Chapter 68: She was the one who attacked the stronghold? Is it really such a coincidence?
Cheng Xianzhi and others did not dare to move rashly and stayed where they were to investigate.
"These mountain roads are complicated and intricate, and the bandits from Bai Ta Village usually don't use them. According to the villagers, they have seen figures climbing over eaves and walls at night a few times, and they must be people from Bai Ta Village." Han Zhou said.
"The villagers aren't as afraid of the Baita Village people as rumored. At least these bandits have never entered their houses to rob them. On the contrary, the villagers' harvests have been poor over the past two years, and the Baita Village people have even sent them food reinforcements for the winter."
"So, according to what the villagers said, Xie Zhao and Bai Tu are good bandits?" Cheng Xianzhi picked up a handful of arrowheads, which were forged with ordinary craftsmanship, but there was an official seal on the back of the arrowheads. I don't know where he got it from.
He slid the arrowhead twice on the branch to test its sharpness.
"Black or white cannot be explained in a few words." Han Zhou observed Cheng Xianzhi's expression.
In the deep forest, the rocks reflected the sunlight, and beams of golden light fell into the mountain.
At that moment, his eyes caught something familiar.
Cheng Xianzhi walked around Han Zhou and moved to the inconspicuous branch. He pushed aside the tender leaves and found a simple goose-shaped mark on it. Looking at the mark on the branch, it should have been there for several months.
So familiar!
He fell into deep thought for a moment, trying to recall the past.
Han Zhou came over and saw the mark, but asked nonchalantly, "The goose-shaped mark, is that what you're thinking about, sir?"
***
Cheng Xianzhi's thoughts went back to the night when the two were assassinated outside the capital. Walking along the mountain road near the ruined temple in the dark, Lu Tingwan carved marks as he walked.
"What are you doing?" Cheng Xianzhi turned around and stared at Lu Tingwan in front of him. She kept carving marks on the branches.
"The mountain is covered in thick fog. I'm afraid we'll get lost, so let's make a mark." Lu Ting wiped the sweat from his forehead, his hair still dripping.
***
Memories of the past came flooding back like a sea of clouds, and Cheng Xianzhi called out her name, "Lu Ting Wan!"
Han Zhou had said before that Lu Tingwan disappeared at the border between Bin and Tan states, which is Qingyao Mountain.
This goose-shaped mark was the one that Lu Tingwan had carved when the two of them were hiding outside the city and going up the mountain to hide in a ruined temple!
A stream of thoughts came to mind at this moment.
Lu Tingwan had been to Qingyao Mountain. If she had been kidnapped by bandits and taken up the mountain to look for the marks left by the bandits, and if she had not been discovered, she would have definitely reached Baita Village by following the marks.
If the mark disappeared halfway, it would mean that she had not been able to successfully go down or up the mountain.
What can be confirmed is that Lu Tingwan has been here!
Then there are three possibilities.
Lu Tingwan left.
Lu Tingwan is already dead.
Lu Tingwan is still in Baita Village!
Han Zhou was puzzled and waited for Cheng Xianzhi to speak.
"Han Zhou, order someone to follow me."
Han Zhou hesitated and said, "These roads are full of traps. My Lord, please tell me to go explore and confirm that it is safe before you leave."
Cheng Xianzhi turned a deaf ear and chose the intersection in the direction of the mark.
But Han Zhou couldn't understand how to tell the direction the goose-shaped figure was pointing.
The ground Cheng Xianzhi stepped on was unusually calm, without triggering any mechanism.
***
"Why are the shapes of each of your marks different?"
"The changing form is just a trick. Even if someone can recognize my goose shape as a mark, they can't tell the direction."
"How do you cut it off?"
Lu Tingwan leaned against a branch, pulling Cheng Xianzhi forward in the dim moonlight. She traced the goose's wings with her fingertips, "Look, this goose is standing upright, with its beak and wings facing in different directions. If this path leads to the right, then the left wing will open and the right wing will close, and vice versa."
"What if we go straight?"
"Go straight and don't draw."
***
Cheng Xianzhi recalled that finding the marks was not easy. Every time Lu Tingwan reached a fork in the road, the goose-shaped marks he carved were difficult to spot.
The shape of each mark became more and more sloppy. Even if it was not in the shape of a goose, the shape of the left and right wings was still there. It can be seen that she did not have enough time to carve the mark in order to avoid the suspicion of Xie Zhao and others.
After three hours, Cheng Xianzhi and the others had already climbed a long section of the mountain road. He seemed to feel that the exit was not far away.
They had a small number of troops with them, so if they wanted to ensure that they could capture Bai Ta Village, they had to send people down the mountain to ask for help.
Originally, Cheng Xianzhi had not planned to attack the mountain in broad daylight, but when they followed the trail, they found footprints of official boots, armor and sword tips crushing new branches. If someone from Baita Village came to patrol, they would definitely be able to find their traces and take precautions.
Cheng Xianzhi had to launch the first wave of surprise attacks before the Baita Village bandits noticed.
At the same time, outside the main hall, subordinates rushed into the village in a hurry, while Bai Tu and Xie Zhao were still discussing important matters.
"Boss, Second Boss, it's bad, the bandit suppression troops are coming up the mountain."
Bai Tu was the first to panic. When he stood up, the things on the table fell down, and one corner of the wooden table shifted.
"What? Has the roadblock at the crossing been triggered?"
"No, it was the patrol brothers who discovered the prints of military boots on the mountain road."
"What kind of ability does Cheng Xianzhi have? He was able to break through these numerous obstacles in just two days."
Xie Zhao remained calm and analyzed, "If we want to successfully ascend the mountain at the intersection, without a clear map or markings, it's impossible for other roadblocks to go untriggered."
"What does Zhao mean?"
"Out of millions of possibilities, only one," Xie Zhao's eyes were sharp, "the fork in the mountain has been leaked."
"Apart from the brothers in the mountain village, who else knows?" Bai Tu picked up a long knife, wishing he could cut the person who leaked the information into pieces.
Xie Zhao had obviously guessed who it was, but he didn't believe that Lu Tingwan would tell Cheng Xianzhi the way to go up the mountain.
But Bai Tu doesn't think so.
"I know who it is," he strode out, "bring that bitch Jiang Yanli here to me. I'm going to chop her to pieces today."
Xie Zhao stood up suddenly, and a voice behind him said threateningly, "Bai Tu, it can't be her."
"If it's not her, could it be the brothers from the village?" Bai Tu's face was grim. "You would rather believe this woman than the brothers?"
"This is not the time to argue about this. Jiang Yanli cannot move. This is what I, Xie Zhao, said." The strong man was wearing a cloak, and his eyes followed the setting sun under the setting sun.
He ordered the villagers not to leave their houses, and as long as they did not act rashly, the army would not make things difficult for them.
The bandits evacuated the peak according to the previous plan. Xie Zhao went to the thatched cottage. Lu Tingwan heard the noise and peeked through the window, but Xie Zhao locked her up.
The wooden door outside the house was unlocked. She moved from the window to the door, but before she was ready to rush out, Xie Zhao pushed her back into the house.
He handed over the blueprint of the Sunset Bow and said, "Keep it for me. I'll come back to get it."
With a firm look in his eyes, Lu Tingwan said in a hoarse voice, "The army has gone up the mountain?"
"You don't know anything. Just stay here. Don't you know each other? Just say that I abducted you to the mountain to be my wife."
Lu Tingwan's originally unhappy mood was amused by his words "wife of the chief bandit".
However, this reason may be useful to her, but it will not be beneficial to Xie Zhao.
The speed of the brothers outside evacuating did not slow down. Xie Zhao could not delay for too long. He closed the door when he turned around. He relied on his own advantages. Lu Tingwan could not resist at all. The wooden door, which was not very strong, blocked them.
"Xie Zhao, let me out and let me talk!"
"Xie Zhao! Xie Zhao!"
She looked at the figure that was already disappearing into the distance. Xie Zhao walked up the mountain in the last rays of sunset. The wooden door behind him roared, which was Lu Tingwan's desperate cry.
He was overwhelmed by the sounds of thanks and finally set out on the evacuation route to the top of the mountain.
Bai Tu settled the villagers and took the remaining thirty people up the mountain from the other side.
The sound of armor from the anti-bandit army was getting closer and closer, and their momentum swept over the village. Cheng Xianzhi put on his black armor and held a long sword in his hand.
After night fell, the moonlight also quietly came out. Even at this time, the moonlight seemed to be particularly fond of him. The long sword reflected the clear light, and the mighty torches continued to suppress the darkness of Baita Village.
"Sir, there is no one in the bandit's lair. They must have escaped." The sentry inquired about the news.
"Escape?" Cheng Xianzhi's starry eyes swept across the surrounding area. It was indeed unusually quiet.
Han Zhou said, "Everyone, be alert all around to prevent the cunning and treacherous bandits from attacking us unexpectedly."
In this situation, you have to be careful and vigilant to avoid being caught by the criminals.
Cheng Xianzhi had a backup plan. Even if Xie Zhao wanted to attack in Baita Village, he would not be unable to resist.
"Let's explore again. There are still villagers in Baita Village. They can't all disappear."
The fire outside the house was getting brighter and brighter. Lu Tingwan leaned on the windowsill and looked out. Through the flags and the yellow flames, she could see the figure clearly.
It's him!
Among the group of black-armored people, a cold light flashed through the cover and directly into Lu Tingwan's eyes. His legs went weak and he could hardly speak.
"Cheng, Cheng Xianzhi..."
She had to find a way to leave this place as soon as possible.
There are very few usable items in the room.
No, she does!
Suddenly she grabbed the arm crossbow tied at her wrist. There was a silver thread under the hidden buckle of the arm crossbow, which was enough for her to break the wooden lock through the narrow gap in the door.
There was no candlelight in the room, so she could only use the light of a distant fire to unlock the door.
Not long after, the wooden lock opened, and Lu Tingwan pushed the door open and went towards the top of the mountain from the side and rear.
The last time he demonstrated this skill was when he broke into Sun Gui's mansion with Cheng Xianzhi.
Han Zhou's hawk-like eyes caught the figure moving away in the darkness.
"grown ups."
Cheng Xianzhi followed the sound and looked in the direction of Han Zhou's sight. With just a glance, he saw that the figure looked like a person.
The two of them looked at each other as if they had guessed the same thing.
"Is it really such a coincidence?" Cheng Xianzhi's eyes narrowed, revealing a deep feeling.
"If it's Lu Tingwan, he must know where Xie Zhao and Bai Tu are. Otherwise, I will capture them and interrogate them."
"What if it's Xie Zhao's bait?" Cheng Xianzhi was surprisingly calm.
Han Zhou originally thought that he would at least relax a little, but it seems that his worries were unnecessary.
Han Zhou lowered his eyes, and the sentry came again to report: "Master Cheng, the village is full of civilians and unarmed."
"It seems that Xie Zhao and Bai Tu have completely given up on Baita Village." Han Zhou said.
Cheng Xianzhi raised his eyes and looked towards the top of the mountain: "There is only one place."
Han Zhou understood, and with a command, the army continued to move towards the top of the mountain.
But this journey may not be so smooth.
Xie Zhao had already set up an ambush on the top of the mountain.
Lu Tingwan walked through the jungle, but she did not take the main road. Once Xie Zhao and others reached the top of the mountain, the main road would not be safe and there must have been roadblocks.
Because of this, Bai Tu who went up later also took a side road.
The cries of soldiers were heard from the north side of the mountain, and the roadblock was triggered.
The casualties of the Qing army were unknown. Cheng Xianzhi's black armor was scratched by a huge rock, but fortunately no blood was seen.
Han Zhou and others were also dispersed by the giant stone formation.
The originally dark army suddenly dispersed into pieces.
Xie Zhao stood on the top of the mountain, looking down. The night covered the mountains and forests. Sounds kept coming from the hillside. It was the army encountering a trap.
"Master, your foresight is remarkable. These officers and soldiers will indeed transfer their forces to the top of the mountain."
Xie Zhao's brows were furrowed. "How's the evacuation going, brothers?"
"The only thing missing is Mr. Bai's team."
"After he comes up, you all evacuate together." Xie Zhao could still see the eaves of the main hall. The flag fluttered in the wind, being blown by the wind and tightly fixed on the flagpole.
The light in the forest was dim, and Lu Tingwan could not see the road clearly, but there was movement ahead.
Bai Tu and others also noticed that someone was following them all the way, and their tense nerves made him irritable and angry.
He raised his arm to signal his brothers to take cover, and Lu Tingwan headed up the mountain path. Xie Zhao had never taken her this way before; she had only taken it once before, while hunting with the villagers, and with only a few memories to grope her way to the summit.
Before he could take a few more steps forward, a cold light pressed against the back of his neck.
"Turn around?" Bai Tu ordered, spying like a nighthawk.
Lu Tingwan recognized the voice and the knife.
"Second Master Bai." She raised her arms and slowly turned around. "It's me."
"Jiang Yanli?" Bai Tu's hatred was even more intense. "It was you who tipped off Cheng Xianzhi and revealed the way up the mountain."
"I didn't!" Lu Tingwan didn't understand. She had never encountered Cheng Xianzhi's army, so how could she pass on information to them?
"A Zhao sent you down the mountain, so why did you come back? If it wasn't to connect with the enemy to attack Baita Village, then what was it?"
"The brothers in the village won't reveal the secret. Only you have come back from the foot of the mountain. Only you! Jiang Yanli!"
Every word in Bai Tu struck her heart, and Lu Tingwan had no way to defend herself.
"I came back because..."
"What is it?"
She wanted to help Xie Zhao, help Baita Village, and help them survive Cheng Xianzhi's hands.
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