The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 282: Be the living king of hell in the underworld

In the outer city of Kaifeng, near Nanquyuan Street, there is an ordinary second-level house.

This is the place where Cao Bin used to settle Ma Qing and Chen An.

Cao Bin sent Ma Qing to Ma Qing that day, leaving the doctor and a few old servants behind. He came to visit him every half month, and the Cao family was responsible for providing all daily necessities.

In the small courtyard, the patter of rainwater fell like silk threads along the eaves.

Ma Qing sat in the courtyard, looking up at the sky blankly. He didn't wake up until the drizzle wet his face. He got up with crutches, struggled to pick up the stool, hunched over, and limped to the He sat down under the eaves, then leaned on his crutches and looked dreamily at the courtyard. The puddles on the stone slabs were hit by raindrops, causing ripples.

The man was just in his early thirties, with an aging appearance that seemed to be in his forties or fifties. His forehead was covered with fine wrinkles, and the two deep nasolabial folds diagonally below his nose were as deep as knife carvings.

A head covered with hideous scars, with only a few sparse locks of hair growing out on the top of the head and on the temples.

Occasionally he grinned stupidly, his mouth was so dark that a few teeth could not be seen.

Sitting there motionless, leaning on a cane, his whole body seemed to be enveloped in endless darkness.

The chimney of the kitchen in the front yard extinguished the smoke. After a while, Chen An put on a bamboo hat and ran on tiptoes to the courtyard with a food box in hand.

"The weather is so weird that it can change at any time. It was sunny just now, and then it started raining without saying a word while we were cooking."

Chen An smiled, took off his bamboo hat and shook it, moved a low table, put the food on it, and sat across from Ma Qing.

The food was not bad, with vegetables and meat. In front of Ma Qing was a bowl of hot porridge, while Chen An himself had a large bowl of white rice, a plate of pickled cucumbers, and a large bowl of stewed chicken.

Chen An scooped some chicken soup and poured it on the white rice, mixed it up and stirred it up.

Ma Qing slowly took a small mouthful of gruel, put a piece of pickled cucumber in his mouth, and chewed it carefully.

It's not that he is pretending to be polite, it's just that there are not many teeth left in his mouth. It's hard to eat a big meal, and it's even more difficult to eat a hard meal.

The old hen was so stewed that it melted in your mouth, and Chen An could spit out a piece of bone with just a slurp of his mouth.

Ma Qing used his few remaining teeth to chew the meat, while Chen An drank half of his bowl of rice and only a small part of his gruel.

"Brothers from Luoyang, are you arriving soon?" Ma Qing suddenly spoke.

His speaking voice was also very strange, as if there was sand stuck in his throat, which was hoarse and his tone was soft and weak, as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

Chen An's action of grabbing rice stopped, he raised his head and wiped his mouth, and said solemnly: "Have you seriously decided to stay in Kaifeng?"

Ma Qing grinned, obviously smiling, but it was uglier than crying.

"I am the commander of the Zangfeng Battalion. I am lurking in Kaifeng on the orders of a minor official and presiding over all the operations of the Zangfeng Battalion in Henan. How can I leave?"

Chen An smiled bitterly and said hesitantly: "But you were seriously injured and you are still disabled. The young envoy also said in the letter that you should return to Jingzhou to recuperate and I will take over the matter of Kaifeng."

Ma Qing shook his head: "I have written back to the officials to tell them that I will not leave. I want to stay and revitalize the layout of the Zangfeng Battalion in Kaifeng. There are several hidden lines that I personally laid. They will not trust anyone else except me." people."

Chen An looked at him with some sympathy: "If it were you instead of me who went to visit Mr. Fu Yantu that day, I should be the one caught by Li Ye."

After a pause, he smiled bitterly and said: "I don't know if I can endure those tortures. I will choose to fight to the end."

Ma Qing grinned, "I don't have the ability to kill like you, so I can only surrender without mercy. Ever since I followed a small official, my luck, Ma San, has always been good, and this time was no exception. I was thrown into a pile of dead people. I walked halfway through the Huangquan Road and came back again."

"Third brother can take it easy." Chen An sighed, "When Cao Bin sent you back that day, I still feel scared when I think about it. I now know what it means to be inhuman."

Ma Qing said hey: "We, Ma San, have been tortured a lot by the little devils, but the Lord of Hell does not dare to take us in! From now on, I will be the living King of Hell in the world of hell. Whoever dares to offend our little officials will also give him a try." All kinds of torture in the netherworld"

A bolt of lightning suddenly pierced the sky above the house, and the white light shone on half of Ma Qing's face, making him look horribly pale.

The smiling face was half pale and half dark, as if black and white appeared at the same time, making it look particularly terrifying.

Chen An sighed deeply, clasped his fists and said: "Since the third brother has decided, I have nothing to say. I am willing to follow the third brother and continue to lurk in Kaifeng City to reorganize the banner of our Zangfeng Camp! Li Ye and others will kill my brother and burn In my house, everything they did to Third Brother must be repaid a hundredfold!"

Ma Qing said calmly: "There is no rush. In everything, we should pay attention to the orders of the junior officials. We must first revitalize the Zangfeng camp and smoothen the information transmission work in Kaifeng as soon as possible. As for Li Ye, I said in the water prison that day that I would take off his prisoner with my own hands." Leather lantern!"

Chen An looked at his half-gloomy face, feeling a chill in his heart.

After going through hell for a while, Ma Qing changed a lot.

"We can't go back to Lao Yaxiang. We must find a place to stay again."

Ma Qing thought for a while, "When Cao Bin comes next time, let's say goodbye to him before leaving. People are kind and kind enough to take him in, but they can't just leave without saying hello."

Chen An nodded: "I will go out to explore these days and find a suitable place to settle down first. I will wait for the brothers from the Luoyang branch camp to arrive before making next plans. Although this house is quiet, it is always someone else's place. Let's stay here." There will be a lot of inconvenience.”

Five days later, Cao Bin came to visit on time. Ma Qing and Chen An packed up and bid him farewell.

"Are you going?"

Cao Bin looked at them in surprise, with a puzzled look on his face: "But is there any lack of care? You two are now serious criminals jointly arrested by Kaifeng Mansion, Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Punishment. If you leave here, your safety is not guaranteed."

Ma Qing hurriedly saluted and said: "General Cao, please don't misunderstand. We have been living here for more than three months thanks to General Cao's care. Now that the villain's injury has basically recovered, I dare not continue to disturb you. It is time to say goodbye to General Cao."

Cao Bin looked at them strangely, and his heroic eyebrows frowned: "The two of you must not be ordinary traders, right? Then what kind of Shenghe Mansion is just to cover up your activities?"

Chen An smiled and said: "The little people are just here to do small business in Kaifeng under the orders of the master. General Cao doesn't have to worry about it."

"Small business?" Cao Bin snorted, with a face full of disbelief, "How could an ordinary small business alarm Uncle Li Ye? And the imperial army was sent to encircle and suppress it? I have heard that on the day the Shenghe residence was burned down, you guys The strongman resisted with a knife and killed many times of the imperial army. They were finally defeated when they were outnumbered.

Tell me, what kind of businessperson has your skills? "

Ma Qing and Chen An didn't reply, they just pretended to be stupid and smiled stupidly.

Cao Bin was secretly annoyed. As expected, they had experienced the torture of Li Ye. These two people looked ordinary on the surface, but in fact they were tough nuts to crack. It was difficult to get some clues out of them!
"That's all. Since you want to leave, I won't stop you. I just pack your things and leave. If you get caught later, don't blame me for not warning you in advance."

Cao Bin waved his hand and said unhappily.The two clasped their fists and said in unison: "General Cao's life-saving grace will never be forgotten! There will be generous rewards in the future!"

Cao Bin snorted coldly: "You should call your master to thank me! I'd like to see what that kid Zhu Xiu can do to raise a group of loyal warriors who are not afraid of death!"

Chen An carried two backpacks, supported Ma Qing, and limped out of the courtyard. He turned back and bowed to Cao Bin to say goodbye. Then he walked onto the street, and his figure gradually disappeared among the crowd.

Cao Bin stood at the door of the small courtyard, watching the two people go away, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

As brother Chai Rong said, these two people are of low status, but they are loyal and brave, which is admirable.

How can Zhu Xiuhe be able to make such a warrior die loyally?
Cao Bin was looking forward to the day he would meet Zhu Xiu in the future.

~~~
Since November, the celestial phenomena have been changing frequently.

In the early morning of November [-]st, a rare Tengu eclipse occurred, and the city of Kaifeng was briefly plunged into darkness. The north wind howled, and it was as cold as a knife on the body.

On November [-]th, the sky was like a fire in the middle of the night. At dawn, black clouds were rolling over the city of Kaifeng. The wind stopped and the clouds stopped. The atmosphere was so oppressive that it made people breathless, as if the end of the world was about to come.

On November [-], a comet fell in the direction of the imperial city in the evening. Rumors spread in Kaifeng, and people were panicked.

On November [-]th, there was another heavy snowfall, and the city of Kaifeng was covered with snow overnight.

In the morning, Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bin, and Wang Zhang appeared at the Xihua Gate.

Last night, the officials issued an order to summon ministers of the third rank and above to the Guangzheng Hall to discuss matters at noon today.

Since the beginning of winter, Liu Chengyou has postponed the morning court time to the beginning of the afternoon, around nine o'clock in the morning. This has caused many courtiers who are far away from the palace, have inconvenient legs and feet, and are afraid of the cold to call for benevolent government.

Yang Bin and Wang Zhang got off the carriage, and Shi Hongzhao got off his horse and walked toward them.

"The weather is very cold and the snowflakes are as big as goose feathers. Why doesn't Mr. Shi take a carriage and ride on a chariot instead of riding a horse in the wind and snow?" Wang Zhang said with a smile and cupped his hands.

Shi Hongzhao slapped the fallen snow all over his body and said carelessly: "Shi is a warrior and is used to the wind, frost, rain and snow. He is not like you civil servants, who are all very delicate!"

There was a hint of contempt and joking in Shi Hongzhao's tone. Yang Bin curled his lips and ignored it. Wang Zhang smiled and said: "Shi Gong has a strong body and bones. Yang Gong can't compare with Xiaguan!"

"Haha~ I will take you to practice hard during the winter hunting. It's time for your old arms and legs to move!" Shi Hongzhao laughed.

The three of them entered the Xihua Gate talking and laughing.

"Wait~"

Holding a hand warmer in his hand, Yang Bin suddenly stopped when he walked into the Xihua Gate.

He found that the general guarding Xihua Gate today was a bit unfamiliar, and he had never seen more than a dozen soldiers.

"I remember that the guard of Xihua Gate today is Zheng Zhong. Who are you? Why are you here?"

Yang Bin looked at the angry-looking guard of Xihua Gate, frowning with confusion on his face.

Shi Hongzhao and Wang Zhang also looked at him.

"The last general, Hou Yanwei, bows to the three ministers!" The guard of Xihua Gate bowed down on one knee, "Replying to Xiang Xiang, the last general was formerly the head of the second squadron in the outer palace. He was promoted to the palace gate general three days ago. Today, General Zheng is ill. Then the last general will take over."

"A straight person from the outer palace?" Yang Bing frowned more and more. This person looked angry and seemed to have never seen him in the palace.

Shi Hongzhao said disapprovingly: "The weather has been very cold recently, and countless people have contracted the disease. It is common for people to take time off to cover their shifts. Prime Minister Yang does not need to worry about it."

Yang Bin looked at Hou Yanwei who had his head lowered, nodded without saying anything, and walked into the Xihua Gate with Shi Hongzhao and Wang Zhang into the palace.

After the three people left, Hou Yanwei stood up slowly, glanced at the backs of the three people with cold eyes, raised his hand and shouted: "Close the palace door! Anyone who opens the palace door without the general's orders will be killed!"

Boom~
The two huge palace doors slowly closed, and the doorway was filled with darkness.

"Zheng Zhong is one of our own. With him guarding the Xihua Gate, it will be easier for us to enter and exit the palace. The sudden change of people today makes me a little uneasy."

Yang Bin said while walking on the road.

"Mr. Yang is being too cautious!" Shi Hongzhao said with a smile, "In this huge palace city, nearly half of the palace gate guards are trusted by you and me. If something happens, we can move forward or retreat, there is no need to worry. !”

Wang Zhang sneered and said: "The transfer of the straight man from the outer hall to the palace gatekeeper must have been arranged by Li Ye and others. Li Ye and his group compete with us everywhere. Although the palace gatekeeper's position is low, they are very important. This group of people I definitely want to compete.”

Shi Hongzhao sneered: "Li Ye and others have been much more polite to us in the past few months. I thought this guy suddenly realized that he was planning to compete with us for the position of guard of the palace city."

Yang Bin looked back at the closed Xihua Gate and said solemnly: "I don't know why, but I often feel uneasy today. It's better for us to be careful."

"I'm so scared! Do those traitors dare to hide their swordsmen and axe-hands in the palace?" Shi Hongzhao shouted disdainfully.

"Ouch~ Mr. Shi, please don't talk nonsense, it's so scary!" Wang Zhang trembled all over, turned around and looked around, only to feel that the palace was particularly deserted today.

The palaces and pavilions were piled with snow on the eaves, and it was completely white. Not a single person could be seen in the empty palace city.

Shi Hongzhao laughed and said: "Nearly half of the Imperial Army is under my control. If Li Ye and other birdmen make any changes, I will give the order and we can take them down in an instant!"

Wang Zhang winced and smiled bitterly: "Shi Gong, as the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden Army, does have great power, but you can't always keep 10,000+ Forbidden Army soldiers and horses with you! We only have three people and three heads here. The former generals of the late Han Dynasty He Jin, who commanded all the troops in the world, had his head cut off by a few eunuchs in the palace."

"Uh" Shi Hongzhao was speechless. Suddenly he broke out in cold sweat and unconsciously clenched the sword at his waist.

"Shut your mouth, you guy! When you say that, even my heart beats! Today, the Miyagi monster is deserted, which is not normal~" Shi Hongzhao cursed in a low voice, turned around and looked around, swallowing Shui Shu felt a little guilty.

"The official is just talking nonsense, Shi Gong must not take it seriously!"

Wang Zhang smiled bitterly and pretended to bow. Seeing that Shi Hongzhao was speechless and looked like he was facing a formidable enemy, Wang Zhang secretly laughed in his heart. He also boasted that he was a martial artist, and he was not frightened by the slightest rumor.

Yang Bin remained calm and silent, and the three of them were silent as they walked towards Guangzheng Gate.

(End of this chapter)