Aoyama

Chapter 420 Jianghu
Looking back at the past.

Warhorses galloped, the sea of ​​fire already behind them.

He felt as if he had returned to the night in Los Angeles, climbing over the courtyard wall on a ladder made of Yun Yang's hands, and being chased for his life by a group of spies from the Liu family.

From then on, he became a wanderer of the martial world, never to return.

Chen Ji galloped away on his horse, still holding the reins of another horse in his hand. Liao Zhong was tightly bound to the horse's back with ropes and was unconscious.

Lu lay prone on the horse's back, the wind occasionally lifting the black veil of her hat, revealing a scar running across the bridge of her nose.

Chen Ji looked back and saw that no Jie Fanwei were chasing after him. He couldn't help but say to Madam Lu, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this chase."

Without turning his head, Lu replied, "It's alright. I haven't been chased for years, so it's quite novel."

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "Why did you help me?"

He had already given the clues about the whale to this Aunt Ping, and they had only known each other for a day. She could have simply left.

But the other party didn't.

Lu glanced at him sideways: "People of the martial world, why ask so many questions?"

Chen Ji smiled unconsciously.

Arena.

These two words seem to be inherently romantic; they can be used to explain many sudden loves and to cover up many unprovoked hates.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Aunt Ping, what is the Jianghu?"

Lu seemed unwilling to answer the question, and casually asked, "Was that the rabbit in the twelve zodiac animals of the Secret Service just now?"

As Chen Ji galloped away on his horse, he replied, "It's her."

“The other person on the roof should be Yun Yang. These two are always inseparable,” Madam Lu asked with a frown. “Why are you involved with the eunuch faction?”

Chen Ji was lost in memories.

Yes, why did I get involved with the eunuch faction?

He smiled and replied, "To live."

Madam Lu was slightly taken aback. She looked at Chen Ji, who was covered in blood, which almost turned his gray clothes black.

She paused for a moment: "To cooperate with the eunuch faction is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin. There are no good people among those who come from Wunian Mountain. Especially the Twelve Zodiacs..."

This time, Chen Ji retorted seriously, "Aunt Ping, there are good people among the twelve zodiac animals too."

Lu was taken aback; this was the first time Chen Ji had ever refuted her so seriously… but she didn’t know who Chen Ji was referring to as a good person.
At this moment, the two could see the East Gate in the distance, but when the guards on the city tower saw the two galloping towards them, they immediately pushed the hinges and closed the gate.

The city gate slammed shut with a loud bang, and the iron gate inside also fell down.

Changping County was one of the northern barriers of the capital region. Its city gates were extremely sturdy, and once they were lowered, it was impossible to force one through; even cannons might not be able to blast them open.

More than ten spies mounted their horses inside the city gate, drew their crossbows from their waists, and charged forward. Others took out copper whistles and blew them loudly.

Magpie, two calls: Surround!

"Shut up!"

Lu and Chen Ji both tightened the reins; they couldn't get out of this road.

She looked around at the street, then turned her horse around and went into a small alley to the north: "This way."

In the alley, there were bamboo poles set up by the locals to dry clothes. Madam Lu bent down to avoid the clothes hanging on the poles, and did not forget to turn back to remind Chen Ji: "Don't think about leading the pursuers away by yourself. Don't worry, I will definitely get you out of the city today!"

Chen Ji remained silent.

The two had only galloped a hundred paces north when they heard the sound of approaching hooves from the north.

Before they could even see anyone, they could hear the sound of horses' hooves, deep and powerful like drums, coming from behind the white walls and gray tiles.

Lu turned his horse eastward again: "This way!"

Chen Ji was just about to turn his horse westward, leading Liao Zhong away to distract the pursuers.

Madam Lu shouted angrily, "When did you develop this bad habit? Come here!"

Chen Ji reluctantly turned his horse and followed.

The two ran a few more streets to the east, and then they heard the sound of rolling hooves coming from the east as well.

Madam Lu reined in her horse and rode it around the long street, carefully listening to the sounds of hooves around her. She circled the street three or four times but still couldn't find a way out.

They were ambushed on all sides, and the sound of copper whistles could be heard from afar.

Madam Lu gripped the reins tightly and said in a deep voice, "I'll help you tear a gap from the south later. You take Liao Zhong and head south without looking back."

Chen Ji asked casually, "And what about you?"

After a moment of silence, Madam Lu said, "If you leave, I have my own way of escaping. There is a mine tunnel in Changping County that I can use to escape the city."

Chen Ji grinned and said, "Then why don't we go through this mine tunnel together?"

Mr. Lu was speechless.

This mine tunnel clearly doesn't exist; it's just a pretense to trick Chen Ji into leaving alone.

At this moment, more than ten spies arrived and remotely pulled the triggers of their crossbows.

More than ten arrows were shot at Chen Ji, while the remaining one was unexpectedly shot at Liao Zhong.

These spies had a very clear objective: even if they couldn't kill Chen Ji, killing Liao Zhong would be just as good; they absolutely could not allow Liao Zhong to return to the capital for trial.

At the critical moment, Chen Ji leaped onto Liao Zhong's horse and kicked away a stray arrow for him. His own warhorse, however, was shot into the ground and crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust.

How to do?
The sword-like creatures hidden within the weathered patterns seemed ready to spring into action.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from the next street, like the shouts of bandits coming down from the mountain to hunt: "Have you been wounded yet?"

Madam Lu was taken aback; the person who came was asking if she was injured.

While dodging the crossbow bolts, she shouted angrily from across the street, "Songren! Otherwise, I'll pull out your incense sticks!"

Someone on the next street burst into laughter: "No way, it'll cause a tidal wave!"

The Lu family told the person to get lost or they would sever all ties, but the other party didn't care and was determined to pull off a big heist!
Seeing that she couldn't persuade the person to leave, Madam Lu stopped arguing and shouted loudly to Chen Ji, "Come with me!"

She spurred her horse and disappeared into the alley, heading south to meet up with reinforcements. The spies' crossbow bolts crisscrossed their figures, and Chen Ji flashed his blade, sending arrows clattering to the ground.

The two had just emerged from the alley when they saw two masked men in gray clothes wearing straw hats fighting with spies.

One of the slender men in gray abandoned his warhorse and lunged at the spy.

The spy drew his sword to strike, but the gray-clad man suddenly rose into the air again, as if stepping on an invisible ladder, leaping over the spy's head and landing lightly behind him.

It was as if the two were riding the same horse.

The man in gray laughed heartily and patted the spy on the shoulder: "Brother, you're right behind you!"

The spy tried to stab backward, but the gray-clad man slashed his neck with a palm-length hook knife, and blood spurted out.

The hook knife, shaped like a crescent moon, spun rapidly in the gray-clad man's hand.

The spies were alarmed and raised their crossbows to shoot at the man in gray.

But in a flash, the crossbow bolts struck the spies whose throats had been slit. The gray-clad man from before was now hanging upside down on the horse's belly, pointing at the spies and laughing loudly: "Grandpa's right here!"

This person's movements are so exquisite, they're like those of a gibbon!
The spies pulled the trigger again, but the gray figure flashed back onto the horse: "Again! Again!"

Before the spies could pull the trigger for the third time, another man in gray came galloping towards them, carrying a sixteen-foot-long lance under his arm. He rushed into the spies' battle formation!

The first spy was caught off guard and was lifted up by the oncoming spear. The attacker flicked his arm and threw the spy's body, causing the other spy to fall over.

The spear is the most effective weapon for cavalry charges, and only the bravest can wield it.

A skilled warrior may not necessarily be adept at using a spear, but a skilled spearman is certainly a skilled warrior.

The spy urgently cried out: "Seeking the Dao Realm! Do not fight them head-on!"

The spies tried to ride away, but the street was only two carts wide, and a sixteen-foot-long spear was not something they could easily avoid.
The lance swept across like a steel whip, striking the spies and instantly knocking them all off their horses.

In just a few breaths, the two of them had routed more than ten spies.

The man carrying a spear waved to Madam Lu: "This way!"

The two men managed to tear a gap in the spies' ranks, leading Lu Shi and Chen Ji south through the streets and alleys. Behind them followed countless spies, like a giant black python.

As we passed through a small alley, a strong smell of alcohol wafted towards us.

The moment the horse stepped into the alley, its hooves slammed into the ground, splashing up the wine that had accumulated there, as if it had shattered a thin glass mirror.

The liquor was instantly squeezed and torn apart, and the surface of the water suddenly exploded.

The water surface trembled violently, and the gray tiles, narrow alleys, and figures reflected in it instantly twisted and shattered.

After the four rushed out of the alley, the man holding the lance took out a fire stick from his pocket, blew away the sparks inside, and casually threw it behind him.

With a deafening roar, the flames, thick with the pungent aroma of strong liquor, engulfed the pursuing spies.

Amid cries of pain, the spies retreated, desperately trying to extinguish the flames on their bodies.

The sea of ​​fire will separate them.

……

……

Having shaken off their pursuers, the four walked south for a few more blocks and then disappeared into a small alley.

Suddenly, Madam Lu stopped her horse and asked in a cold voice, "Why are you two here?"

The gray-clad, masked man holding a lance pulled his straw hat down low, seemingly aware that he was in the wrong, and remained silent.

Lu hissed, "Speak!"

The young man in gray, who looked like a monkey, shrank his neck: "If you can come, why can't we? We're all江湖儿女 (jianghu children, meaning people from all walks of life), why ask so many questions!"

Lu was furious: "What nonsense about the martial world! What do you know about the martial world?"

The man in gray stiffened his neck and said, "We can't just stand by and watch you suffer, can we?"

Just as Lu was about to utter another curse, she heard the man carrying the lance say in a hoarse voice, "Twenty years ago, when you got us drunk, you said that the martial world was the wind of the desert, the shattered blade, and the throat-splitting wine. This is your martial world."

Lu was taken aback.

The man lowered his head, concealing his face with his bamboo hat: "Of the four of us who drank together at the inn back then, only you and I are left. I promised someone that I would protect you, and that was what he repeatedly told me before he left. So, if we die, we die together; if we go, we go together. Otherwise, I won't have the face to go to the underworld to drink with someone. This is my way of the martial world."

It has nothing to do with fighting or interpersonal relationships; everyone has their own personal world within them.

After a long silence, Lu suddenly smiled from beneath her black veil. She turned to Chen Ji and said, "Chen Ji, you just asked what the Jianghu is... This is the Jianghu."

The world is like the deep red cinnabar in an inkpad box, but you shouldn't use a stamp to apply it properly. Instead, dip your thumb in the cinnabar and smear it vigorously on a piece of white Xuan paper.

That unrestrained and wild red is the essence of the martial arts world.

The next moment, Lu tore off Liao Zhong's brown robe and draped it over the young man in gray: "Make room for Chen Ji. You wear this robe and lie on your uncle's horse, pretending to be Liao Zhong."

The young man was dumbfounded: "Huh?"

Madam Lu said in a deep voice, "Do as instructed."

The young man reluctantly threw off his straw hat, revealing his rough, dark forehead and messy hair. He put on Liao Zhong's robe, lay down on another horse, and muttered, "The younger generation gets bullied by you every day. What kind of world is this!"

Lu ignored him and turned to look at Chen Ji, her eyes behind the veil and black gauze displaying a complex expression.

She solemnly instructed him, "Hide here until we lure the spies away, then..."

The man carrying the lance said hoarsely, "Go south, the garrison there won't stop you."

Chen Ji was about to shake his head.

But then Lu Shi raised her voice, "Go! Go back to the capital, go back and have a good drink, and dream a good dream! You had the ability to break through the encirclement, so you must have some trump cards up your sleeve. If you have trump cards, you should use them! Remember, don't trust anyone. There are still many people along the way who don't want you to go back. If the two of you die, then it's just the two of you. If the two of you go back to the capital, many of your enemies will die!"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "May we meet again if fate allows!"

Lu smiled and said, "May we meet again someday!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the three members of the Lu family and their two horses emerged from the alley. Lu shouted, "Giddy up!"

The thunderous sound of galloping hooves drew the spies to turn around and surround the three.

Chen Ji hid in the alley, silently watching the three figures disappear. This seemed to be the first time someone had helped him draw away his pursuers. Once the sound of hooves had faded into the distance, he led Liao Zhong out of the alley and headed south without looking back.

(End of this chapter)