Luzhou has a lot of people coming and going, and there are still many people coming in the evening. People of all kinds merged into the dim light, all walking in a hurry.

When Chu Huan arrived, it was already evening. He walked into the inn wearing a veiled hat and asked, "Are there any empty rooms?"

The waiter threw the white handkerchief behind him and said, "Sir, you came at the right time. There is just one room available. I will take you to see it?"

Chu Huan nodded and followed the waiter up the stairs. The room was in the back and not very spacious. The waiter ran to light the candles and smiled, "Are you satisfied with the appearance of this room?"

Chu Huan walked over and opened the window. Outside the window was the backyard of the inn, and the scene of the river could be vaguely seen.

Chu Huan nodded, took out the silver and threw it into the hands of the waiter.

The waiter hurriedly grabbed it from the air: "Put your luggage first, and call us anytime if you need anything."

The fifth general Chu Huan put the luggage aside and said softly: "Brothers from all walks of life will meet in the dark alley at noon."

There was still a lot of time before noon, and he had been running from the capital day and night, so his head was already a little dizzy.

Chu Huan walked to the bed, put his hands behind his back, and lay down.

The fifth general walked silently to the other end of the room, moved the table away, and went up to rest.

Chu Huan lay on the bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Faintly, there was a muffled sound, he opened his eyes, and saw He Huilan lying on the ground, her eyes mixed with the blood flowing from her head...

The scenes kept flashing, and occasionally another face would appear.

One side was flawless, the other side was covered with scars. Those eyes looked at him with despair and hatred, and then closed gently...

Chu Huan seemed to still be able to feel the warmth of her body lying on him, so real that it didn't seem like an illusion.

Blood flowed from the corners of her red mouth. Chu Huan wanted to hear clearly what she said, but he couldn't hear it clearly.

The last look He Huilan gave him after crashing into the wall would eventually become the look Jiang Yuanyi gave him. It was so real, so real that every time he saw it, the fingers he put on his legs would curl up involuntarily, twitching and shaking.

"Young Master. Young Master."

Zhongwu called out twice.

Chu Huan's face was pale, but his cheeks were flushed, and his eyelids kept shaking.

"Young Master!" Zhongwu called out loudly.

Chu Huan suddenly opened his eyes, staring at Zhongwu with red eyes.

Zhongwu whispered: "Young Master, are you having a nightmare again?"

In the unclear background, the scene of Jiang Yuanyi dying in his arms kept replaying, and each freeze frame was his roar of collapse and her desperate and hateful eyes.

Chu Huan sat up and wiped the cold sweat from his face.

It was completely dark outside the window. Chu Huan looked at Zhongwu: "Is it time?"

Zhongwu nodded respectfully: "It's almost time."

Chu Huan reached out and took the black veil hat beside him and put it on, opened the door, and walked out of the inn.

The narrow alley was even darker at night. Zhongwu blew the fire stick and walked in front of Chu Huan to light up.

Two shadows squatted quietly in the shadows at the top of the wall, watching Chu Huan and Zhong Wuchao walk to the end.

"Finally they are here."

Xiao Tuo said softly.

Jiang Yuanyi whispered, "A lot of people came tonight, probably to discuss the route."

The two stayed in Luzhou for nearly seven days, and there was no movement in these days. It seemed that no orders had been issued from above.

Xiao Tuo and Jiang Yuanyi made arrangements early based on the route to guess where they might go.

Everything is ready, only the east wind is missing.

As long as this evil wind blows, it will burn the sky and the earth.

Xiao Tuo jumped down lightly and carried Jiang Yuanyi down.

The two walked to the shadows diagonally opposite the entrance of the alley and waited.

An hour later, several horse-drawn carriages rode in from the street, and carts were pushed out from the dark alleys. Shirtless men carried the sacks and stacked them neatly.

After stacking, seven or eight tall men walked out, followed by dozens of people. They divided the goods and walked in different directions.

One of the teams turned right, bypassed two streets, and went out of the city.

The guards at the city gate had already colluded. The city gate was opened and then quickly closed after they passed through.

Xiao Tuo and Jiang Yuanyi hid on the city gate and watched them embark on the road to Qianzhou.

The two smiled at each other.

The northern border is short of salt, and the official salt is too expensive. If it is to be transported to the northern border, it must pass through Qianzhou. Qianzhou has the most complex power, and most importantly, it is very close to the capital.

The slightest disturbance can blow the emperor's ears.

And... once someone catches hold of something, they will only help to make things worse.

Seek credit, ask for reward, and gain profit.

The power arena in the capital city still looks calm on the surface. But the princes and their mothers have already begun to plot, and the power struggles in secret are like the tangled roots of trees hidden under the soil. They are usually harmonious, but as long as the other party shows any suspicious tail, they will be uprooted and even the bones will be chewed up.

Xiao Tuo and Jiang Yuanyi climbed down from the other side of the tower and took the horses that had been prepared.

They took a shortcut to rush to Qianzhou.

The wind and sand were blown up, and connected into gray dark lines in the night. The sun in the sky rose and fell, and the team transporting salt pretended to be cloth merchants. It was three days later when they arrived in Qianzhou.

It was an unwritten rule that every caravan passing through Qianzhou had to find the local knife gang to cooperate.

The leading man was wearing a dark-colored narrow-sleeved shirt. The cuffs and belt were made of tough leather. His skin was dark, and there was a shallow knife scar on his face, running from the brow bone along the cheekbone to the jaw.

"Brother Ma! Where are the people from the knife gang? Didn't we agree to meet here today?"

The man called Brother Ma nodded lightly: "It should be soon."

The group waited at the foot of the hillside at the entrance of Qianzhou.

Ma Cheng frowned and pointed at a dozen people who carefully poked their heads out and wandered for a long time.

"What are they doing?"

One of them said: "I don't know."

The group of people had been here for a while, looking over here from time to time, and then discussing.

One of them, a man in his forties wearing a coarse cloth hat and old clothes, ran over, his eyes sparkling, and said with a smile: "Gentlemen, let's go to a more secluded place first."

Ma Cheng frowned: "Are you from the Youtian Gang?" They

don't look like it based on their attire...

Two years ago, they had been cooperating with the Qingyun Gang in transporting salt. The governor of Qianzhou was the father of the mother of the third prince, and he was gradually pressured and bribed, so he dared not use him. Later, the sixth prince secretly supported the Youtian Gang. This was the first time Ma Cheng met them.

Could it be that the people of the Youtian Gang were dressed like this? So that they were inconspicuous?

The man looked back from time to time, and rubbed his hands anxiously: "Hey, guys, it's too obvious here. Let's go to a more secluded place first, which is safer, right?"

Ma Cheng thought for a moment, and said in a hoarse voice: "Where to go?"

The man said hurriedly: "Just turn down from here, go around the hill, there is an open space behind, it's very secluded."

Ma Cheng waved to them, and the others followed him forward.

It didn't take long to get there. It was indeed secluded. Ma Cheng looked at the man: "Tell me, how to arrange it, how much is the reward?"

The man scratched his head, a little confused, not knowing why he asked what, just whispered: "Hey, how do you sell this?"

Ma Cheng frowned.

The man came closer: "Master, it's spread outside that your goods are only one-fifth of the official price. Can you give us a discount?"

Ma Cheng's eyes widened: "What did you say?!"

The man was not tall, and was grabbed by Ma Cheng. He stood on tiptoe and struggled to grab in the air a few times: "Master, it doesn't matter if it's not cheap..."

Ma Cheng said between his teeth: "Are you here to buy salt?"

The man Nodding: "Yes, yes!"

Ma Cheng's face darkened and he threw him away and said: "You have found the wrong person, we are cloth merchants."

The man stood up from the ground and patted the dust on his body nonchalantly: "Sir, you have to sell something anyway, why not sell some to us first? The official salt is too expensive. We haven't eaten salt for a long time, and we feel weak."

Ma Cheng waved his hand backwards: "Hurry! Get out of here."

"Sir, don't lie to me, your carriage is so crushed, how can it be cloth, please be kind!"

When the people hiding not far away heard that someone was leaving, they rushed out in a hurry. There were nearly a hundred people...

The big men guarding the carriage were all shocked.

Ma Cheng drew his sword: "If you don't let me, I'll die."

Several people rushed up and grabbed Ma Cheng's trouser legs, crying: "Master, please sell some to us!"

"We can pay you!"

Ma Cheng shook them off with all his strength: "I said, I'm packing cloth! Get out!"

"It's salt! Really salt!"

Suddenly, there was an excited shout from behind.

Ma Cheng turned around and saw a man poking a hole in the sack and came out with white powder on his fingers.

Upon hearing this, the crowd that was hesitating at the back suddenly rushed over like crazy.

Ma Cheng brought only twenty people, and compared with the hundreds of people who were excited to the point of madness, they could not resist at all.

Ma Cheng frowned, grabbed one of them and said, "Where did you get the news?"

The man said, "I don't know, everyone is saying that there will be very cheap salt here this morning, so we came to try our luck."

Ma Cheng took two steps to stand on the carriage and said loudly, "Everyone listen to me, this salt is official salt, we have no right to sell it! If you don't leave, I will send someone to notify the government immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the surging crowd was silent for a moment, looking at each other, not knowing what to do.

The man with the coarse cloth hat smiled and looked at Ma Cheng: "Master, we can all see that this is not official salt, just sell some to us."

A group of people blocked the front, not afraid of a knife on their necks.

This is a trap, set by someone as soon as they left Luzhou. At this moment, they were in a dilemma...

Ma Cheng's veins jumped on his forehead, and he said to one of his brothers: "Leave a bag of salt and sell it to them."

Zhuang Han was stunned for a moment, and also understood what Ma Cheng meant. Life and death were left to fate.

Zhuang Han gritted his teeth and jumped to a high place: "Come here."

Ma Cheng hurriedly said to others: "Retreat!"

They went around the small hillside and saw a large group of people stopped at the bottom of the hill where they had just stayed.

When they saw them, they rushed over madly with shining eyes.

The author has something to say: Although I am very reluctant, Sanshiyuan has exams tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Xunbao really can't spare time to write, so I will ask for a leave for everyone. Updates will resume on the 3rd. I have been squeezing my lunch break and evening time out of my review time to write these days, so I can't save more manuscripts, so I can only stop for two days. I'm very sorry