Chapter 118: The Mighty Langya, Admiring Herself! (Thanks to aghfh!)
The clear stream flows southwest, the mountains are cold and the water is thin, the trees are falling and the rocks are exposed, creating a mysterious and bleak scene.
The first snow of the eleventh year of Daye came a little earlier than in previous years.
Two figures, one in front and one behind, walked in the morning light and took the Langya road.
After walking for more than ten miles, Zhou Yi looked out at the mountains and forests and saw rime covering the mountains, branches hanging upside down, and the sky and the earth turned white.
"Good view."
He said softly, and saw several forks in the mountain road, so he reached out and patted the sturdy shoulder of the person one step ahead.
"How do I get there?"
Li Bo, one of the seven thieves, raised his hand and pointed to the road on the right: "Go up the mountain from here."
"You are honest and didn't lie to me."
"I dare not. How can I dare to play tricks in front of the ancestor?"
He smiled and glanced behind him.
I vaguely felt that there was a large army following behind me.
These big thieves have committed many evil deeds. No matter how weak Li Bo shows, Zhou Yi will not be fooled by him.
"When we enter the stronghold later, you'd better behave like you are now, otherwise I will kill you first and then escape with my lightness skills. No matter how many people there are on the mountain, they can't stop me. Although you can warn the thieves, you will lose your life in vain."
Li Bo acted horrified:
"I cherish my life and fear death, so I dare not take any risks. After we climb the mountain, there is no need to speak. I can lead you straight through the three passes and four streams and into the main camp."
"You will be able to see the other brothers then."
"They must have heard about the situation in Qingliu City. Since it's freezing cold right now, they must be gathering around a fire and drinking wine. They'll also contact Senior Brother Zhang to seek advice. The ancestor is interested in the Gang technique, so he'll definitely keep an eye on our leader, Fan Min."
"Except for Senior Brother Zhang from Lujiang, he is considered the best master under Patriarch Zuo."
Li Bo said again:
"Boss Fan is not only a martial arts expert, but also has a distinguished background. He is the nephew of the former Lujiang prefect. Because he was reckless and disliked by Fan Zigai, he became a disciple of Patriarch Zuo. When several families in Qingliu City disobeyed him, Boss Fan would wipe them out."
Seeing him chattering on and on, Zhou Yi couldn't help but interrupt: "Do you have a grudge against Fan Min?"
"No, Li just told the old ancestor everything he said, hoping to get a chance to live. In fact, I did not do much evil in the mountains. Most of them were done out of helplessness."
He sighed, as if he was as innocent as the snow-capped mountains.
Zhou Yi did not refute, but he did not believe it at all in his heart.
Notorious, and want to clear your name with just a few words?
"Come on, lead the way."
"This way, please."
As they climbed the Langya Mountain Road, they saw frost on the stone walls, the old pines gradually covered with snow, and the faint sound of ice cracking could be heard in the mountain stream.
A few winter sparrows flew by, and Zhou Yi climbed several hundred steps again.
A pass appeared in front of them, with a building on each side of the wall. Seven or eight people stood in the wooden buildings on the left and right, drawing their bows and arrows, and the sound was carried from afar on the cold wind.
"Stop, who is it?!"
The situation in Qingliu City has changed, and we still have to suppress the bandits.
The Langya thief increased his defenses and kept on guard even in the heavy snow.
It's been a while since the situation in the mountains has been this tense. It's all because of that Grand Commander.
Li Bo saw that they were about to shoot arrows and blow the horn towards the mountain, and hurried forward a few steps:
"You are blind! Look who I am?!"
A thief was startled when he heard the sound.
"Yes, it's Master Li?!"
With a cry of surprise, he used his lightness skills to step on a big rock and jump to the bottom of the pass. He moved closer to look at Li Bo, looking left and right, as if he wanted to see whether he was a human or a ghost.
"Really, Master Li, you're not dead?!"
“Ouch~!”
The thief screamed and fell into a red-leaf plum tree beside the road, and the snow on the top of the tree was shaken off by the impact.
He covered his face, the slap felt really good.
"Master Li will give you a slap in the face!"
As soon as Li Bo entered the mountain and returned to his territory, he immediately became the king of the mountain. If he didn't have the King of Hell by his side, he would be even more powerful.
"Lead the way quickly."
“Yes, yes, yes~!!”
The people around looked at the young man in white clothes standing beside Li Bo, blending in with the snow, and no one dared to ask any more questions.
Mr. Li was very angry. It seemed that he had been humiliated after his near-death experience in the city. No one wanted to be beaten in the middle of winter.
The little thief climbed up from under the tree and hurriedly led the way.
Now it is even smoother.
Zhou Yi walked beside Li Bo and took a few hundred steps towards the pass. He saw a group of wooden houses built against the mountain, with a mountain spring flowing below. There was a trestle in the air with iron ropes hanging on both sides. People were walking on the swaying trestle.
There were hundreds of people guarding the stream entrance, and one of them was blinded and slapped in the face by Master Li.
At this time, the one person leading the way became two people.
The two men covered their faces and went up the mountain. After passing several checkpoints, four people had received the reward.
In the eyes of the thieves, Li Bo, who had not returned to the mountain for many days, was obviously a dead man.
Zhou Yidong looked around and found everything very interesting.
No wonder the Langya bandits are so arrogant. They have occupied the mountains for a long time, built many strongholds and dangerous places, set up many passes, controlled the terrain, and communicated with each other through signals, connecting the upper and lower levels.
In addition, there are nearly a thousand people who know martial arts, and the rest also have a lot of fighting power.
It would be difficult to conquer them without a large number of people.
Near the top of the mountain, there are more buildings.
The mountains are planted with black pine trees. Zhou Yi walked on a wooden ladder, passing a row of transplanted wild hawthorn trees.
The sound of "da da da" is very crisp.
He followed Li Bo up to a four-story stronghold, where he could see several big men on the third floor looking down after hearing the commotion.
Walking along the wooden ladder, bandits holding weapons greeted Li Bo and looked at Zhou Yi who was slightly behind.
"Junior Brother Li, you're not dead!"
This time, Li Bo didn't dare to slap him in the face again.
"Boss Fan, brothers, I almost didn't see you!"
He cried out miserably and went up to the third-floor platform with Zhou Yi.
The remaining five of the seven thieves were all here, and Li Bo and Fan Min hugged each other.
Fan Min was tall, his left eye covered with a faded black cloth, and there were three claw-shaped scars across his forehead.
This big thief had a ferocious appearance and was nicknamed the One-eyed Jackal. He had a rather fierce aura and at the moment he was wearing a bloodstained tiger skin vest and a beast bone chain around his neck.
Fan Min's right eye shifted past Li Bo's shoulder, and like the other four thieves, he was all looking at Zhou Yi.
"Junior Brother Li, who is this?"
Zhou Yi's gaze shifted from the huge copper horn on the balcony. Without him saying anything, Li Bo introduced:
"This is Brother Zhou, he is my great benefactor."
Li Bo said enthusiastically, "I was able to come back alive thanks to Brother Zhou's help~!"
"oh?!"
Fan Min's right eye flashed with a strange color: "Brother Zhou, we are drinking, why don't you come and join in the fun."
Li Bo led the way in front.
Beside Fan Min, the other four big thieves also shouted "please come in".
Zhou Yi showed no fear and continued to go deeper into the thieves' den, catching up with Li Bo.
"Old Five, go and bring up the best hawthorn wine."
"good!"
The tallest thief walked towards the fourth floor.
There were several chairs in the village, and the first one was covered with a whole bear skin. However, after entering the hall, no one sat on the chair.
Instead, there was a circle of short bamboo stools set up around three large stoves.
Since two more people were needed, the bamboo stool was moved back to expand the space.
Even the eight-immortals table that was in the way was pushed back.
"How did Kuang Yao die?"
"Killed by that Grand Commander."
Fan Min frowned: "Is he a fool? The Jianghuai Army entered the city, why didn't he leave?"
Li Bo poured himself a sip of wine and said, "He overexerted himself with the woman last night and was attacked at home without even noticing. This has caused me to be implicated. If it weren't for Brother Zhou's help, I would have been killed by the Grand Commander."
"This man is very skilled in martial arts, even better than your Boss Fan."
Li Bo drank the wine in one gulp: "I think it will take at least the four of us brothers working together to have a chance of killing him."
"Are you exaggerating?"
Fan Min looked at Zhou Yi: "Brother Zhou was there at the time, what did you feel?"
Zhou Yi took his hands away from the stove and rubbed them:
"It's almost the same as what Brother Li said."
Li Bo's eyes wandered, and the four big thieves nodded. The fifth thief trod with a thumping sound and came down from the fourth floor of the stronghold carrying wine.
He took a bowl in his left hand.
"This is the best wine in the village. It not only has the aroma of fruit wine, but also contains animal whip, which is very nourishing and tonifying."
"Brother Zhou, please."
After the tall thief finished his introduction, he filled a bowl and handed it to Zhou Yi.
Except for Li Bo, the other four glanced at the wine bowl.
Zhou Yi took it with a smile, sat back, and when he was about to drink, he suddenly exerted his strength, shook his wrist, and splashed it towards Fan Min!
Fan Min waved his sleeves to cover his face and block the wine.
"Looking for death!" he roared.
Li Bo, standing by, rolled back and yelled, "Boss Fan, Mr. Zhou took away my knife. I'm going upstairs to get it."
"His sword is very fast, be careful!"
The voice reached the ears of the five people. The man holding the wine had already raised his arm high and smashed the wine jar down with fierce force: "Go!"
"Bang!"
Zhou Yi smashed the wine jar with one punch, and several snake corpses as thick as babies' arms inside broke instantly and splashed out with the wine. Several hawthorns buried in the wine, driven by the force, whistled towards Li Bo like hidden weapons.
Li Bo didn't care and rushed straight to the fourth floor, as if he really wanted to take a knife.
Although the remaining five thieves noticed something unusual, they had no time to think about it as they were facing a powerful enemy and all drew their swords.
The fire reflected on the five steel knives,
Five beams of black iron sword lights rolled towards the young man in white in the center from different directions. Before the swords arrived, the罡气 attached to them, and the sword energy was already gushing out like lava, shaking several bamboo benches into pieces.
“clang!”
The sound of the long sword being unsheathed was like the cry of a crane.
Zhou Yi spun around and shook his wrist, the indestructible sword energy flowing through the sword. He circled the sword, using energy against energy, and actually pushed back the five sword energies!
The scarred man on the east side had the weakest martial arts skills, and his knuckles immediately cracked, and the steel knife flew out of his hand and towards the supporting wooden pillar.
"Crack!" It embedded more than three inches into the cypress pillar, which was as thick as a thigh, and immediately cracked into spider-web-like shapes.
The five thieves were all shocked, but they did not dare to lose the opportunity.
"Split the light and combine the sword!"
The big thief on the west side shouted to remind his companions, and the shortest thief on the east side drew his sword in response.
At this time, two nine-ring ghost-head knives stirred up a bloody wind, cut off the huge beams, and rushed straight towards Zhou Yi.
The other three thieves raised their palms and pushed towards the broken beam, and with a sudden sound, they smashed down to kill!
Zhou Yi tapped the broken beam lightly with his toes, and instead of retreating, he advanced, his sword piercing straight into the two men's eyebrows like a dragon and a snake. The energy at the tip of the sword actually split into two cold stars along the way.
The two thieves hurriedly changed their moves and swung their swords, but they saw the sword light suddenly surge, the sword speed suddenly increased, and the strong energy pierced through the sword curtain like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
"puff!"
Blood spurted from the throat, and the two thieves fell to the ground in a cross-blocking posture, their knife rings still jingling.
They died of horror.
Because the ghost-head knife was filled with strong energy, it was pierced through with holes.
The remaining three people were terrified, and a triangular encirclement was formed.
The thief with a cracked knuckle pulled out the short blade from his waist and threw it at him. Fan Min slashed out with "Three Waves of Rage" in the air. Three waves of swords came with the burning air of the furnace. The one-armed thief from the south rolled over on the ground, and the silver iron scimitar cut his lower body straight.
Zhou Yi gathered his true energy, and the sword tip became hot. He saw the flaw in the sword energy at a glance, and the fire sword energy directly slashed towards the core of the triple sword wave. The sword wave was stimulated by the sword energy and rolled back in his face!
Fan Min was horrified and screamed, covering his right eye.
In an instant, Zhou Yi turned around and crushed the floor, and the broken wood shot like an arrow towards the one-armed thief rolling on the ground!
The long sword in his hand used clever force to push the short blade back, and the big thief with a cracked knuckle dodged and jumped, and came behind the Eight Immortals Table.
The next moment, he heard the sound of a sword.
The eight-immortals table in front of him was covered with wood ash and split in half.
The teacup and teapot above jumped three feet up and also split into two halves in the air.
He let out a scream, "Ah!" and his chest was cut through by the sword energy.
The blood flowed like a thread, and with a click, it hit the chair behind him.
He fell down with all his strength remaining, smashing the chair to pieces!
The one-armed thief barely managed to deflect the wooden arrow, when he suddenly felt a slight chill on the side of his neck.
Zhou Yi rushed forward with his light Kung Fu, and before the sword energy arrived, the Qi force had already cut off half of his throat!
Fan Min's right eye was burned and he couldn't see anything. He kept wailing and fled violently. Zhou Yi flicked his wrist and threw the sword. The fiery beam passed through his chest like lightning. The remaining force did not decrease and nailed the biggest thief in Langya into the west wall!
The entire wooden wall exploded with a loud bang, creating a gap nearly a meter in size. The cold wind, carrying sawdust, poured into the third floor of the building.
At this time, dozens of thieves rushed up and saw the boss being nailed to the wall and killed.
Looking around, everyone was shocked.
Dead, all dead!
The Langya thief who dominated Langya and intimidated the clean stream Lujiang was slaughtered by one man!
In their eyes, the bosses are already invincible.
The majesty they had accumulated over the years was now transferred doubly in a terrifying way to the young man in white in the center of the village.
He moved forward and pulled out a bloody sword from behind Fan Min.
A cold look swept over, and dozens of people were frightened and stepped back, huddled together.
Five people were squeezed and fell from the balcony, and another seven or eight people rolled down the stairs. When Zhou Yi approached with a sword in hand, he found that they outnumbered them but did not dare to fight.
"Let's go, let's go!"
"The bosses are all dead, and Boss Fan was also killed!"
"I don't want to die, get out of the way!"
“…
Next to the Langya bandit's stronghold, a group of people grew from dozens to hundreds and fled down the mountain.
Zhou Yi did not chase after him, but looked towards the steep mountain path on the other side.
Li Bo, who led him up the mountain, came down from this direction.
I don’t know what secret code he used to make the others scapegoats.
Ignore him for now, walk to the terrace, gather your strength, and blow the huge trumpet you just saw.
As he climbed up the mountain, he found that there were similar horns at every pass and mountain stream.
It is used by big thieves to transmit signals.
The call from the top of the mountain may be calling the bandits from the foot of the mountain to come up the mountain.
Just as Zhou Yi guessed, when the horn sounded at the top, the sentries guarding the various checkpoints in Langya moved at the sound.
They all walked up the mountain.
The bandits on the top of the mountain were rushing down the mountain, and the two groups of people collided face to face.
The people down the mountain didn't know what was happening.
For a moment, the mountain road was in chaos.
Someone else yelled, "What are you doing? Hurry up and get to Dazhai! Boss Fan is sending the signal."
"Get out of the way, get out of the way! Boss Fan is dead. How can a dead man blow the trumpet?"
Someone ran and shouted:
"That evil ghost in white killed Boss Fan. It was clearly him who blew the horn to trick people into going up. If you want to die, then go ahead!"
"How is that possible?!"
The people at the foot of the mountain suddenly remembered that Master Li brought a young man in white clothes up the mountain.
"Where's Master Li? Where's Master Li?!"
"Bullshit Master Li, that's a ghost. The bodies of the bosses are all here, but he's nowhere to be found."
The more he spoke, the more frightened he became: "Get out of the way!"
Some people followed and ran down, but some people further down the mountain walked up.
At this time, the people coming down the mountain no longer had the patience to explain and just wanted to escape.
There were quite a few Langya bandits, but they were in disarray and extremely disorganized.
Once the big thieves died, the backbone was gone and the rules were lost.
On the way down the mountain, many people were fighting over property.
The chaotic situation continued to the fork in the road at the foot of the mountain.
Qingliu did not dare to go further, so he headed west towards Lujiang.
But I didn't expect it
Only two miles away in the forest, the chaotic bandits were surrounded and killed by the army!
As the shouts of soldiers came from the direction of Qingliu, a drama of chase and escape was staged around Langya. The bandits fled all over the mountains and there was no hope of killing them all.
However, the seven thieves who brought disaster to the people and frightened the people of Qingliu have completely become history.
Zhou Yi heard a huge noise coming from the foot of the mountain.
At this time, the bodies of the five bandits were dragged onto the terrace.
The rest can be left to Li Jingxu.
The martial arts of these five people were not too bad, but he used his perfect Kanli sword energy to counter these people's half-baked sword energy, which was a dimensionality reduction attack.
However, the true method of transmission is indeed somewhat peculiar.
Once I have this thought in my mind, I can no longer stop it.
Zhang Shan'an remotely controlled the big thieves in Lujiang County to harm the Qingliu people. He is the main culprit. There are not seven thieves in Langya, but eight thieves.
Oh, and there’s also the old thief Zuo Youxian.
Kuang Yao's account should be kept on Zuo Youxian. He should first go to Ziwugang Temple to count it as interest.
Zhou Yi's thoughts became clear, and he followed the footprints left by Li Bo.
This man runs fast, but he doesn't have the ability to leave no footprints in the snow.
Besides, the steep mountain road he chose seemed almost the same as a flat land to Zhou Yi.
He walked down the cliff, his eyes darting around.
Li Bo was very careful and kept his whereabouts hidden.
Unfortunately, that tiny omission was infinitely magnified in Zhou Yi's eyes, making it look extremely rough.
All the wild flowers have withered, leaving only snow-capped buds weighing down the branches.
Zhou Yi walked through the pure white snow, his mind wandering in the clouds and stirring up the mountain wind.
If he could see a trajectory, he would take the Lujiang route.
As the true energy circulated, the speed became faster and faster.
Wherever it passed, broken jade flew everywhere, like a white dragon in the mountains, flying towards the west.
After passing Quanjiao, Zhou Yi discovered that Li Bo had changed direction.
He was not stupid. He did not continue to go to Lujiang, but turned to Liyang.
The snow kept falling, and the marks became clearer and clearer.
This means that the person is about to be caught!
Zhou Yi made another effort, preparing to catch up with the thief before crossing the Chu River.
When we were almost at the bank of Chushui River, we heard the sound of fighting coming from the front.
One of them was Li Bo.
"Fan Wenchu, are you crazy?" Li Bo shouted.
Another middle-aged swordsman ignored him and continued to fight him with his sword.
His swordsmanship was not inferior to Li Bo's, but when Li Bo circulated his internal energy, the middle-aged swordsman would be at a disadvantage in a head-on confrontation.
But
Li Bo ran all the way, escaping for his life. His internal energy, which was already insufficient, was now less than 50%.
Therefore, the two sides fought on equal terms.
Gradually, Li Bo's blood became agitated, and the chaotic true energy could no longer be transformed into罡.
He fought more and more ferociously. After a block, he suddenly jumped towards the small boat behind the middle-aged man.
There were two people on the boat, one big and one small, who were the middle-aged man's wife and children.
"How dare you—!"
He shouted angrily, and a white shadow flashed, as if falling from the sky, with white clothes fluttering, and landed on the boat.
The moment Li Bo saw the white shadow, he wanted to rush towards the man's wife and children, but he froze.
Just as Fan Wenchu was about to kill him, he suddenly saw a shocking scene and froze in shock, leaning on his knife.
The vicious thief Li Bo threw away his knife and knelt in the snow pit.
He kowtowed repeatedly towards the wooden boat, his head covered in mud, and begged for mercy.
"Grandfather, please spare my life, Grandfather, please spare my life~!"
When he heard the word "ancestor", Fan Wenchu was frightened to the point of going cold.
He came from Lujiang County and knew the details of Li Bo and his gang very well.
The only one who could call Li Bo and other thieves "ancestor" was the old monster from the Demon Sect named Zuo.
A glance at the young face made Fan Wenchu feel very upset.
The old monster from the Demon Sect has a secret to maintaining his beauty. This one looks young, but no one knows his age.
I don’t know what kind of terrifying method could make Li Bo so scared.
No wonder he escaped all the way
Fan Wenchu finally understood why Li Bo wanted to escape, but when he thought of his wife and children behind the old monster, he felt sad.
If I had known that the thief had his own evil deeds, I would not have taken action.
His melancholy thoughts were interrupted by a young voice: "How did you remind Fan Min and others?"
Li Bo did not dare to hide:
"It's because I never repay a favor. As soon as they heard the word 'beneficiary', they knew that the ancestor had no good intentions."
Zhou Yi's voice pierced through the wind and snow: "You are quite courageous."
"I just want to stay alive."
Li Bo pleaded, "If the ancestor agrees to spare my life, I will tell the ancestor the secret place where Senior Brother Zhang hid the Ziwu Gang."
“Pah~!!”
Fan Wenchu standing by couldn't help but said, "It's better for you to die, you beast. I know where that thing is."
"you--!"
Li Bo's last life-saving straw was pulled away, and he could not help but turn around and glare at the middle-aged man.
Just as his fierce look was revealed, there was a sudden rush of wind and snow in his ears.
He leaned over to pick up the long sword, but a strong wind came against him. He couldn't block it with his hands, and was hit between the eyebrows by a finger, killing him instantly.
This scene was not bloody. The woman on the boat who was covering the child's eyes moved her hands away.
"Fan can tell me the secret place he mentioned. I only ask Your Majesty to let my family of three leave."
Zhou Yi had just heard the name "Fan Wenchu" and couldn't help but change the subject: "What is your relationship with Fan Min?"
“Hey~!”
He sighed angrily, "My name is Fan Wenchu, and that's my cousin. He's willing to be a villain and join the devil's sect."
Thinking of Fan Min's background, Zhou Yi asked, "Who is Fan Zigai to you?"
"It's my father."
This time, Zhou Yi looked at him a few more times.
General Fan had an excellent reputation. He was honest, prudent, and strict in military discipline. It was he who stopped Yang Xuangan from entering the Eastern Capital and killed tens of thousands of rebel troops.
Yang Guang compared his favor to Xiao He of Emperor Gaozu and Kou Xun of Emperor Guangwu.
Fan Wenchu said, "My father has been suffering from anxiety since the siege of Yanmen. When he heard the news about Fan Min and the others, he was so angry that he almost died."
He pointed at the dead Li Bo:
"They were the ones who intentionally passed on the message to my father. After my father's death, the people who gathered around me in Lujiang County completely dispersed, allowing Zhang Shan'an to take over Lujiang County."
"Are you the governor of Lujiang?"
"No, it was Governor Jin who was too upright and was killed by Zhang Shan'an. I was the Magistrate of Lujiang County, and I pretended to cooperate with him to survive. Since Qingliu was captured by the Jianghuai Army, Lujiang has been in chaos. It was precisely because of this opportunity that I took advantage of it and escaped here."
Fan Wenchu said with a hint of panic: "What I said is enough to prove that I know Zhang Shan'an's secret. The mansion occupied by this thief is my home."
"Fan has heard of the two sects of the Demon Sect and the Six Paths. I believe that Your Excellency and Zuo Youxian are not from the same sect, otherwise you would not want his magic."
"I have no grudges against you, Your Excellency. I only hope to use this secret to leave this place."
He didn't know whether the old monster in front of him was reasonable or not, so he could only try his luck and give it a try.
Zhou Yi asked back, "Where are you going?"
Fan Wenchu hesitated for a moment, but still spoke out, "I'm not sure either. I was originally planning to go straight to Jiangdu to join my brother, but I don't really want to deal with the Yuwen family."
"I've heard recently that the Grand Commander of the Jianghuai Army has some great skills and has turned Qingliu into the most peaceful place in Jiangbei. I plan to go and take a look. If the rumors are true, I'll settle down here. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to go to Jiangdu."
Zhou Yi nodded slightly. "If you go from Chushui, you can go straight down to Qingliu, which is just the right place to take the body and hand it over to the authorities."
Upon hearing this, Fan Wenchu was slightly stunned.
His reaction was not slow.
The old monster said this, meaning he had no intention of making things difficult for him, but why did he take the body away?
Fan Wenchu didn't understand, but he did it anyway.
He checked Li Bo's pulse, lifted him up and threw him into the boat.
Then, he told Zhou Yi the secret location of the Fan Mansion in Lujiang.
"If Zhang Shan'an dies, can you still take over Lujiang County?"
Fan Wenchu was stunned for only a moment before he understood the old monster's purpose, which was to turn him into the second Zhang Shan'an.
I think it's an internal fight within the Demon Sect.
"Yes, but there's a big problem."
"What trouble?"
"If Zuo Youxian returns, he will be furious. I don't think I can handle it."
Zhou Yi nodded: "You go to Qingliu first."
After saying this, he walked into the wind and snow without looking back. The three people by the river watched him leave.
The woman sighed:
"My husband, you have caused trouble again."
Fan Wenchu comforted his wife and patted the snow off her shoulders:
"I don't want to implicate you, but this thief is the same as the murderer of my father. Normally, I can't do anything to him, but now that he's exhausted, how can I not kill him?"
"But I didn't expect to offend another old monster from the Demon Sect."
Fan Wenchu looked at the bodies on the boat, slumped down on it, and held his son in his arms again: "Once you are in the world, you have no choice."
"Wait until I get to Qingliu, and then I'll ask someone to send you away."
The woman showed her stubbornness: "I won't leave."
Turning around, he asked:
"If the Qingliu authorities ask about the origins of this thief's body, what will you say?"
"Tell the truth."
Fan Wenchu said, "This old demon is most likely connected to the Qingliu government. He mentioned Fan Min earlier, and looking at Li Bo's appearance, it's clear that the Langya thief is probably no longer around."
"This person must have a grudge against Zuo Youxian, which is why he is purging all of his followers and disciples."
"This is a fight between demon sects, involving some powerful martial arts masters. It can easily change the martial arts landscape of an area. It is not something that a small sect can compare to."
"Just by looking at his Qinggong, we can tell that he has profound magic skills. Now that he has set his sights on us, it will be difficult for us to escape."
The woman said, "From her face, she is only about twenty years old."
"Madam, you don't know."
"I've heard Zhang Shan'an say before that the top masters of the Demon Sect always have the ability to maintain their youthful appearance, and their age doesn't show at all. You see he's only twenty, but he might already be in his seventies or eighties. Otherwise, Li Bo wouldn't have to call me ancestor."
"This man's skill might even surpass that of Old Monster Zuo."
Seeing him sighing, the woman said, "According to what you said, Zhang Shan'an will not survive."
"This guy has been bullying you for a long time. Don't you hope he dies?"
"Of course I hope he dies, but I'm more worried about our family."
Fan Wenchu looked towards Qingliu and snorted, "Now, I don't have much hope for Qingliu City anymore. That Grand Commander is nothing more than a minion of the Demon Sect."
The three of them took a boat and went down the Chu River. They looked so helpless in the wind and snow.
Rowing alone in a boat, the waves carry with them thousands of worries.
Fan Wenchu looked toward the clear stream and seemed to see the city walls darkening. At this moment, he was inspired to compose a poem, "Chuzhou Winter Crossing."
…
"drive!"
“Gee~!!”
To the east of Lujiang County, a large group of troops was attacking.
There were two groups of people, one chasing the other, riding and killing each other. One of the groups was composed entirely of strong horses and light cavalry, and all the riders were excellent equestrians.
People in the group being chased kept falling off their horses.
Some were killed by weapons, and some were trampled to death by horses.
"Thief, you're looking for death!"
The man who was shouting was short and about forty years old, but he had a beautiful black beard, a knife on his waist, and a spear in his hand. He ducked to avoid a shot, shook the spear in his hand, and stabbed someone nearby.
Look at his shoulder, there is also a wound.
At this moment, he was very angry and kept chasing the enemy.
Since the spear was not enough, he took out the crossbow from the bow bag on the left side of the saddle, drew the bow and shot three arrows in succession. There was a cry of pain in front, and two more people fell off their horses.
Many riders around him have the same skill as him.
Judging from their riding and archery style, they have some of the fighting style of Turkic warriors.
"Deacon Liang, hurry up!"
Just as they were killing, one of their companions suddenly shouted.
Liang Zhi's temples bulged, and his eyes, shining with brilliance, looked forward and immediately saw the movements of the fleeing enemy.
The fleeing thieves slowed down their horses, turned around, and found that a large number of reinforcements were coming from behind!
“Pah-pah-pah~!”
The sound of the army stepping on the snow and water became louder and louder.
If you charge into the battle now, you will die. There is no time to stop and turn your horse.
Liang Zhi knew he had fallen into a trap, but he did not panic. He shouted, and dozens of riders around him continued to speed up, turned a corner, and used their superb horsemanship to avoid the enemy's formation.
But the snowy road was too slippery, and a few people were swallowed up by the army.
One was chasing and the other was fleeing, but the situation was reversed, and soon, except for a few hundred cavalrymen, all the rest of the army were lost.
Most of these people were masters in the army. They chased and killed each other all the way, and there were casualties on both sides.
Near the time of Shen, Liang Zhi and his companions got rid of all the war horses behind them near Chaohu Lake.
Seeing the pursuers retreat, they turned and headed in another direction.
Seventy or eighty riders went out, and less than fifty came back.
Although the number of enemies killed was far more than this, it still hurt.
In the evening, they stopped their horses in front of a lakeside manor north of Chaohu Lake. To the southeast of this place is Xiang'an.
"Big Deacon, how many people were killed?"
An old man walked out of the manor.
He was lighting a cigarette and puffing away.
Deacon Liang sneered: "I estimate that he killed hundreds of people. It's not a lot, but it can also give the owner a sigh of relief."
"Zhang Shan'an is a madman, delusional. If we break up today, he won't be able to buy a single horse in Lujiang from now on."
At this time, a one-eyed man walked out of the manor.
His aura was even stronger than that of Deacon Liang who had just returned from killing someone.
It was Liu Zongdao, the second deacon of Pegasus Ranch. Although he was the second in rank, he had the highest martial arts skills among the four deacons.
"Deacon Liu, why are you here too?"
Liang Zhi frowned slightly. There were some small fights inside the ranch. He took the risk to kill the enemy today just to win credit in front of the ranch owner. Naturally, he didn't want to see Liu Zongdao here.
Old man Xu, who was puffing out smoke, said:
"Deacon Liu came from Liyang. He heard the news from Qingliu City and knew that something had happened in Lujiang, so he came to help."
"That's not necessary, the problem has been solved."
Liang Zhi patted the wet mud off his legs, but Liu Zongdao frowned and looked at the horse hoof prints behind them.
"Have the pursuers retreated?"
"Of course I'll retreat. Why would I lead anyone here?"
The two of them fell silent for a moment, and Old Man Xu broke the awkward atmosphere by speaking:
"Deacon Liu, why did Zhang Shan'an suddenly go crazy?"
"Qingliu originally belonged to him, but now it has fallen into the hands of the Jianghuai Army. How can he not be anxious?"
Liu Zongdao's face turned furious. "He used the Lujiang County caravan and the Jianghuai region's business as bait to lure the owner here. His intentions are despicable. Fortunately, the owner was cautious enough and didn't go too deep into Lujiang."
"Judging from the situation today, he deployed a large number of manpower and nearly caused us to suffer a major setback."
Liang Zhi showed a proud look:
"As soon as I arrived in Lujiang and came into contact with Zhang Shan'an's men, I sensed a conspiracy. It was my advice that led the owner to avoid the dangerous area. Later, I led the troops to lead the bandits away, and then returned to kill them to vent my anger."
When Liu Zongdao heard this, he also smiled and clasped his fists towards him.
"The Grand Deacon's contribution this time is the greatest, and that is undisputed."
Liang Zhi was very satisfied with his attitude: "Let's go, I want to tell the owner of the field about the murder of the thief."
After saying this, he strode towards the manor.
Liu Zongdao turned to Old Man Xu and said, "Mr. Xu, we can't stay here for long. We need to leave plenty of people around here. After tonight, we will leave immediately."
"Zhang Shan'an has big ambitions and doesn't follow the rules of business. I'm afraid it will be disadvantageous to the owner."
"I'll settle accounts with him after we get back to the ranch!"
Old Man Xu nodded and went to arrange personnel.
This Nanchao Manor is located on the bank of Chaohu Lake. It is not only huge, but also has a Jiangnan style.
At a glance, you can see white walls, black tiles, horse-head walls, and wood carvings, brick carvings, and stone carvings everywhere.
Water is the soul of the place, with ponds dug and mountains piled up, and winding paths leading to secluded places. It is an elegant and beautiful place.
This luxurious manor is naturally the residence of the shopping mall owner.
Every year when I stay in the mountain city for a long time, I come here to stay for a while, to be close to the south of the Yangtze River and taste the Dongwu cuisine.
Old man Xu did not dare to delay. After listening to Liu Zongdao's words, he sent out dozens of people in batches.
Dusk was about to fall, and the lanterns at the entrance of Nanchao Manor were already lit.
Old man Xu sat at the door. Since no one came to report, he smoked leisurely.
Not long.
His slightly narrowed eyes suddenly opened.
The whole person jumped up from the chair, turned his head to look, and found that a white shadow had appeared beside him.
Looking closely, he saw a young man in white clothes who looked like he had walked out of a book. He was standing under a lantern and looking at him with a smile.
Old man Xu thought he had smoked too much.
He blinked his eyes and was still there.
At this moment, he glanced outside and a doubt flashed through his mind: Where is the secret sentry I sent out?
All dead?
No, I can still hear footsteps, which means the person is still there.
With so many people on guard, how could they let a stranger under their noses?
Is this correct?
A bunch of good-for-nothings!
Xu Fushan put the cigarette aside: "Who are you?"
"I'm just passing by here. Old man, it's getting dark. Can I stay here for the night?"
Zhou Yi looked up at the door lintel:
"It's windy and snowy, so I don't care if the room is good or bad. I just need a place to stay and shelter from the wind. I can pay for it."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of silver from his pocket, and then took out another piece: "If there is food, that would be even better."
Old man Xu's wrinkled face was filled with smiles:
"Sir, please bear with me. It's not very convenient at the farm right now. If you don't have a place to stay, you can go to the riverside. There's a boat dock a few miles away. You can go there and take a look. Maybe you can stay overnight."
"Also, how did you get here, sir? Wasn't there anyone outside trying to stop you?"
Old Man Xu saw him shaking his head and listened to him say:
“No one stopped me, but I saw a lot of people in black clothes, and they seemed to want to stay here too.
After all, yours is the only large estate nearby."
Old Man Xu's expression changed: "Where is the man in black?"
Zhou Yi pointed to the north and said, "It's just north of you. If you row over here from the lake, you're almost at your courtyard wall."
"What? You are talking nonsense."
"You can find out if you send someone to take a look."
Old man Xu calmed himself down and looked at the person in front of him with suspicion, becoming alert.
At the same time, shouting outside.
More than a dozen secret sentries came running from all directions, and they were all stunned when they saw Zhou Yi.
"You two should accompany this young master and not be negligent."
"The rest of you follow me!"
Old Man Xu gave his orders and led his men into the yard in a hurry.
Not long after, roars were heard from the courtyard, someone stepped onto the roof, weapons clashed, and a war was about to break out.
Splash, splash, people kept falling into the water.
It took about an incense stick of time before peace came.
At this time, it was getting darker.
Zhou Yi sat under the lantern at the entrance of the manor, which was where Old Man Xu was before.
The two secret sentries accompanying him looked anxiously into the garden, but did not dare to disobey Old Man Xu's words.
After the chaos subsided and silence returned, after a while, Old Man Xu walked out hurriedly.
"Mr. Xu!"
"Where is that young man?!" he shouted from a distance.
The two gestured towards the courtyard gate: "He has been waiting here."
Zhou Yi smiled at Xu Fushan and said, "Old man, someone wants to stay overnight."
"That's right, that's right," Old Man Xu said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Young Master, you are absolutely right."
"They've settled down."
"They've settled in. They've all settled in."
"Can I stay for one night?"
"Okay," Old Man Xu glanced at his face warily, "but you have to meet my master first."
"Is food provided?" Zhou Yi asked with a smile.
Old man Xu was a little speechless: "Guan, how can I miss this meal."
"Sir, please come in."
"My surname is Xu, but I don't know your surname, sir?"
"My last name is Zhou."
"Mr. Zhou, please!"
The Nanchao Manor is very elegant. A row of lanterns illuminate the flowers, birds, insects and fish on the beams, door lintels and window frames.
There are small bridges, flowing water, pavilions and towers along the way.
We even passed by a library filled with calligraphy, paintings and couplets.
After passing through many courtyards, all kinds of green plants and flowers are not considered strange here.
One can imagine how wealthy the host family is.
Finally, Zhou Yi followed Old Man Xu to a huge courtyard.
There were dozens of internal martial arts masters here, all looking over.
Old man Xu continued walking and entered the second, larger courtyard.
Deacon Liu, Deacon Liang, and several elderly people from the ranch all narrowed their eyes and looked Zhou Yi over.
It doesn't look like his martial arts skills are very high.
Liang Zhi felt that his temples were much more bulging than those of the young man in white.
Old Man Xu was about to enter the innermost courtyard, but Deacon Liu blocked his way with his hand and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Sir, may I ask how you discovered those men in black?"
Zhou Yi said: "I came from that direction as well, and happened to be walking ahead of them."
Liang and Liu, the two managers, glanced at his shoes at the same time.
Very clean, not much mud or water.
This shows that he was not lying. If he had followed the warhorse mark, he would definitely be stuck in mud.
Liang Zhi had just experienced a great battle and looked cautiously at the long sword at Zhou Yi's waist:
"Sir, please take off your sword."
Zhou Yi's face turned pale: "Is there such a rule in the martial arts world?"
"Then it's better not to meet. I'll go find a place to stay at the dock."
At this time, a light female voice sounded in the inner courtyard:
"Deacon Liang, please stop joking. Young Master, please come in and have a chat."
Liang Zhi also made way, thinking that he had spoken out of turn.
With the master's skill, it makes no difference whether this person carries a sword or not.
He stopped worrying and sat back in the pavilion in the yard, preparing to eat.
"My master's surname is Shang, Mr. Zhou, please come in."
Old Man Xu smiled, and Zhou Yi followed him again.
There is a stone pavilion in the center of the inner courtyard, with an octagonal glass lamp hanging from the eaves, illuminating the flowers and trees below. In front of a rockery, a beautiful woman in elegant clothing is sitting upright.
Her shiny black hair cascades from behind her ears to her shoulders, her skin is delicate, exuding a youthful aura, and her face is extraordinarily beautiful.
Those rippling phoenix eyes were full of depth, and the long eyelashes trembled gently. In their nobility, there was a sense of aloofness, alienation and mystery.
This person can talk business with you with a smile, but if you have the slightest misunderstanding about her smile, you are just being sentimental.
The mess in the manor had long been cleaned up, and the stone table in the pavilion was filled with plates and bowls.
Shang Xiuxun looked at the visitor.
The young man in white glanced at her and his eyes were drawn to a dish on the table.
Shang Xiuxun didn't see any unpleasant looks, and the first impression was pretty good.
So he took a long sword from the table and motioned Zhou Yi to sit down.
"Thank you, Master Zhou, for reminding me today. I heard from Master Xu that you haven't eaten yet, so I've prepared some light wine and snacks as a token of my gratitude."
"Thank you very much."
Zhou Yi didn't hesitate and sat down.
He didn't talk about the men in black, but pointed to the dish in the middle.
It turned out to be a plate of sliced duck, with chopped green onions, sauce, and Hu pancakes on the side.
"Miss Shang, who took care of this duck?"
Shang Xiuxun said: "It was made by the cook in the manor. As for the method?"
She hesitated. "I learned this from a friend."
After saying that, she suddenly looked at Zhou Yi carefully, frowned slightly, and asked:
"Mr. Zhou, have we met before?"
Zhou Yi picked up the duck, didn't look at her, and replied casually:
“Of course not.”
…
(End of this chapter)
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