Chapter 105
"Second Mother Gu! Didn't I say that my Shen family has important matters to attend to today and cannot attend the banquet?"
Mr. Shen walked out of the house and met Gu Er Niang at the gate of the courtyard. He looked quite helpless.
"The whole village is going, so how could your Shen family not go?" Gu Ran said loudly, "I see, Master Shen, it's because you've looked down on me since you moved to this village that you're not showing up, right?"
At this time, Gu Ran saw the two assassins following Master Shen and pretended to be surprised: "Oh, so we have distinguished guests!"
"So, didn't I tell you, Madam Gu? I'm really busy." Master Shen turned around and glanced at Master Jia, wiped his sweat, and politely declined again: "Madam Gu, I appreciate your kindness, please go back!"
"That won't work. I told everyone in the village that this is happening. Since you have guests, Master Shen, and you can't go, your Shen family should send someone over to make a show of attending." Gu Ran smiled at the two guests and continued to talk to Master Shen, "Don't we still have your Dalang? I can't go, so let this kid go. We're neighbors after all, so please give me some face, Master Shen?"
"This..." Mr. Shen turned around and looked at Mr. Jia.
Gu Ran also looked at him: "I say, this distinguished guest from the Shen family, you are here as a guest of the Shen family, right? Since you are a guest, you should follow the host's wishes. You don't insist on having Mr. Shen's entire family accompany you, right? Who are you?" As he said this, he deliberately looked at the two of them carefully.
Mr. Jia's heart sank.
The money hasn't been received yet, so I can't make any mistakes here.
It's just a few people going to a banquet. As long as Master Shen Wu is in their hands, why worry about his two sons not coming back to see their father?
So Master Jia smiled and said, "No, no, we are guests, so we will not interfere in other people's affairs. Everything is up to Master Shen Wu to arrange."
"Then, Dalang!"
"Father?"
"Tell your mother, your wife, and Jiaojiao to go to Madam Gu's orange grove for a feast!" Master Shen said calmly, "Madam Gu has come personally to invite them, why don't you go and call them?"
"Okay, let's go." Shen Dalang looked at his father deeply and went back to the room to call people.
But after a while, Shen Dalang came out with his wife Jiaojiao in his arms.
Because they were going to a banquet, they didn't bring anything with them to avoid the assassin's suspicion, but they still brought two servants and guards with them, including Aunt Xia.
"Where is your mother?" Mr. Shen asked hurriedly when he saw that someone was missing.
"Mother said that it's time for the feast, and that the three of us are enough, so she'll stay to accompany you." Shen Dalang said with difficulty. A flash of guilt flashed through his mind, but he quickly regained his composure. "Then, Father, you and Mother stay home. We'll be back soon after the feast."
"Okay, okay." Master Shen nodded silently. "Madam Gu, are you satisfied now?"
"Satisfied, satisfied." Gu Ran smiled at Mr. Shen, and slowly left with Shen Dalang and his family of three.
Master Shen turned around and asked, "Master Jia, shall we go back to the house and wait?"
"Okay." Mr. Jia didn't expect him to do that and went back to the main hall to sit down.
Outside the Shen family mansion, Shen Dalang asked the driver to drive a carriage over. "Second Lady Gu, are you going to the Donglin Township ferry?"
"That's right. Once we get to the ferry, we'll have a boat to take you to the banquet." Gu Ran smiled and got on the donkey cart he had driven and led the way. He couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw that they had smoothly left Xiaxi Village and arrived safely at the Donglin Township market.
She and Shen Dalang have barely escaped from the tiger's mouth, but what about Liu Niang and Li Ji?
Gu Ran couldn't help but worry.
"Gu Erniang, you are finally here!"
"Yes, we are all waiting for the ferry to your Dunzi Island!"
The villagers of Xiaxi Village who were still at the ferry and had not yet boarded the boat shouted, and a group of hangers-on were also making a commotion.
Gu Ran got off the donkey cart, and Shen Dalang also helped his wife get off the carriage. Looking at so many people at the Donglin Township Market, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Hey, the young master of the Shen family is also going to the banquet!"
"Mrs. Gu is so honorable."
"Why don't you see Mr. Shen?"
"My father has guests to entertain today and can't get away, so he can't come." Shen Dalang explained with a forced smile.
"Shen Dalang, come here." Gu Ran saw Liu the boatman coming over and waved his hand. Then, with a smile, he explained to the villagers who were still boarding the boat, "As the host of the banquet, I have to go back and prepare the food before you all. Do you mind if I board the boat first?"
"No, no, I don't mind."
"Mrs. Gu, please hurry back to the island and prepare all the good wine and meat for us!"
"Of course, of course."
Gu Ran smiled, got on the boat, and then asked Shen Dalang and his group, except the coachman, to get on board.
The boat gradually left the shore, and Gu Ran was wary of the hidden chess piece in his heart, but until the boat left the ferry, there was no movement. When the boat passed the rapids, Gu Ran said to Liu the boatman, "Uncle Liu, row to the county dock at full speed immediately, as fast as you can."
"Hey!" Seeing Ran's serious expression, Liu the boatman responded hurriedly and moved forward at full speed.
Soon, we arrived at the county pier.
Shen Dalang took the lead and ran madly to the carriage and horse shop, then drove his horse to the county government office to report the case.
One of the Shen family's guards stayed behind to protect the grandmother and the young master, while the other went to the official school, leaving Shen Erlang to escape.
Gu Ran stayed on the shore waiting, thinking of Pei Liu from the Shen family in the village, feeling anxious.
But we have to wait.
Soon, a large group of constables in black robes came running towards the dock. Gu Ran saw at a glance that the leading constable was none other than Little Master Wu.
On the river, a small boat with the official emblem printed on it was also sailing quickly towards the dock. It was the official boat used exclusively by the county government.
The team of constables did not delay at all. When the dock was still some distance away from the boat, they jumped onto the boat one by one, and then the official ship rushed down like an arrow.
After the official ship left, Mr. Shen hurried back with another team of police officers: "Madam, Aunt Xia, the county magistrate told us to stay in the government office first. It's safe. Hurry!"
The Shen family who were waiting at the dock finally breathed a sigh of relief and went into the city under the escort of the police officers.
"Second Lady Gu?"
"I'm not going, you guys go!"
Gu Ran had just told Liu the boatman to turn the boat around and row back to the Donglin Township ferry when he saw a man on horseback galloping towards him from the dock: "Brother!"
"Brother!" Shen Dalang looked at his younger brother and said happily, "You've come just in time. Come with us to the government office!"
Shen Erlang jumped off the horse, stuffed the reins into Shen Dalang's hands, and shouted to Gu Ran who was slowly leaving the dock: "Gu Erniang, wait for me."
"Brother, what are you doing? Dad has told us to go with you to seek asylum from the government." Seeing his brother about to rush to the dock, Shen Dalang grabbed Shen Erlang's hand and said, "Are you going to die?"
"Yes. But I can't abandon my father!" Shen Erlang said resolutely.
"Do you think I just want to abandon my father?" Shen Dalang roared angrily.
"Brother!" Shen Erlang looked at his sister-in-law and his ignorant little niece and smiled, "I know, brother, you don't want to abandon father. You have no choice."
"Brother!"
"Brother, you are the eldest son of the Shen family. You have already started a family. You are enough to continue the Shen family's incense." Shen Erlang shook off Shen Dalang's hand and ran to the dock quickly. He jumped on the shore and jumped onto Gu Ran's boat. He turned around and shouted to Shen Dalang, "Brother, don't worry and escape. I will accompany my father and mother. That's enough!"
"Brother!" Shen Dalang's eyes suddenly turned red.
Shen Erlang turned back again, his face stern, and said to Liu the boatman: "Sail, the faster the better, I will reward you handsomely!"
Gu Ran glanced at Chen Erlang and nodded vigorously at Liu Tangong.
That group of officials just now, were they going to Xiaxi Village?
Hopefully, they still make it in time.
When he hurried back to Donglin Township, he saw that Village Chief Wu was still at the ferry, and there were even two constables there, holding knives and escorting a man dressed as a farmer.
"Village Chief Wu?"
When Gu Ran jumped off the boat, she saw Village Chief Wu pulling a carriage over and waving for her to get on. However, Shen Erlang was impatient. When he saw his own servants were there, he directly grabbed the horses from the carriage and drove them towards Xiaxi Village.
"Second Mother, don't worry!"
Village Chief Wu, seeing Gu Ran was also anxious and panicked, offered words of comfort: "When you told me this, I was afraid that there would be too many assassins and that Liu Niang and Li Ji would not be able to handle them, so I secretly contacted Village Chief Weng. Donglin Township is close to Xiaxi Village, so Village Chief Weng had already organized a team of militiamen. After evacuating the villagers and hangers-on, Village Chief Weng led the team to help Liu Niang and Li Ji."
Gu Ran was surprised, and then happy.
Then, to deal with those evil thieves who are the best in the world, it won’t just depend on Liu Niang and Li Ji, right?
"Village Chief Wu, thank you so much."
"What are you thanking me for? Mr. Shen's family is from Xiaxi Village, and Liu Niang and Li Ji are also from Xiaxi Village. As the village chief, of course I have to protect them. How can I just watch these evil people harm the people in my own village?" Village Chief Wu grabbed Gu Ran's hand and patted it. "Second Niang, your approach is not bad, but you can discuss it with us more. With more people to weigh in, we can come up with more ideas, right?"
For the first time, Gu Ran looked at Village Chief Wu with gratitude, nodded vigorously, and then looked at the two constables: "What is this?"
"I'm afraid this is the internal help of those evil villains." said Village Chief Wu.
Not long ago, the constable who received the report from Shen Dalang arrived at Donglin Township at a rapid speed. The hangers-on who were still staying at the ferry were still hiding in the valley, not knowing what had happened to alarm so many officials. As a result, one of the hangers-on saw that the situation was not good and wanted to sneak away.
Village chief Wu, who had been warned by Gu Ran earlier, saw that his behavior was suspicious and shouted loudly. The gang of idiots then started to attack and injured many people. The team of detectives had just arrived in Donglin Township and stayed at the ferry to deal with this suspicious person. After capturing him, they left two people to guard him, and the remaining detectives continued to go to Xiaxi Village.
By the time Gu Ran and Village Chief Wu arrived at Xiaxi Village in a carriage, the matter had already been settled.
The group of constables led by Master Wu and the militiamen brought by Village Chief Weng were all gathered outside the Shen family mansion. Two corpses were lying in front of them, and there was also a coachman who was said to have brought the two assassins here. He was injured and kneeling on the ground with his hands tied. This coachman was none other than the head of the Puzhou Assassin Branch, Master Sun.
But at this time, no one knew it. Later, when the hidden chess piece and the rickshaw driver were escorted back to the county government office, the newly appointed county magistrate interrogated him severely and only then did he know the identity of the rickshaw driver.
Of course, the county magistrate also made a great contribution because he arrested the remnants of the assassin who killed General Qiao that day, and even captured the leader of the Puzhou branch. In fact, it was because he saw that the previous county magistrate who was promoted and transferred was rewarded and reused for this assassination. The new county magistrate had to hear the whereabouts of these number one thief assassins, so he was so decisive in dispatching official ships and a large number of constables to rush to Xiaxi Village as quickly as possible. Although when Xiao Wu and his men arrived, the assassins were dead or injured, it did not prevent the county magistrate from taking the credit for this matter.
As for Pei Liuniang and Li Ji, who put in the greatest effort, and the militia sent by Village Chief Weng to help, they were naturally commended and received a lot of rewards.
Because of their good performance in this matter, Li Ji and Pei Liu were even transformed from exiled prisoners secretly monitored by the government into ordinary local citizens, and enjoyed the same tax exemptions as local residents. This could be considered a blessing.
The Xiaxi villagers who went to Dunzi Island to see the beautiful orange groves on the island and had good food and drink only came back to find out that such a big thing had happened in their village. They had to ask Village Chief Wu to explain that Gu Er Niang invited them to a banquet in order to help everyone escape this disaster.
The villagers were so relieved that they immediately expressed their gratitude to Gu Er Niang.
Later, as the militiamen brought by Village Chief Weng told the details of how they intercepted and killed the number one thief, more and more people in and outside the village knew about the extraordinary skills of Li Ji and Pei Liuniang, and the two of them became famous because of this incident.
Even the county magistrate invited Li Ji and Pei Liu to work in the county government office, but they both naturally refused.
Needless to say, Pei Liu couldn't work in the county government office due to his identity. Li Ji, who originally started out as a hanger-on in Zhengzhou and worked his way up to the government office, ended up in this situation because of working for the government office. Naturally, he had no interest in it.
It would be more comfortable to go to Dunzi Island and continue to guard the orange grove for Gu Er Niang.
Rejecting the county magistrate's invitation only made both of them more famous.
These days, many people from other villages come to Xiaxi Village, not to see the big windmill, but to see the knights and heroines.
"That day, when we followed Village Chief Weng to the outside of the Shen family mansion, Miss Pei, like a deity, just in time to drive the villain out of the house, and after a fierce battle in the air for twenty rounds, Miss Pei Liu pierced the villain's heart and lungs with a sword, killing him instantly!"
"At that time, the great hero Li wielded his sword with such force that the assassin had no way to retreat. Clang clang clang, and the great hero Li dispatched the assassin cleanly and efficiently!"
"Hero Li turned around and saw that the driver who was traveling with the thieves was about to escape! The female hero Pei also noticed it and shouted loudly, throwing the long sword in her hand."
"The long sword was so fast and fierce that it was about to pierce the driver's body, but unexpectedly, the driver missed his step and stepped into a trap, falling down."
"The driver was lucky. He stepped into a trap and was lucky enough to survive."
"Ms. Pei's skills are truly beautiful!"
"Hero Li is not bad either. Didn't you see him easily kill the assassin with just a few ounces of force?"
"All good, all good!"
"We've never discovered that Xiaxi Village has such a great talent hidden. No wonder the county magistrate has come to hire these two people for work!"
"Hey, this is what they call a real person who doesn't show his true face, and if he shows his true face, he's not the real person!"
Gu Ran couldn't help but smile as he listened to others praising Pei Liu and Li Ji.
Haha, these two masters, one is her best friend and the other is her friend, her Gu Er Niang is also awesome.
"Sixth Lady!"
Gu Ran smiled and patted Pei Liu's shoulder.
"What's the matter?" Seeing Gu Ran's smiling face, Pei Liu couldn't help but smile.
"What they said is too general. I want to hear your own words about how you and Li Ji killed those two assassins that day."
"Want to listen?"
"I want to hear you talk about how awesome you were that day."
Pei Liu raised his lips and smiled: "Of course I'm good." Then he added: "Better than Li Ji."
Gu Ran:?
"Because I'm dealing with the more powerful of the two assassins, and Li Ji is just dealing with a soft persimmon." He almost killed the coachman if Er Niang hadn't set a trap.
When the attack took place that day, it was Pei Liu and Li Ji who broke into the Shen family mansion at the same time, holding swords.
Seeing them break in, the two assassins in the reception room and Mr. Shen were all surprised.
Of course, the assassin's surprise was genuine, while Mr. Shen's was fake, and he then smashed the teacup in his hand.
As the sound was heard, the Shen family guards who had been waiting on the side came out with knives in hand and protected Master Shen.
What else don't the two assassins understand?
They also drew their swords on the spot. The two wanted to kill Mr. Shen first, but how could Pei Liu and Li Ji let them succeed?
Each of them picked an opponent and intercepted the attack on Master Shen.
Pei Liu recognized Master Jia, so he naturally picked this tough guy. Master Jia, seeing that this handsome but childish man was taking the initiative to deal with him, sneered: "You're looking for death!"
When Master Jia and Pei Liu actually faced off, he discovered that although he prided himself on being the sixth best thief among the top thieves and having great martial arts skills, this man was not reckless at all, and his swordsmanship was on par with his.
Although this man looked weak, he was actually quite capable of fighting a powerful opponent. After only five moves, he was forced to use all his best skills to be considered evenly matched.
But the balance collapsed under the increasingly fierce attack.
Jialiu was defeated step by step and was in a state of panic at every step.
He noticed that the sword technique this man used was quite similar to the sword technique taught by their number one thief, the swordsman, but this man's sword moves were more skillful and swifter than his.
Why does he know the secret swordsmanship taught within the organization?
who is he?
Mr. Jia felt a chill in his heart.
Could it be that he is also a killer from the first order? Which one?
But why? Why did he want to kill his companions?
The more Master Jia thought about it, the more horrified he became. His mind became confused and he lost the battle even faster. "Wait, you are..."
At this moment, the sword in Pei Liu's hand pierced his heart mercilessly.
"you?"
Jia Liu wanted to ask more questions, but he vomited blood and then fell heavily to the ground.
Pei Liu then quietly landed on the ground, meeting Master Jia's suspicious gaze, and resolutely said, "I'm not."
He never considered himself the number one thief in the world. Even if he had been one, he was forced into it by them.
Jia Liu couldn't believe it and died within three breaths.
Pei Liu was very satisfied as he watched Jia Liu breathe his last.
Ever since he failed to stop the old madman on the island in front of Gu Er Niang, he has been improving his martial arts day by day.
Now it seems to be quite effective.
Because he was able to kill the A-sequence killer who was rumored to be the best.
Mr. Jia is ranked sixth, which means that even if he faces the top five, he should be able to fight.
very good!
Gu Ran listened to how Pei Liu killed Master Jia and clapped his hands: "Amazing, amazing! Our Liu Niang is becoming more and more powerful."
"Of course." Pei Liuyi turned around, very proud, and then whispered: "In the future, it will be even more powerful."
"Okay, I believe you."
At the Shen family, Shen Dalang and Shen Erlang were also listening to the guards who stayed in the house talking about the dangerous incident that day.
Shen Erlang was particularly interested, and his eyes lit up when he heard the guards praising the bravery of Miss Pei that day.
"Is Pei Liuniang really as powerful as you say?"
"Erlangjun, you are really amazing."
"We were all there and saw it with our own eyes."
"Then, hero Li, you should forgive Pei Liuniang, a mere woman, for actually having such skills!"
"This Xiaxi Village really seems to be full of hidden talents!"
Before Shen Erlang could ask anything more, he saw his father walk in. He and Shen Dalang stood up and saluted together: "Father!"
"master!"
Mr. Shen waved his hand and asked the guards to retreat.
Shen Dalang and Shen Erlang supported Master Shen on the left and right. They smelled the smell of medicinal wine and looked at the gauze wrapped around his hands. They were worried: "Dad, are you okay?"
"It's okay, they are just minor injuries." Mr. Shen shook his head.
When the evil thief was being hunted, the coachman heard the noise and came in to assassinate him, but thanks to the protection of his guards and servants, although he was injured, it was only superficial.
These days, he has also been busy rewarding and providing compensation to the slaves and guards in his family who were killed or injured.
Seeing that his two sons were also safe and sound, he was relieved: "This time, our Shen family was able to escape this disaster, thanks to the help of Gu Erniang, Pei Liuniang and Li Ji."
"Dad, and the militia that Village Chief Weng brought with him, their hearts are commendable too."
"Dad knows, Dad knows everything." Master Shen nodded. "After a few days, our Shen family will prepare generous gifts. You two should go and thank them on behalf of Dad and our Shen family."
"Dad, don't worry, we will."
"As for Gu Erniang and Pei Liuniang, father will go there himself."
When Shen Erlang heard this, he immediately stood up and said, "Father, I'll go too."
"you go?"
"When I rushed back to the village from the county town that day, it was Gu Er Niang who drove me back." Chen Erlang said, "I also want to thank her." The most important thing is to go and see whether Liu Niang, who is now known as the heroine, is injured and whether she is safe!
Mr. Shen thought about it and realized that his Erlang had always been close to the two ladies of the Gu family and was even doing business with Gu Ran. He was afraid that there would be no chance in the future. He nodded and said, "Okay."
So two days later, Mr. Shen and Shen Erlang brought two generous gifts and personally visited the Gu family's small house.
"Oh, it's Master Shen!" Gu Ran saw Master Shen and the gift boxes brought by the two servants behind Shen Erlang, and smiled, "And Shen Erlang is here too! Is there anything else important?"
"It's an important matter, a very important matter." Mr. Shen also said with a smile.
When he first came to Xiaxi Village, Mr. Shen had a neither good nor bad impression of Gu Ran. It was not until he learned more and more about her that his impression gradually improved. After this experience, he felt that she was more trustworthy and reliable, and he could even talk and laugh with her.
When he entered the cottage, he saw Pei Liuniang again and exchanged pleasantries warmly. He didn't mind Pei Liu's cold face at all. After giving her two valuable gifts, he sighed softly, "It's rare for me to live in this village. I've gotten used to it. I'm really reluctant to leave."
Gu Ran had just accepted the valuable gift from Master Shen and was wondering what was inside. He was in a good mood, but when he heard Master Shen say this, he was stunned: "Let's go?"
What's the meaning?
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