...
"Why."
Red Mushroom seemed to have been drained of all his strength. "Why don't you believe me? I'm the one who loves you the most, so why won't you even look at me?"
"That's enough. From today on, you are no longer a member of the Black Wind Village. Leave now."
"No, I won't leave. You were the one who brought me back to Black Wind Village! You said you would give me a home, you can't break your promise!"
Ao Xi didn't want to get entangled anymore, so he turned his horse around and headed straight towards Huangkou County.
Honggu was anxious, "Village leader!"
The only response she got was the sound of hurried horse hooves. As Ao Xi walked away, Honggu shouted at his back, "Fang Qingshan and the entire Xia family know about this! She's been lying to you the whole time!"
...
Ao Xi didn't look back, but his face was more solemn than ever.
Would she lie to him?
No, he had promised her that no matter what happened in the future, he would ask her before making any plans.
Besides, the most urgent task at the moment is how to deal with Fang Qingshan.
Thinking of this, Ao Xi temporarily put the matter behind him and headed towards Huangkou County.
He once again came to Cangshan City where he had been with Su Man, intending to rest and then contact the brothers who stayed behind.
Unexpectedly, he felt something unusual as soon as he entered Cangshan City. When he and Su Man came back to Cangshan City to ask for directions, it was still very lively here.
It’s different now. On the streets, soldiers can be seen everywhere, but there are very few pedestrians.
Ao Xi didn't know what was happening here, let alone whether they were targeting him, so he tried to reduce his presence as much as possible and went to the teahouse where he had been before.
The waiter who was so busy that his feet hit the back of his head last time was now picking his feet idly. When he saw Ao Xi, his dull eyes sparked with light, "Sir! You are here again!"
Ao Xi raised an eyebrow, "Do you still remember me?"
"That's right. It's rare to see such a handsome guest as you."
After a round of flattery, the waiter rubbed his hands and said, "Sir, are you here to hear the secrets today? You can get it for half price today."
He was thinking about the change Su Man gave him last time, rubbing his fingertips with a lewd smile.
Ao Xi happened to be there to get some information, so he threw him a small piece of silver and said, "Tell me about the latest happenings in the city."
"Okay."
The waiter's voice lightened after he collected the silver. He brought out the peanuts necessary for listening to the story again, sat down in front of Ao Xi, slapped his thigh, and said, "Sir, you've got the point. Something big has happened here recently. Guess what?"
Ao Xi: "What's going on?"
Waiter: "The mountain over there in Huangkou County exploded!"
"What? Exploded?"
Ao Xi's eyes flashed, "What's going on?"
"Hey, this thing has spread all over the surrounding area. A few days ago, there was a sudden loud noise in Huangkou County. At first, we thought it was an earthquake, and no one dared to go over. Only when people ran out later did they realize that there was an explosion inside."
The waiter tutted twice and said, "Come out and tell me, hey, guess what?"
Ao Xi was forced to play the supporting role: "...What's going on?"
"The people in there were all locked up by the unscrupulous mine owner to work as miners. I don't know how long they've been locked up. If it weren't for the explosion inside, they wouldn't have been able to escape."
explode...
Could it be Asong and the others?
"But I heard that the explosion killed a lot of people and even alarmed the imperial court. A general came and searched every household. As a result, no one dared to go out these days, and even our business has been quite bad."
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