Chapter 112
Pei Liu's expression also turned serious.
Judging from the situation, it doesn't look like an ordinary family avenging their brother, but more like a situation where people are transferred in batches.
Could it be that Li Ji had guessed right, and that it was really the other number one thieves who came to seek revenge on them?
"According to Second Uncle He, weren't there at least twenty assassins brought by Master Meng?" He hadn't yet taken into account whether there would be more assassins arriving in the future.
Gu Ran and Pei Liu left the stall, intending to report to the county magistrate. As they walked, they said, "If these people are really assassins..."
Pei Liu was walking along while listening to Gu Ran say that when they passed the street of Zuiyue Tower, they saw a group of people coming out of the Changlai Inn in the distance. Because they were far away, they couldn't see their faces clearly at first. When they got closer, Pei Liu was startled and turned his head subconsciously. Then he turned back quickly, pulled Gu Ran over, took one of her arms, and walked in the other direction, "Liu Niang!"
Gu Ran was stunned for a moment, and then he wondered why Pei Liuniang had dragged him away for no reason. He took a quick glance and found that Pei Liuniang's expression was not right. He also saw the group of people approaching them from the corner of his eye, and quickly realized: Could that group of people be the group of Master Meng that Li Si was afraid of?
You know, Gu Ran has already determined in his heart that Pei Liuniang is not the Pei Liuniang from the Pei Mansion in Zhengzhou, but the Pei Liuniang who tried every means to escape from the title of the number one thief and turned over a new leaf.
She understood that Pei Liuniang had probably recognized these people and confirmed that they were the assassins of the Number One Thief. She very cooperatively took Pei Liuniang's hand and said, "My dear, I heard that the rice store in the market buys the freshest and best rice right now. How about we go over there and take a look? After we've seen it, we can dine at Zuiyue Tower, okay?"
Fortunately, Liu Niang usually only wears men's clothes for the convenience of movement. If you don't look closely and don't know the details, you will definitely think she is a handsome man.
Today is the same. Those top thieves should not know that Liu Niang has escaped, so they should not be able to find the flaw, right?
Pei Liuyi quickly understood what Gu Ran meant and replied with a smile, "Okay, everything is up to you, my lady!"
Walking towards them from the other side of the street were Mr. Meng and his companions, who had been lurking for a few days after arriving in the county town before letting down their guard and going to the scene of their brother's accident. They often came to the inn to be present at the scene.
No wonder Pei Liu's face changed drastically after seeing it clearly.
It is Jia 3, the third in the sequence.
The person following him is probably also an assassin at the top of the list.
The reason why Pei Liu recognized them was, firstly, that he smelled the evil spirit on them like Li Si and others, and secondly, when he was the number one thief in the organization, Jia Xu was the most top-notch assassin in the organization and also his potential biggest rival. He usually secretly memorized the faces of a total of ten killers in Jia Xu.
So he recognized Mr. Jia as Jialiu at a glance, and now he also recognized this Jiasan.
Sick and unwell.
He should have realized it earlier and not been misled by the excuse of revenge for his brother.
Rumor has it that this third-ranked A usually appears as a sickly young man, seemingly weak, but he can always complete his mission and return easily. This shows that his ability to firmly occupy the third place in the A is not fake.
Since he ran into Jia San who had been to Changlai Inn, it was obvious that he was also tracking him down.
He brought so many assassins with him. Didn't he say that he had wiped out the lair of the number one thief? Local authorities were busy eliminating these evil thieves. How could Jia San still have so many subordinates?
It seems that the current government is no match for this one!
In a flash, when Pei Liu and Gu Ran were heading towards the other end of the market town calmly, Master Meng and his group caught up with them from behind, even passing them and walking ahead.
Master Meng didn't even glance at the young couple walking on the street, but Yi Shi, who was beside him, glanced at them and met Pei Liu's eyes.
When Yi Shi saw Pei Liu's face, he paused for a moment.
"Xiao Shi?"
"My dear?"
Master Meng in front turned around, and Gu Ran beside Pei Liu pulled Pei Liu.
Pei Liu laughed and lowered his head to look at Gu Ran: "My lady, don't do anything weird!"
Master Meng's gaze fell on the couple, and he only saw Pei Liu's profile, without any suspicion.
Yi Shi remained calm and walked quickly to Master Meng's side. "Master, nothing's wrong!"
It was true that Jianzhou could produce such a handsome man, which surprised him.
"Have you found out where Li Ji and Pei Liuniang are hiding?"
"According to our informant, Li Ji and Pei Liuniang usually work on the island where the Gu family grows oranges. They only return to Xiaxi Village on their days off," Yi Shi reported. "Pei Liuniang usually lives with the owner of the orange grove, and the Li family also lives in Xiaxi Village."
"Tsk, these thieves and whores have no sense of shame."
As Master Meng spoke, he was already walking further and further away from the young couple behind him.
Yi Shi glanced at Master Meng and said nothing.
"Also, sir, it is said that Li Ji was originally from Zhengzhou, and later settled in Xiaxi Village."
"He must have been exiled by the government. He must be a habitual criminal with extremely heinous crimes!"
"Also, it is said that the Li family came from Zhengzhou to join Li Ji some time ago."
Young Master Meng stopped dead in his tracks. "You said they came here not long ago? That can't be such a coincidence, right?"
"It's just such a coincidence, sir!"
"Tsk! No wonder I find them annoying! I knew it!" Young Master Meng got so excited that he started coughing and quickly pulled out his handkerchief. "Damn it! I should have killed them right away when we were on the boat."
"When will the last group of people arrive?"
"I'm afraid I can't come."
"Can't come?"
"I just received news from the Jianzhou government office. The people we sent to assassinate Hall Master Sun didn't handle it properly. Hall Master Sun used his last breath to inform us that our number one thief had sneaked into Jianzhou. The Jianzhou government has been under martial law for some time, and those people were arrested as soon as they arrived at the harbor."
"Waste!" Master Meng gritted his teeth, and then coughed even more violently.
"I'm afraid that the county will also start searching soon. Sir, there's no time to lose."
"Then find me a boat and rent horses, and we'll start tonight," said Master Meng. "Let's split up. You lead one team to destroy Xiaxi Village, but leave a few of the Li family alive and bring them to the island. I'll lead my men to raid that deserted island at night."
On the other side, Gu Ran and Pei Liu, who sensed the approaching crisis, watched as Master Meng and his group walked further and further away until their figures disappeared. They then turned back and went straight to the government to report the case.
The county magistrate had just received the official report from the government office and had come with a team to apprehend the evil thieves who might be hiding in the county town. He was just wondering where to start his investigation, and when he saw Gu Ran and Pei Liu coming to report to the government, he thought it was a blessing from heaven.
He asked the constable to carefully write down the description of the assassin who came to the county town this time, and then sent a team of constables with officials from the provincial capital to go out to the streets to arrest the man.
Just as they were talking about rewarding Gu Ran and Miss Pei handsomely once the matter was settled, Gu Ran said, "Let's not even talk about rewards. I just hope the county magistrate can send a team of detectives to Xiaxi Village to protect the villagers there."
"Alright, alright, I understand. That villain wants to avenge his accomplices who were killed by Hero Li and Lady Pei. You're worried they'll break into Xiaxi Village and accidentally injure the villagers, right? Don't worry, I've already left a team of detectives with you back to Xiaxi Village. They'll be stationed in the village until the villain is apprehended. We won't let a single one slip through our net."
The team of constables that the county magistrate left for Gu Ran and his team consisted of fifteen people, and the leader was still Little Master Wu.
"Little Master Wu!"
"Gu Erniang, don't worry, we will definitely defend Xiaxi Village."
The last time he went out, he was too late and failed to catch the villain himself. As a result, all the limelight went to Li Ji and Pei Liuniang. Young Master Wu felt a little resentful.
They hated that the county government office was too far away from Xiaxi Village, and hated that they arrived too late and could not accomplish anything.
You have to know that the previous Captain Lin followed the previous county magistrate to catch an assassin. Not only was he appreciated by the county magistrate, but the censor from the capital also valued him very much. When he returned to the capital after investigating the case, he was taken to the capital by the censor.
I heard that he was taken to the capital to work. This Captain Lin will bring honor to his family.
Hey, there is a world of difference between working in the county government and working in the capital. Not only can you become an official in the future, but you can also make a lot of money. So just like the county magistrate is eager to catch more of the top thieves to improve his political achievements, now that the detectives have heard of the whereabouts of the top thief, they are eager to catch him with their own hands so that they can be rewarded by the higher-ups!
So I must perform well this time.
With the ferry crossing at Xiaxi Village, Gu Ran and Pei Liu quickly returned to Xiaxi Village with Xiao Wuye and a team of constables.
Village chief Wu was very surprised to see Gu Ran and Pei Liu returning safely with the officials from the city. Then he heard that Li Ji and Pei Liuniang might have been targeted by the number one thief and would come to the village to seek revenge, and that these officials were there to protect the village. He felt relieved, but he couldn't feel relieved.
"Second Mother, Sixth Mother, how many bandits are there this time? Do you want me to talk to the village chief and organize some militia to respond at any time?"
"That would be the best, of course."
Gu Ran thought that since the villains went to the river near Dunzi Island to spy on the enemy, they probably knew that Li Ji and Pei Liu were working in her Gu family's orange grove. If the village was heavily guarded, would they go to the island to kill people to vent their anger?
If the village was protected by the militia led by Master Wu and Chief Weng, the probability of an accident would be lower. But if the assassin ran to the island and started killing people, she would not be able to protect everyone with her current guards.
So he and Pei Liu returned to Dunzi Island, using the excuse that the first batch of ripe oranges had been harvested and picked, and that the unripe oranges did not require special care in the next three or four days. Except for the guards, he let all the guys take a break and sent them home.
When Li Ji heard Gu Ran dismiss the guys in the orange grove, he knew something was wrong. After asking again, it turned out to be true.
"Uncle Li, are you going back to Xiaxi Village?" Li Ji's family is all in Xiaxi Village!
"If the villains are coming for me and Pei Liuniang, I'll only bring them trouble if I return to the village." Li Ji shook his head. "Besides, they have officials and militia protecting them, so it's unlikely anything will happen to them. On the other hand, you've sent everyone away from the orange grove, so how can they survive without protection? I'll stay."
If those evil bandits heard that there were so many people, they might split up and acted in a hurry to destroy Xiaxi Village and Dunzi Island in one fell swoop. What would Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang do if they encountered them when they encountered the attack on the island without sufficient guards on the island?
"Uncle Li!"
"Uncle!"
Li Si couldn't help but scream. Li Ji called Song Ge'er, who had been brought to the island these days, and pushed him over: "Take Song Ge'er back to the village and protect your grandparents!"
"Mr. Gu, we'll stay." Uncle Liang said to Luo Saze.
"I'll stay too." Lu Bo said.
"So do we."
Gu Ran had originally wanted to ask the guards to stay and protect his orange grove, but seeing that everyone in the guards were asking to stay, he didn't refuse. "Okay, if you can protect the orange grove this time, I, the Gu boss, will also reward you generously after this."
When they heard that there was money, the guards who were originally a little uneasy became active.
After Li Si escorted Song Ge'er away, Li Ji asked, "What are you going to do?"
Gu Ran and Pei Liu looked at each other.
On the way back, they thought of several countermeasures. Finally, based on Pei Liu's understanding of Jia San's arrogant nature, they speculated that if this group of evil bandits really came to the island, they would most likely land at the ferry and go all the way to the orange grove to show off their power, relying on their own strong abilities.
So they planned to withdraw the guards from the ferry to avoid unnecessary sacrifices, and then set traps along the way to the orange grove.
Then all the guards set up an ambush in the orange grove.
In this way, the assassins who encountered the trap earlier will definitely be injured. When they invade the orange grove, their strength will be greatly damaged. It will be much less stressful to deal with them than a team of assassins who are unscathed.
"It's feasible!" Li Ji nodded.
He had already witnessed the effectiveness of Gu Ran's traps when he and Pei Liuniang were dealing with the assassins at the Shen family. Didn't the Master Sun - now they knew that the coachman who escaped was actually the Master of the Puzhou branch - also fall in?
However, at that time, considering that the Shen family lived in a village and was surrounded by farmland, it was difficult to set up a place, so there were fewer places.
Now they were on the deserted island reclaimed by Gu Er Niang, which was their own land. They heard that there were more than twenty people coming to seek revenge, and their guard team only had sixteen people in total.
Not only are there a large number of enemies, but they are all probably assassins with martial arts skills. Naturally, we have to lay traps to reduce their combat power.
“When will we dig?”
"The sooner the better. Go now."
Who knows if they will launch a surprise attack and catch them off guard?
When it comes to matters of life and death, of course we must take precautions early!
When Gu Ran, Pei Liu and Li Ji brought people to dig pits and even traps inside and outside the orange grove, they also sent people to notify the Shen family.
The Shen family has been living a very leisurely life these days since they moved to the big villa on the island.
In front of the house is an orange grove with beautiful scenery all year round. Behind the house, there is a nanmu forest that has become sparse due to the construction of houses. The scenery is also nice. Mr. Shen likes to fish in the river next to the wooden bridge the most.
While fishing, you can also enjoy the various birds that come to the upstream river beach to rest and drink water. Even Jiaojiao from home is brought here. Under the supervision of grandma and mother, she plays in the water, catches fish, and also runs to catch birds.
Of course, it is not that easy to catch a bird, but it made the whole family laugh.
When I feel tired, I can ask the servants to cook for me by the river at any time, using the sky as a tent and the ground as a mat. How happy and joyful it is!
When Mr. Shen thought he had finally chosen a suitable place to live in seclusion, news came that the number one thief, Li Ji and Pei Liu, had killed their accomplices and now they had gathered into a team, and they were afraid that they would come to the island to seek revenge.
"Master!" Mrs. Shen and Grandma Shen were shocked at the time.
This evil thief is so arrogant?
"When?" Mr. Shen asked with a wry smile.
"I'm not sure. The people sent by Madam Gu said that she, Madam Pei, and Guard Li have already set up defenses and traps all over the island."
"Do you know where the villains will come to the island?"
"Looking at the arrangements made by Madam Gu and the others, I'm afraid they will come from the ferry."
"That is to say, if those evil thieves reach our Shen family's villa, everything will be over."
"Master, let's run away quickly?" Mrs. Shen asked, still frightened by the thought of the last dangerous incident.
"How can we escape at this time?" Mr. Shen scolded.
"Master, Madam Gu's intention is to see Master Shen either take his men on a boat to the harbor to take shelter, or return directly to Xiaxi Village."
"Returning to Xiaxi Village?"
"Yes, I heard that Madam Gu has already reported it to the authorities. The county and prefectural governments are already aware of the riot and have sent out officers to hunt them down. The county magistrate has given Madam Gu a team of constables, who are already in the village, specifically responsible for protecting the villagers. The militia who came to rescue us last time are also staying near the village, ready to take orders. Xiaxi Village is now safer than this island."
"Grandpa?"
Mr. Shen looked at his granddaughter's innocent face, then at the two frightened faces, and finally sighed: "Okay, then we'll take the boat back to Xiaxi Village. However, Liu Niang and Li Ji were targeted by that evil thief because they saved our Shen family. Since the village is safe, let's give half of our guards to Madam Gu."
When Master Shen hurried away with his family and servants in a horse-drawn carriage and donkey cart, and the guards left behind went to look for Li Ji, outside the orange grove, Gu Ran and Pei Liu were already digging the first trap. After digging it, they put in the trip rope and iron clamp blades, and then dug the second one a distance back.
The place that Gu Ran chose to dig the trap was a little far away from the ferry. He set the first one in the middle of the road about 200 meters along the road leading into the forest.
After that, there are several more in the mountains and forests on both sides of the passage, which are set up according to local conditions.
When we finally returned to the orange grove, it was already dark.
Gu Ran finally gave up and looked at the setting sun. He couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder how many of them that trap can hurt?"
"Don't be afraid. Even if they can avoid the trap, I will never let them get close to the orange grove easily." Pei Liu said as he took out several strangely shaped objects.
The whole thing is round and black, with thorns on the outside. It looks like iron but not like iron.
Gu Ran couldn't understand it and was puzzled, waiting for Pei Liuniang to explain to him what this rare thing was.
"This is a firearm, a thunderbolt," Pei Liu said. "You can bury it in the ground and use it, or you can throw it when you see an enemy approaching. Bang...it will injure or kill the target."
Gu Ran was stunned when he heard this.
She had long heard that the Great Sheng Dynasty relied on firearms to establish itself and developed numerous gunpowder weapons to intimidate enemy nations and pirates, but she had never expected to witness one with her own eyes. However, "These firearms can't just be obtained casually, right? Liu Niang, where did you get them?"
"When the road was being built, didn't Village Chief Wu apply to the government office for permission to use pyrotechnics to blast through the mountain?"
Gu Ran nodded.
"That's when I saw how powerful the firearm was, so I bought it privately from a pyrotechnician."
"But how could the government's firearms be sold privately to the people?"
Pei Liu blushed slightly, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Gu Ran looked at her expression: Ha!
Now Liu Niang is one of the most beautiful women in Xiaxi Village. Although her figure is as slender as that of a seven-foot-tall man, it is precisely because of this that she has charmed the ladies and gentlemen from all over the village.
The pyrotechnician who came to help them open the mountain was also someone who admired Liu Niang very much.
So, this pyrotechnician was bewitched by Liu Niang's beauty, so he dared to sell firearms to her?
“Well done!”
Gu Ran smiled and said, "Sixth Mother, how many of these thunder bombs did you buy?" It would be better if there were more. Firearms have strong lethality and may be able to knock someone down with one attack.
"Give me the ones you didn't sell more to, just three." Pei Liu said.
Yes, if anyone dares to sell a large number of firearms, the pyrotechnician will probably lose his head.
"Three, then we'll have to figure out how to maximize the lethality."
Pei Liu nodded: "Okay."
Almost all the people on the island have been sent away, traps have been prepared, and all the weapons that can be used have been carried. Now, it depends on when that group of evil thieves dares to come to the island!
And the evil thief was already running towards them.
Master Meng sat at the bow, watching the boat drift down the river.
The situation changed so quickly that he almost couldn't react.
When he heard the officials making a fuss outside the house about arresting the number one thief, he immediately ordered the remaining subordinates to evacuate from the house.
Fortunately, when the soldiers in the city were searching for them in chaos, they were able to evacuate Yongchang City in time because of the preparations for a surprise attack tonight.
Now, as the sky gradually darkened, the three ships, one in front and one behind, slowly approached the Broken Island.
When we were about to reach Dunzi Island, we also arrived at the Xiaxi Village ferry.
Master Meng gave Yi Shi a wink, and Yi Shi was about to order the people on one of the boats to follow him to the Xiaxi Village ferry, but he heard a few whistles on the sparkling river surface.
It is the signal their spies usually use.
Yi Shi responded with a whistle, and soon they saw a figure emerging from the river ferry. It was the spy they had sent to Xiaxi Village to investigate the enemy situation.
"Why are you here?"
"Sir, there are government officials in Xiaxi Village now."
"So what?"
"They brought no fewer than twenty officials with them. Furthermore, I heard that the village head of Xiaxi Village has also stationed a group of militiamen, ready to take orders. They are on high alert, waiting for you to fall into their trap."
"I want to see who can set a trap to ensnare me," Master Meng snorted coldly. "Are Pei Liuniang and Li Ji hiding in the village too?"
"No, Li Ji and Pei Liuniang are both on Dunzi Island today."
Master Meng's gaze passed over the dense shadows of the trees and looked towards Dunzi Island.
"I heard in the county that Dunzi Island not only has orange groves but also many houses. I thought at the time that this island would be very convenient for us to settle down and recuperate."
"Sir, are we still going to Xiaxi Village?"
"The real boss isn't in the village, what are you going to do?" Master Meng sneered, "Go, all of us will go to this island, kill Pei Liuniang and Li Ji, and then occupy this island as our base."
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