The next day, a night of spring rain melted away the remaining frost, a warm breeze blew gently, and a thin mist rose. It was perfect weather for an outing in the suburbs.

On the official road, a line of carriages and horses was moving slowly in the misty spring scenery.

The clatter of horses' hooves stepped through the puddles on the road, splashing bits of mud and water, guarding the most luxuriously decorated carriage in the center of the convoy.

It seemed that the wheels were bumpy when passing through puddles, and the people in the carriage were awakened. They reached out to push aside the brocade curtain and hooked their fingers at the guards riding horses on both sides of the convoy.

A woman wearing a silver-white brocade robe and a rapier on her waist immediately rode forward and bowed her head respectfully.

"Where are you?"

"If you want to reply to the factory, we are almost in Fucheng County."

"Fucheng County...how far is it?"

"Less than three miles."

"Well, when we get to Fucheng County, don't rush on your way. Find an inn and rest for a day."

"Boss, this..."

The woman looked worried and hesitant.

Wei Zhongxian in the carriage smiled, closed the curtain, and left a meaningful remark.

"Don't worry. If the emperor really wants to kill me, I won't be able to escape no matter how fast I run."

"If the emperor doesn't want to kill me, what's the harm if I delay for one day?"

The woman frowned, hesitated for a moment, and finally bowed and accepted the order on horseback.

Then the woman urged her horse to the front of the convoy and shouted loudly.

"The factory manager has ordered us to rest for a while in Fucheng County ahead and set off tomorrow!"

"yes!"

Loud voices came from all over the convoy.

In Fucheng County, in a house near the city gate, Ding Xiu held a knife in both hands and looked at the gate with a frown.

In the house behind him, six swordsmen dressed in black and wearing conical hats sat at a wooden table and calmly adjusted their breathing.

Soon, two men in black climbed over the courtyard wall, came in front of Ding Xiu and bowed.

"Brother Ding, Wei Yan is already outside Fucheng County, and they are three miles away from entering the city. Brother Ma and I eavesdropped on the official road for a while, and I seemed to hear them say that they wanted to rest in Fucheng County for a day."

“That’s right!”

The swordsman named Ma beside him nodded, and then asked excitedly: "Brother Ding, when do we start?"

Ding Xiu glanced at him and said calmly, "No hurry, let's wait until Brother Zhao and Brother Fu arrive."

The two men in black looked at each other and frowned.

"Brother Fu? Is that the White-Bone Demon Hand Fu Qingyun?"

"It's him~"

Ding Xiu replied lazily, then glanced at him sideways and said, "Don't blame me for not reminding you in advance. Brother Fu doesn't like this nickname. It's okay for you to mention it now, but don't mention it again when he comes..."

Hearing Ding Xiu's words, the black-clad swordsman seemed a little unconvinced and sneered.

"I've heard that the White Bone Demon Hand has unparalleled martial arts skills. If I have the chance, I would like to learn a thing or two from him!"

"I don't deserve your advice...but I can beat you up!"

A voice with a hint of laughter came from outside the courtyard gate, and the two black-clad swordsmen and Ding Xiu turned their heads at the same time.

I saw two people coming in from outside the yard together. They were Zhao Lihe and Lin Zhongtian who had hurried over.

Hearing Lin Zhongtian's words, the black-clothed swordsman snorted coldly and put his right hand on the long sword at his waist, as if he was about to unsheathe it.

"Stop!" Zhao Lihe shouted, then frowned and looked at Ding Xiu, "We are facing a powerful enemy, don't stir up trouble."

Ding Xiu curled his lips and said, "Who is fanning the flames? I was just telling the truth!"

The black-clad swordsman at the side seemed to have come to his senses as well, and his eyes towards Ding Xiu gradually became unfriendly.

Ding Xiu acted as if he didn't care about this. He looked Lin Zhongtian up and down, his eyes fixed on the long object wrapped in black cloth behind him, his face full of surprise.

"Where's your sword?"

“No.”

Lin Zhongtian responded casually, then untied the cloth strips around his chest and abdomen, took the long object wrapped in black cloth in his hand, and tore off the black cloth on it, revealing a solid iron spear more than two meters long.

"How can cavalry charge with swords? Of course they have to use guns!"

Lin Zhongtian explained while waving the spear in his hand excitedly.

This spear is forged entirely with fine iron, weighs 47 kilograms, is jet black in color, and is wrapped in a special non-reflective material. Even in broad daylight, it looks like a black poisonous dragon, emitting a chilling and deadly aura.

Such a heavy weapon seemed as light as a bamboo pole in Lin Zhongtian's hand.

After swinging his sword several times, Lin Zhongtian suddenly turned around and stabbed the courtyard wall with a sudden strike.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the black gun tip instantly pierced through the courtyard wall, and broken bricks flew in all directions.

Seeing this scene, the men in black who were watching the movements in the yard were all horrified.

The two black-clad swordsmen trembled and silently retreated behind Ding Xiu.

When Ding Xiu saw this scene, the corners of his mouth twitched and he couldn't help rolling his eyes.

Lin Zhongtian pulled out the spear with force, raised it in front of him and saw that except for a few white marks, the tip of the spear was intact. He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"It's a good weapon indeed!"

"Of course!" Zhao Lihe said with a smile, "I picked this specially for my brother."

"My dear brother, you are thoughtful." Lin Zhongtian said with a smile.

Seeing the two of them acting like brothers, Ding Xiu couldn't help but complain, "Brother Fu, I admire your power, but you are so ostentatious. Aren't you afraid that the neighbors will hear you and alert them?"

Zhao Lihe's face straightened when he heard this: "Speaking of this, just now in the city, my brother discovered the traces of the Jinyiwei. They have sneaked into Fucheng County. I think they are planning to take action in Fucheng County. I discussed with my brother and decided to attack in advance, stop the convoy directly outside Fucheng County, and kidnap Wei Zhongxian!"

The two black-clad swordsmen who had been trying to gather information looked at each other and couldn't help but speak.

"But Wei Yan and his men are about to enter the city. Should we start now?"

"Do it now!"

Zhao Lihe nodded, his expression serious and not pretending.

"rest assured!"

Seeing that everyone was still somewhat uncertain, Lin Zhongtian smiled, walked into the stable in the yard, led out a tall and strong black horse, turned over and sat on the horse's back, looked down at the people in the yard, and smiled.

"I will charge into the battle alone, and you guys just need to guard the road and don't let anyone escape."

After saying this, without waiting for anyone's reaction, Lin Zhongtian rode his horse and left the house.

Ding Xiu's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but move closer to Zhao Lihe and asked in a low voice: "Can he do it?"

Zhao Lihe smiled slightly and said calmly: "Just wait and see..."

…

…

Not long after, Zhao Lihe and others followed Lin Zhongtian to the outside of Fucheng County.

Looking at the convoy shrouded in mist on the official road in the distance, Lin Zhongtian, holding a gun, rode alone to meet them.

Soon, the ranger at the front of the convoy saw Lin Zhongtian's figure and shot an arrow at him without hesitation.

The arrow flew more than a hundred steps before falling to the ground. It seemed that it had no killing intent, but was just warning him not to move forward.

But Lin Zhongtian did not react at all and continued to ride his horse slowly forward.

The cavalryman frowned and shouted, "Who is coming?"

At the same time, the woman in white urged her horse to the side of the carriage and whispered through the curtain.

"Factory sir, there are people blocking the road ahead."

"…But the Royal Guards?"

"No, that man is holding a spear and riding alone. He doesn't look like a Jinyiwei. He looks more like a soldier."

"Someone from the army?"

Wei Zhongxian frowned and thought carefully for a while, but could not find a corresponding image in his mind.

After thinking for a while, Wei Zhongxian felt a little tired. He waved his hands and said tiredly, "Forget it. Since there is only one person blocking the road, if we can catch him, we will catch him. If we can't catch him, we will kill him!"

After saying this, Wei Zhongxian closed the curtain, leaned back on the soft pillow, and closed his eyes tiredly.

Outside the carriage, the woman in white respectfully accepted the order, waved her hand to call someone over, and whispered for a while.

Then more than a dozen riders were separated from the convoy, and they rushed towards Lin Zhongtian who was blocking the road ahead with weapons in hand.

The man in front held a lance in his hand and shouted as he charged, "This is the carriage of Eunuch Wei, the governor of the East Factory. He is ordered by the emperor to go to Fengyang to guard the mausoleums of the previous emperors. All outsiders should retreat. Anyone who blocks the way without reason will be killed without mercy!"

When he shouted the last sentence, the man had already rushed over, holding the lance in his hand horizontally, and stabbed it directly into Lin Zhongtian's open chest and abdomen.

Lin Zhongtian showed no fear at all. He shouted loudly, urged his horse forward, and used the iron spear in his hand to lift the opponent's lance from bottom to top. The spear blade pierced through the man's neck like a gust of wind and lightning.

“Puff——”

The two horses met, and blood flew everywhere.

Lin Zhongtian shouted loudly, shook off the blood on the tip of his spear, and rushed towards the cavalry in front.

Behind him, the enemy's back was frozen on horseback, with a blade-shaped piece of flesh missing from his neck. Blood gushed out like a fountain, adding a touch of crimson to the hazy mist.

With a thud, the man's back fell to the ground, with only one leg entangled in the stirrup, being dragged forward by the warhorse.