Chapter 318 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The Five Poisons Sect has been in Shu Prefecture for quite some time.
I originally thought that they were involved with Liu Zhaoxue in order to use the Liu family of Jingzhou to deal with the mountain tribes.
Unexpectedly, they came to Shuzhou with another purpose—they must have colluded with Liu Hong to deliberately cause trouble in Shuzhou.
This time, if Chen Yi hadn't happened to be there and discovered the Five Poisons Sect's secrets immediately, things would have been much better.
If this drags on any longer, tens of thousands of people inside and outside the city will likely suffer this calamity and die a violent death.
Right now...
Chen Yi glanced at the sky, then looked at the mountain tribesmen standing silently to his left and right and said:
"The Five Poisons Sect has a grand scheme this time. Even if we find their location, we still need to be wary of their backup plans."
Pei Ze, Pei Gan, and the others exchanged glances. "Young friend, you might as well speak frankly."
"The epidemic is different from others; it is extremely vicious and can cause a large number of casualties in a very short time."
"I want to inform some people now so they can prepare in advance."
Pei Ze nodded. "That's only right. Please do as you please, young friend."
Pei Gan and the others have no problem with it.
Pei Guanli then asked, "My lord, aren't you coming with me?"
Chen Yi shook his head, "You guys go first, I'll come over later."
Yuan Hao was able to hold on for so long, but those disaster victims couldn't.
After giving a brief explanation, Chen Yi quickly left.
Pei Guanli watched his retreating figure, her smile widening as she chuckled incessantly.
The little girl Lan Yanni looked up at her, teasing the small white snake on her wrist, and said:
“Sister Guanli, Brother ‘Dragon Tiger’ shouldn’t be called Liu Wu in real name, right? This is obviously an alias.”
Pei Guanli glanced at her with a delighted look, "Of course not."
"What is his real name?"
I won't tell you.
"Sister Guanli, after we deal with the Five Poisons Sect members, we'll be heading back to the mountains."
"So what?"
Chu Fangling said with a mischievous smile, "Lan Yatou means she intends to tell your grandma about this. Who knows, she might come down the mountain to see that 'Dragon and Tiger' herself."
"ah?"
When Pei Guanli saw Lan Yanni nod, her smile vanished. Then, she lunged at Lan Yanni, grabbed her neck, and pulled her head into her arms.
"If you dare to talk nonsense, I'll let Little Flower bite you."
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare again..."
Pei Ze watched the two playfully bickering but didn't stop them. Instead, he looked up at the cloudless night sky and said leisurely:
"The Five Poisons Sect, I hope they can still exist after this."
Li Yunjun glanced at Pei Gan, who was completely focused on incubating the cocoon, and asked in a low voice:
"Third Uncle, you are most familiar with the Five Poisons Sect. Tell me more about Yan Jingchen."
"What? Are you scared?"
"Being prepared is always better than being caught off guard."
"Hehe, this time you just need to follow Xiao Gan into battle, and leave the rest to me."
A sinister smile appeared on Pei Ze's thin face, and a foot-long centipede crawled out of his nostril, along the wrinkles on his brow, all the way to his shoulder.
"Old buddy, it's been a while since you've made a move. Do you still remember the feeling of killing?"
"hiss!"
...
It is located two hundred li west of the city of Shuzhou.
The bright moon hangs high in the sky.
Silver light bathed the mountains and fields.
Wagons pulled by wildebeest and camels traveled through the forest.
Beside the carriage were guards dressed in black, wearing straw hats, with swords at their waists and torches in their hands.
The scattered lights stretched for miles along the winding mountain road.
They landed in a carriage behind them.
Lin Zhenghong leaned against the side, occasionally peeking through the curtains at the convoy of cars moving outside, unable to hide his joy.
"Your plan is brilliant, sir."
“By taking the waterway out of the city and heading west, and then switching to the mountain road to bypass the official road and post stations, we can avoid being questioned by the people of the prefectural city.”
Lin Zhenghong looked at "Li Sanyuan" sitting at the very back, offered a few compliments, and then asked:
"My lord, the transaction location is still within the western pass. Don't you think that's a bit inappropriate?"
Zhang Dabao, eyes slightly closed, leaned back comfortably against the soft down cushions at the bottom of the room, and hummed casually:
"We're only after money; we don't need to worry about anything else."
As he spoke, he looked to the other side—at a man dressed in fine silk and satin, with a thick beard, and dressed in the style of the Vaishsa Kingdom.
"Isn't that right, Mr. Wolf Six?"
Seeing his arrogant, bureaucratic demeanor, Liu Lang grabbed his chin, nearly plucking out several hairs of his fake beard. Suppressing a laugh, he said stiffly:
"No need to trouble yourself, esteemed grain merchant, don't worry."
"We have our own way!"
Lin Zhenghong glanced at him, not taking him seriously, but for the sake of the money, he nodded with a smile:
"Lord Wolf Six and your Peacock King Banner are incredibly powerful... indeed, we were overthinking it."
I'm really bored.
Once the transaction is complete and the silver is in hand, who cares how you bandits transport the grain out?
Compared to his reserved and restrained manner, Liu Lang was more direct. Holding the long sword wrapped in rags in both hands, he said disdainfully:
"The people of Wei are not to be trusted."
Zhang Dabao glanced at him, thinking to himself that only he could say something like that.
Most people really can't pull off that annoying vibe.
Liu Lang didn't care what they thought. He leaned back in the carriage, his body swaying with the undulations of the mountain road.
About fifteen minutes later, the carriage stopped.
Zhang Dabao took a deep breath and stepped off the carriage first. "We've arrived."
Lin Zhenghong yielded and fell last.
Liu Lang got out of the car, glanced around, and a smile appeared on his otherwise rough-looking face.
"Dark night, high wind, not bad."
Lin Zhenghong came to his side, smiled and said, "This is a matter of great importance, I hope Lord Wolf Six will forgive me."
"After this transaction is completed, we welcome you to visit Shuzhou at any time, and we will certainly treat you to the best restaurant."
"Excellent, excellent..."
Liu Lang grinned and gestured for Zhang Dabao to lead the way.
Zhang Dabao understood, straightened his robes, took a deep breath, and led the way.
Despite his calm demeanor throughout, he was still quite nervous when the moment came.
A million bushels of grain, worth tens of millions of taels of silver at the time.
If something goes wrong, even selling him wouldn't be enough to cover the losses.
Even though Chen Yi had said some things to reassure him, he still felt his chest pounding wildly.
In contrast, Liu Lang was completely unaware.
Last night, in order to ensure the smooth progress of this transaction, he and Zhang Dabao specifically instructed Lin Zhenghong and others to bring fewer guards.
The reason is that there are too many people and too many opinions.
In reality, it was just to make it easier for them to rob the grain.
Not long after.
Zhang Dabao, Liu Lang, and the others arrived at the front of the group, looked at the tranquil mountain forest in the distance, and shouted loudly:
"Guests from afar, please stop your carriage and sit down."
The sound carried far and wide, and from the distant mountains and forests, a voice from the Vaishesha Kingdom, even more pronounced than the Liulang accent, spoke:
"The road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dabao clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Li Sanyuan has come to keep the appointment. I hope that all the tea ceremony heroes will show up."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Three figures emerged from the forest, while over a hundred more shadowy figures moved among the branches.
A rustling sound startled a flock of birds into flight.
Soon, the three figures approached, all dressed and resembling people from Vaishsa.
The leader glanced at the carriages, camel carts, and sacks on the mountain road, and spoke haltingly in the Wei language:
"Let's make a deal."
Zhang Dabao exchanged a glance with him, nodded slightly, and then gestured behind him in a gesture of invitation:
"Come, distinguished guests, please inspect the goods first."
The leader understood his gaze, stepped forward first, and a sieve slipped out from his sleeve.
One vehicle at a time, randomly checking the grain in the sacks.
He even took a few bites of rice, looking quite professional.
Seeing their seriousness, Lin Zhenghong was not annoyed but pleased, and whispered to Zhang Dabao:
"Sir, it seems they value this transaction very much."
"Of course, that's a large sum of money after all."
"If something goes wrong, even if they have several heads, it won't be enough for King Lando to chop off."
“What you say is true, sir…”
Zhang Dabao ignored him and quietly moved closer to Liu Lang, thinking that if something unexpected happened, he wouldn't be killed instantly.
Liu Lang also abandoned his previous nonchalant attitude, gripping the long sword in his left hand while his right hand hung naturally at his sides, ready to draw his sword at any moment.
About fifteen minutes later.
The three people from Vaishsa, who were actually disciples of the Tianshan Sect in disguise, circled around and returned.
"The merchant guild is very trustworthy!"
Zhang Dabao smiled and said, "You flatter me. Business is business, and we would never dare to play tricks in front of the Peacock King's flag."
He paused for a moment, then asked, "Is a trade possible?"
The leader, a "person from Vaishsa," was addressed by Jin Peng of the Tianshan Sect, who nodded and said:
"Wei Dynasty, silver notes."
Then he waved to the distant mountains and forests.
A Vashjhakuta, also dressed in black, came over carrying a large box.
Lin Zhenghong stared at him expectantly, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy.
Although the transaction involved only ten million taels of silver, it still resulted in a considerable loss for them. However, compared to the pressure exerted on them by the Provincial Administration Commission, this small loss was insignificant.
Furthermore, they also brought the Liu family's surplus grain this time, which they can eventually make up for the loss from Liu Hong.
No rush.
As the Vaishsa man carrying the box approached, Lin Zhenghong was about to step forward to examine the silver notes when Zhang Dabao cut in front of him, saying, "I'll do it."
Lin Zhenghong was taken aback, then chuckled awkwardly and said, "Sir, this, this is against the rules."
However, according to the rules of the Jizhou Merchant Guild, the Wind Inspector cannot directly intervene in the buying and selling.
Only after the death of the merchant guild's manager, Lin Zhenghong, could the patrol envoys and others intervene temporarily.
This is also why he visited Cui Qingwu earlier.
Zhang Dabao didn't care about any rules and snorted, "This deal was made possible by me. Are you trying to steal the credit?"
"No, I wouldn't dare..."
"You know you dare not, so why don't you step back?"
Yes, yes.
After Lin Zhenghong stepped back a few steps, Zhang Dabao breathed a sigh of relief and went forward to open the box.
He dared not let Lin Zhenghong do this.
Let alone picking up those banknotes one by one to check their authenticity, just a glance at them would be enough to expose the deception.
Liu Lang knew perfectly well what was going on, and intentionally or unintentionally blocked Lin Zhenghong's view, leaning closer and saying impatiently:
"The silver notes were carried by Wei merchants, that's for sure."
While laughing and responding to a few words, Zhang Dabao quickly picked up and put down the banknotes to avoid being seen by the people behind him to see if they were genuine or not.
After a few breaths, he snapped the box shut, locked it, picked it up, and laughed, saying:
"The amount of silver notes is not a problem. I look forward to the next transaction with Your Highness."
Jin Peng hummed in agreement. "Farewell."
Then he waved his hand again, and nearly a hundred men in black emerged from the forest and headed toward the carriages and camel carts.
Zhang Dabao cooperated by turning around and gesturing for the guards to move away, then watched as they drove their horse-drawn carriages and camel carts westward along the mountain road, still holding the box.
Liu Lang, Jin Peng, and the others also stood still.
Lin Zhenghong looked at it for a while, glanced at the box, and still reluctantly moved closer.
"Sir, you are of noble birth, so please let me keep the silver notes safe."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand.
Zhang Dabao thought for a moment, then handed the box to him, instructing him, "Don't flaunt your wealth. It's best to open it after you get back."
Lin Zhenghong readily agreed, took the box and hugged it to his chest, his heart overflowing with joy.
With the money secured, he and "Li Sanyuan" would no longer be subject to punishment from the business.
"Sir, this transaction only involved grain. When will the other shipment you mentioned be...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Dabao glanced at him sideways and said, "Shut up."
Lin Zhenghong was slightly taken aback. After seeing the several "Vashisa people" beside him, he belatedly nodded and said, "Your words are correct, sir."
About fifteen minutes later.
The horse-drawn carriages and camel-drawn carts drove away, leaving only the faint sounds of hooves and tracks in the distance.
Zhang Dabao then gestured to Lin Zhenghong and said, "You take your men back first. I'll discuss another deal with some distinguished guests."
Lin Zhenghong hesitated for a moment before nodding, then turned and led the guards of the grain store toward the Chishui River.
As he walked, he thought to himself: "This patrol officer really thinks he's the manager of a merchant guild, so unruly, really..."
I may think about it, but that's all I'll do.
Lin Zhenghong was also aware that he was not his father Lin Huai'an after all, and his foundation in the Jizhou Trading Company was not stable.
Furthermore, due to unforeseen circumstances surrounding this transaction, he has yet to have the opportunity to contact the core personnel of the business.
We can only plan for the future.
Just as Lin Zhenghong was having a wonderful dream and leading his people to the Chishui River, he saw a fast boat cutting through the waves on the river.
He frowned slightly and waved to signal the guards behind him to be on guard.
"It's past midnight now, so logically no more ships should be coming from the direction of the prefectural city..."
Lin Zhenghong couldn't help but worry, as he still held tens of millions of taels of silver in his hands.
However, what you worry about most is what happens most often.
As soon as the fast boat approached, before Lin Zhenghong and the others could ask any questions, dozens of masked men in armor rushed towards them.
They were firing crossbows from their arms.
Arrows whistled through the night sky.
Lin Zhenghong's eyes widened instantly, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Enemy attack!"
However, the people on the opposite ship were caught off guard. After the crossbow bolts, they immediately started throwing porcelain bottles at Lin Zhenghong and his group who couldn't dodge in time.
Swoosh, swoosh...
"ah!"
"careful--"
"You're asking for death! Kill!"
Amidst the clamor of shouts and the whistling of crossbow bolts, the sound of shattering porcelain bottles added a touch of bloodiness to the banks of the Chishui River at night.
Severed limbs flew about, and blood splattered everywhere.
One by one, the guards around Lin Zhenghong fell down.
In a panic, he grabbed the box and ran toward where "Li Sanyuan" and the others were in the distance.
Desperate screams could be heard from time to time.
I don't know how much time has passed.
It could be a quarter of an hour, an hour, or just a few breaths.
There was no more sound in Lin Zhenghong's ears. He ran forward while trying to suppress his fear and looking back.
But they saw nothing.
Just as he was about to slow down, his body bumped into something with a thud, and he was unexpectedly thrown to the ground.
Without thinking twice, Lin Zhenghong grabbed the box, got up, and prepared to continue his escape.
But as soon as he stood up and saw what was in front of him, he stopped in his tracks, his wide eyes filled with fear.
"You, you..."
He saw a young man dressed in brocade robes standing with his hands behind his back, smiling at him.
It was none other than Liu Hong's eldest son, Liu Taoyao!
He glanced at the box in Lin Zhenghong's hand and asked with a smile, "Mr. Lin, where are you going?"
As he spoke, he slowly approached.
Lin Zhenghong, clutching the box, retreated step by step, his face contorted in a grimace, shouting with a fierce but weak voice:
"Do you know who I am?"
"I am from the Jizhou Merchant Guild, and I am the head manager of the guild in Shuzhou Prefecture!"
"How dare you bring men to attack us?"
"You, your Liu family, are you out of your minds?!"
Liu Taoyao's smile remained unchanged. "Who would know that it was us who made the move?"
"Are you one of those bandits from Vaishsa?"
"Hehe, don't be silly, Manager Lin."
"Now that I have appeared before you, neither you nor the silver in your hand can escape my grasp."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhenghong's legs gave way, and he fell to the ground, the box in his hand rolling away.
He scrambled over in a panic, crying, "My, my money..."
Before he could even hug the box, his leg was stepped on, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.
He turned around and looked back, but before he could see clearly, a flash of silvery light streaked across his eyes.
My vision went black, followed by a sharp pain.
He covered his eyes, curled up on the ground, and wailed, "My eyes, I...you, I don't want the money anymore, please let me go!"
"Young Master Liu, Young Master Liu, please..."
Liu Taoyao chuckled, slowly walked up to him, picked up the box, weighed it in her hand, and looked down at him, saying:
"Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"
"Now, it's too late."
"No, it's not too late. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you! It's not too late!"
"You? Give it to me?"
"joke!"
"From the moment you plotted against my second brother, you were already on the path to your deaths!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Liu Taoyao, with a cold face, thrust her sword out, piercing through Lin Zhenghong's chest.
Lin Zhenghong covered his eyes with one hand and gripped the sword blade with the other, blood streaming down his face, and still stammered:
"You...I'm down here, waiting for you..."
"Go down and repent!"
Liu Taoyao slashed horizontally with her sword, sending out several sprays of blood, before sheathing her sword and not looking at it again.
Only Lin Zhenghong, who was gradually losing consciousness, was left lying in a pool of blood, staring at the night sky with his bloodshot eyes.
"Young Master, shall we go take another look over there?"
"No, thank you."
“Those evil heretics will surely make the people of the Peacock King Banner disappear from this world.”
"Let's hurry back home."
"If we go back too late, all this silver will just gather dust."
"yes……"
...
at the same time.
Still dressed as people from the Vishva region, Zhang Dabao and his group had already changed direction and headed towards the Chishui River.
This is the upper reaches of the Chishui River.
By the light of the bright moon, one can vaguely see the distant, rolling mountains, which are the northern foothills of the Wumeng Mountains.
The mountain roads are steep and winding, nestled among towering mountains.
With a combination of pulling and dragging, Zhang Dabao and the others managed to move the horse-drawn carriages and camel-drawn carts to the banks of the Chishui River.
Liu Lang looked around and asked in surprise, "Didn't Wang Ji say that the ships had been arranged? How come they're nowhere to be seen?"
Zhang Dabao shook his head, equally puzzled.
Without boats, these people and their food supplies would have to wait here, which would only increase their risks.
Although this place is sparsely populated, some people still come here to hunt or gather medicinal herbs after dawn.
If someone were to witness it, complications would inevitably arise.
Jin Peng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but remove the beard from his face, his expression inevitably showing some anxiety.
"The shopkeeper won't not come, will he?"
"If so much grain is discovered, all of us will be wanted by the authorities."
"Don't rush, don't rush, just a little longer..."
Before Zhang Dabao could finish speaking, Liu Lang pointed downstream and raised an eyebrow, saying:
"Here we are, I knew it... um?"
A barely perceptible chill emanated from the boats on the distant river, silencing Liu Lang's words.
His expression instantly turned serious, and he gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, saying in a deep voice:
"Be careful, these aren't our people!"
"What?!"
Before Jin Peng and the other Tianshan Sect disciples could understand what was happening, a soft exclamation came from a distant ship:
"Aren't you from Vashyapa?"
"A Wei person?"
"Interesting, interesting. I never expected that those trading with the grain merchants were actually Wei people disguised as bandits, haha..."
As Liu Lang waved to signal the people behind him to get ready, he stared intently at the newcomer and asked:
Who are you?
However, even without knowing the visitor's identity, he already knew that the visitor was no ordinary person.
The leader's cultivation level, as well as the heavy pressure that carried the vast spiritual energy of heaven and earth, made him feel extremely cold.
Just like when he faced Xiao Jinghong at the Wushan Trade Market.
However, compared to his previous fight with Xiao Jinghong, Liu Lang's strength has improved.
It's not that the person here would intimidate him so much that he wouldn't even have the courage to draw his sword.
"You ask who I am?"
"Young man, didn't your elders teach you that you need to introduce yourself before asking these questions?"
"I am Wolf Six, and I will not change my name or surname!"
"Wolf Six?"
As the ship drew closer, the figure of the newcomer gradually became clearer, and the faces of the people standing behind him were also revealed.
There were more than a dozen people dressed in black, wearing scale armor, black cloaks, straw hats and veils.
The man in the lead sized up Liu Lang, his eyes full of mocking laughter.
"Forgive my ignorance, but I did not recognize your lineage in swordsmanship."
Upon hearing this, Liu Lang remained silent, observing them for a moment before a look of realization dawned on his face.
"So it was you—the Five Poisons Sect!"
The leader of the men in black seemed somewhat surprised. "You actually know that we are from the Five Poisons Sect?"
"snort!"
"A bunch of stray dogs, bedbugs hiding in dark corners, do they really think they're hiding well?"
Liu Lang recognized their Five Poisons Sect identities and knew there was no way to resolve this peacefully, so he simply indulged in some verbal sparring.
As he spoke, he subtly waved to signal the others behind him to get ready.
Especially towards Zhang Dabao, his hand moved so fast it became a blur.
Zhang Dabao realized what was happening and quickly took out a bamboo tube from his sleeve and lit it with a tinderbox.
A beam of light shot into the sky in an instant.
Upon seeing this, the leader of the men in black narrowed his eyes and stared at him and Liu Lang for a long time.
After a moment, he spoke in a sinister tone: "What a quick-witted lad!"
Before he finished speaking, he transformed into a black shadow and traversed a hundred feet in the blink of an eye.
"Remember this! The one who killed you—Yan Jingchen of the Five Poisons Sect!"
(End of this chapter)
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