My enemies became my companions

Chapter 513 Don't Let Me Catch You (Three in One)
In this world, no matter what, the one with the big fist may not be right, but the one with the small fist will definitely not be right.

Liu Zheng has been the city god for hundreds of years since the end of the Yuan Dynasty. He has seen the chaotic world and the storms. He knows that for such a person with strong martial virtues, many principles are meaningless, not to mention that this is a martial artist who knows Taoism. The city gods are rude to mortals and evil spirits, but they treat Taoist and Buddhist practitioners with courtesy, regardless of whether they are good or evil. What other reasons can there be for such different treatment? The official hat is on his head.

A warrior, a Taoist priest, and a living underworld official, when you take these three together, their backgrounds are probably very powerful. It's hard to say whether they are the confidants of some King of Hell... It's also possible that they are related to the elusive Lord of Mount Tai.

With no other options, they could only release the person to Longhu Mountain. After a brief thought, Liu Zheng proposed to send a few underworld officials to guard him. The man did not object, but only asked Liu Zheng to make preparations for the journey as soon as possible.

Liu Zheng secretly thought that if he could get this hot potato out of his territory, he could get rid of it if he let the person escape somewhere else and face the accountability of the King of Hell.

He immediately summoned the Night Wanderer who was guarding him and ordered, "This time, do as that person said and send him to Mount Longhu."

"There is no need for the City God to say more. We must hurry and escort him closely all the way and send him to Longhu Mountain immediately." The Night Wandering God received the order.

The City God's face darkened slightly, and he said, "Walk slowly along the way, don't rush for success, and don't make any mistakes."

The Night Wandering God was confused, but he saw the City God waving his hand, and a heavy package fell into his hand, which was full of valuables.

Liu Zheng pointed out a few more points: "After leaving the county town for thirty miles, you must not take the rugged and winding mountain roads, you must not let the thieves leave your sight under the pretext of relieving themselves, you must not let the thieves wait for an opportunity to relieve themselves, you must not flee when you see the thieves are fierce, and you must not let the thieves have the opportunity to touch your valuables."

After hearing the repeated "definitely", the Night Wanderer knew what he meant, so he nodded and retreated.

........................

At dawn the next day, the Night Walker and his gang drove away in the carriage carrying He Taixiong.

It was like a rolling black dust rushing out of the city gate, giving a feeling of demons descending the mountain. However, beside the group of pitch-black ghost officials, there were two Taoists, one big and one small, following them, which did not contrast with them.

"I don't know what to call you, Chief?"

"No need to worry about your surname being Long."

"Master Long, just call me He Daozi."

Facing Chen Yi who came to his aid, He Taixiong changed his previous fierce and angry expression and instead put on a hearty smile. This kind of straightforward people in the martial arts world value the word "chivalry" the most. If there is a favor, there is a favor, and if there is a grudge, there is a grudge. Chen Yi had seen many of them in Shantong City before. At that time, when they stood opposite each other, he felt that they were either hypocritical or foolish. Now that He Taixiong stood on the same side as him, he found him amiable instead.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and becoming more familiar with each other, Chen Yi asked the ghost for a pot of wine and threw it over to He Taixiong. He caught it steadily and drank it down in big gulps. The wine spilled all over the carriage.

Yin Tingxue thought he was sloppy, so she moved away.

He Taixiong drank the wine and let out a long breath, as if he had finally regained his freedom, even though there was still a cage over his head.

"Why did the Censor Han Xiu write to you?"

Chen Yi secretly calculated that the letter mentioned by He Taixiong was 90% true. However, it was extremely rare for a third-rank official to write a letter to an unknown person in the underworld who was even suspected of being wanted.

He Taixiong put down the wine pot, was in a daze for a moment, and then he said: "It's okay to say it. Lord Han Xiu Han is my brother-in-law. He lived next door to my village when he was a child. His father was a private school teacher and often came to my village to give lectures. Lord Han knew my sister at that time and promised to marry her when she was a child. But these are not important and not a big deal. What's important is that he wrote to me and told me that he was bullied and excluded by others. He wanted to do good things, but he couldn't do them. He wanted to seek stability, but he couldn't."

He Taixiong's words were crude and simple, but his logic was sound. However, this matter was obviously closely related to the current chaos in Huguang. Chen Yi pondered for a moment and played a mute button to prevent others from eavesdropping.

"Who bullied you?"

"Does the Taoist priest know...Su Hongtao and Kou Jun?"

Chen Yi nodded.

After all, they had been causing trouble in the capital for some time and knew more or less about the appointment arrangements of officials in various provinces. The two men mentioned by He Taixiong were not simple. The former, Su Hongtao, was the commander-in-chief of Huguang, in charge of the military affairs of the province, and Kou Jun was the governor-general of Huguang, in charge of the administration of the province. Both of them were officials of the second rank or above. These two people were the highest powers in a province and were quite famous, especially the former, who was respectfully called "Anshan Gong" by the literati.

Thinking of this, Chen Yi asked in doubt: "Su Hongtao and Kou Jun...are suppressing your brother-in-law Han Xiu in the officialdom?"

"...The letter says more than just suppression," He Taixiong pondered for a moment, not knowing whether Chen Yi could believe it, but in the end, thinking of the favor, he continued: "Lord Han said...they want to make peace with the White Lotus Sect in the name of recruiting, but in fact...

Chen Yi's pupils shrank slightly, and he immediately asked, "Why is that?"

"I don't know. The letter didn't mention it. Maybe he was afraid of losing his official hat." He Taixiong shook his head.

His words sounded simple, but Chen Yi knew that the reason behind it must be more complicated, involving many parties, just like several lines, entangled and becoming a tangled mess.

"Lord Han said that he is being watched everywhere now, and many people he could contact are unreachable, so he had to call me over. Why? Because my martial arts skills are not bad, but they are not low either, and I have made many friends. It's like what he said..." He Taixiong thought hard for a while, his eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "No matter how sharp the Qinggang sword is, it can't hide in Yuchang. I'm not the most powerful one, but I'm the most suitable one."

Chen Yi smiled when he heard this. With He Taixiong's straightforward personality, he could indeed attract many talented and righteous people in the world.

In the martial arts world, people always like to confide in such people, because their martial arts skills are not high enough to make people intimidated, nor low enough to make people look down on them. They are straightforward and there is no need to be too careful when dealing with them. It is a pity that people's hearts are hidden.

Not long after leaving the county town, they arrived at a fishing port. If they didn't take the boat now, they would have to go a long way if they missed it. Chen Yi took Yin Tingxue to rent a fishing boat. It was time to say goodbye to He Taixiong.

The crystal clear river water kept flowing eastwards. Standing on the boat as it slowly left the port, Chen Yi could not help but ponder.

Leaving here is the right thing to do.

But will this group of evildoers really send He Taixiong to Longhu Mountain as promised?
Even if it goes as promised, there is no guarantee that nothing will go wrong along the way.

Chen Yi thought about it and turned around. Just as he was about to speak, He Taixiong on the shore spoke first:

"No need to say goodbye, there are old friends to see you off."

Oh?
In times of doubt.

suddenly.

The clear river water beneath his feet suddenly became turbulent, and the mud in the riverbed surged violently, making it turbid. The small boat under Chen Yi's feet seemed to be rolling in the wind and waves. A strong wind was blowing on the shore in the distance. The ghost messengers were so scared that they fled in all directions, and the waves hitting the shore were several feet high.

Yin Tingxue, who was standing by, seemed to hear a loud thunder and quickly covered her ears, looking weak and helpless.

boom!
He Taixiong's body rose high, and the waves under his feet rolled like thunder.

A green dragon carried him out of the water, and a long dragon roared on the river, stirring up huge waves, and clearing the way for the river with a mighty force.

"Haha, it's a coincidence that I met a friend three years ago. I'm afraid I'm one step ahead of you today!"

Amidst hearty laughter, the man rode on the dragon and sailed away against the wind and waves.

......................
The man had gone far away, disappearing without a trace, and the river became calm again.

Thanks to He Taixiong, the water flow was much faster than before, and the fishing boat was moving very fast, so traveling a thousand miles in one night was no problem.

As time gradually turns into night, the solitary moon on the river always carries a fishy smell, and even its light is dim, like silver fish under the waves.

Yin Tingxue went to wash up in small steps. Chen Yi turned around, picked up the sword case and put it on the table. His eyes turned deep and he began to think.

I still remember when I killed the giant spider monster the night before, Taisha Sword left the box and drank blood, which really makes people think deeply.

The main purpose of going south this time, besides being due to the fate between Yin Tingxue and Lu Ying as mentioned by Zhou Yitang, was to lend the sword to Longhu Mountain. Chen Yi had heard of the strong murderous aura of the Taisha Sword, otherwise Zhou Yi would not have given it to him to subdue it.

It should have been subdued.

Chen Yi carried the sword box all the way south. For a long time, the Taisha Sword had been motionless, almost like a dead object. At that time, Chen Yi thought it was well sealed and did not pay much attention to it. But now thinking about it, except for last night, no blood had been seen before.

But last night, as soon as blood was seen, the Taisha Sword suddenly appeared. I sensed something was wrong at that time, but I did not rush to kill him. Instead, I waited patiently.

If he had really rushed to take action, the giant spider monster would have been killed long ago.

Chen Yi originally thought that it would knock open the sword box, break the seal, and then start a killing spree.

But the sword box opened from the inside out...

Since it can leave the box and enter the box by itself, what is the use of this box?

Chen Yi couldn't understand for a moment, if the sword box was not sealed, then why was the Taisha Sword hidden deep inside? If it really was not sealed, then it would be a sword without a sheath. And after thinking about it more carefully, it is true that the Taisha Sword is full of murderous aura and thirsty for blood, but Zhou Yitang wanted to bring the sword south with him. Was it really so that he could subdue it?
Chen Yi frowned slightly, unable to figure it out for a moment.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Yi calculated a hexagram with his fingers. The hexagram was not clear, but rather obscure. Even so, he hesitated and reached for the sword case.

The box began to buzz violently, like the breath of a cat or dog that had been trapped in a cage for a long time.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "Shut up."

The box suddenly became quiet and motionless. Chen Yi unfastened the tiger-head lock and revealed a small crack.

A ray of extremely cold murderous aura suddenly squeezed out from the gap. Chen Yi tilted his head slightly, and his jet-black hair was cut off from his temples.

"Hey, the ancient murderous aura."

Suddenly, she heard the old saint's life and words. She always appeared when she was interested.

Without her saying anything, Chen Yi could tell what it was. He pinched the hair, closed the box, and his eyes gradually became deeper.

This box is not a seal.
Instead, it nourishes Taisha with the rich and eerie ancient killing energy.

"Why is this?" Chen Yi couldn't help but murmur.

At that time, Zhou Yitang did not explicitly say that it was a seal, nor did he explicitly say that it was filled with murderous aura. Now that he thought about it briefly, he could not figure out what mystery was hidden in Zhou Yitang's few words.

"Zhou Yitang... don't let me catch you."

.................. ..
After several days of sailing, the boat finally reached Huguang.

Perhaps it was due to the stalemate of religious unrest. I don’t know whether it is fortunate or not, but what we saw along the coast was still a peaceful scene.

Chen Yi had no intention of studying the undercurrents beneath the calm, as his mind had recently been on the Taisha Sword.

The Taisha Sword was nurtured by the murderous energy of the sword box. Longhu Mountain dared to borrow this sword, and Yinjian Mountain was willing to lend out the main sword of the sword formation, and even Zhou Yitang let himself go south with the sword... Because the clue of the first point was revealed, every point thereafter was like dominoes, making people feel suspicious.

On the boat, Yin Tingxue, who was reading a book, looked up at Chen Yi and suddenly asked, "Have you been thinking about Master Zhou these days?"

Chen Yi came back to his senses, nodded and said, "Yes, I'm thinking about her."

"No... don't think bad things." Yin Tingxue said carefully. She always defended other women in front of Chen Yi. "Why are you speaking for her like this?" Chen Yi wanted to say something, but finally changed the subject and said, "She still owes me a kiss."

"Can I kiss you on her behalf?"

After Yin Tingxue finished speaking, she stepped forward to Chen Yi.
"kiss you."

Chen Yi really had no self-control at the moment, so he had no choice but to give in.

Perhaps self-control is like lust, it comes quickly and goes just as quickly.

After a moment of parting their lips, Chen Yi pushed Yin Tingxue away, patted her buttocks, and motioned her to continue reading. The little fox was a little shy, and blamed him for being indecent, so she moved her away.

Chen Yi watched Yin Tingxue walk away, and he made a hand gesture, saying in his heart: "If she is present, don't mention the killing sword, so as not to expose it."

The old woman's mouth twitched slightly.

This jerk even lied to Yin Tingxue.

"Okay." The old saint nodded in agreement.

In recent days, there has been a rift between Yizi and Zhou Yitang, so he has trusted her a little more. They have discussed and exchanged a lot of things with her, mostly about ancient secrets, and only a very small part involves his current situation.

Therefore, the old woman saw Yin Tingxue and knew that she was a girl with a kind heart like a bodhisattva. She didn't know her true identity, but she just felt that... she was very suitable for her holy religion.

The sun was setting, the water was sparkling in the evening, the river was gradually becoming calmer, the outline of the port in the distance was faintly visible in the water vapor, immersed in an indescribable tranquility.

Chen Yi looked up and said suddenly, "People are in a panic, and the situation is as precarious as eggs on the rocks."

............... ..
People are in panic and the situation is precarious.

When the people of Hukang Village heard about the White Lotus Rebellion, everyone in the village sneered. The elders blew their noses and glared, cursing that for decades, there had been a small riot every three years and a big riot every five years, but none of the riots had harmed a single fish or shrimp. Instead, the increase in grain taxes left nine out of ten houses empty-handed.

The White Lotus Rebellion was probably just a pretext for the government to impose additional taxes.

Having suffered countless disasters and borne countless grain taxes, the old chief of Hukang Village has made up his mind to fight to the end. This time, not a single male will go out and not a single grain of rice will be paid.

Then, the old village chief was hacked to death.

The people who came were from the White Lotus Sect, and their leader was some General Zhenwei.

After the New Year, during the busy spring farming season, there were only a few people in the fields of Hukang Village. Large tracts of fields were left fallow, with tall weeds growing in the cracks.

Under the eaves of the ancestral hall, there were silent faces everywhere, with anger and fear in their eyes. A pot of inferior wine mixed with water was poured back and forth, and the villagers drank silently.

When the White Lotus sect came, all our stored food and rations were gone, and even the seeds for sowing were confiscated. If we didn't hand them over, we would have to pay with blood.

Fortunately, fishing and hunting are still possible in Hukang Village, and there are some river fish to catch, otherwise we would all starve to death here.

But in the end, it was just enough to keep food and clothing. When winter came, how many people could survive? I was afraid that the village would be empty again.

"Grass!"

A sturdy man looked through the wine jug and found that there was nothing left, as if he was venting his long-standing grievances and dissatisfaction.

"Stop shouting, it's no use." The new village chief said with his head hung.

"Useless? You have to shout even if it's useless." Zhang said angrily.

"If you have the guts, shout it out in front of General Zhenwei."

The sturdy man said nothing.

Under the eaves of the ancestral hall, there was a dead silence. The living people sat there like a group of painted skins. The door god with a corner peeled off on the door also had his eyes drooping.

After a long while, someone suddenly said hoarsely: "We can't always be like this..."

"...It would be nice if a hero came..."

"Which hero? The Black Gate Tiger Hero Li Ying? The Foot Wind Yu Zhong Yu? Or the Swordsman Gao Tong Yi Gao?"

"The Black Gate Tiger's martial arts are not as good as Jiao Shangfeng's. Jiao Shangfeng is said to be a bad person who only relies on running fast... So, the hero Gao Tong Yi Gao is still the best. Where is he?"

"He was beaten to death last month."

"Then it's still Heimenhu. Heimenhu, hurry to our village and kill those bastards."

"Master Li, two fists are no match for four hands. Just use the wind from your feet. Two people can fight forty or so. First, secretly poison them, and then boast a few times after knocking down a large group of them!"

…This is the seventh time that people in this ancestral hall have been discussing which hero has come. In the past, the discussion was even more intense. Everyone beat their chests and stamped their feet, wishing that the hero would come tomorrow and, after performing heroic deeds, lay out the more than 40 heads of the White Lotus sect on the ground. But in the final analysis, it was all just boasting and fantasy after drinking, and it would be over in the blink of an eye. They would have to continue tomorrow.

Zhang Da was probably drunk before, and he said, "What's the use of this bullshit hero? I think the bad guys need to be dealt with by the bad guys!"

"Evil people? What evil people?"

But Zhang Da jumped onto a stool and tore off the old door god on the ancestral hall. Before everyone could panic, he took out a new portrait and slammed it up.

He has slanting eyes, a big mole on his forehead, huge ears, disheveled hair, and a very ugly mouth.

Everyone looked over there and it seemed to be true.

There is an old superstition among the people about door gods, which is that the uglier they are, the more auspicious they are. Also, the uglier they are, the more effective they are in warding off evil spirits.

In the distance, two Taoists, one big and one small, were slowly coming. No one stopped them along the way. They walked from the village entrance to the ancestral hall, just to find a place to stay.

When the Taoist saw the crowd gathering around the ancestral hall, he quickened his pace and moved closer.

"It is this man who has committed all kinds of evil and brought chaos to the government. Most importantly, he is ugly!"

No one in the ancestral hall looked back, and they didn't notice anyone approaching. Zhang Dagao stood by the door, his face full of passion, and he shouted:
"I spent a bunch of money to get this portrait. Look at how hideous it is. If Captain Chen were here, he would definitely be able to intimidate those evil people!"

Chen Yi's expression stiffened slightly.

Yin Tingxue beside him couldn't help but burst out laughing.

scare!
Suddenly, a laugh broke out and everyone turned around in a hurry, all startled.

They immediately stepped back a few steps, revealing expressions of nervousness, anger, hostility, or suspicion. They picked up the benches, held up the wine jugs, and clenched the wine bowls, waiting for someone to give the order.

After a while, the village chief was the first to react and asked, "Master, where did you come from?"

Chen Yi glanced at the portrait, pondered for a moment, and then smiled calmly, "Of course I came here to...stay overnight."

Stay overnight?

The White Lotus Sect was in such a mess, and yet at this time, there were still travelers staying overnight. Everyone felt it was strange and glanced at the village chief.

The village chief responded and said sincerely, "Master... our Hukang Village was hit by a group of evil people a few days ago. Every household has no extra food and is starving to death. We dare not let outsiders stay overnight. If you must stay overnight, then we can only ask Master to exchange some food for us."

"Change?"

Chen Yi smiled slowly and said:
"How about I take the head of the White Lotus Sect in exchange?"

.....................

People are in a state of panic, and the situation is precarious...

The world is such a mess!
Su Chengyun never expected that he, the dignified General Zhenwei of the White Lotus Sect, would be robbed and killed today.

Moreover, he came and went without a trace. Only a shadow could be seen. A thin line passed by, and the heads of his brothers fell to the ground one by one. Even he was hit in the chest. The blood and flesh were all over the place, and the white bones were visible.

This is a ghost!
The night was dark, and the shadows of the trees were swaying. It seemed as if a cold wind was chasing a blood-stained figure. The birds in the mountains were startled and flew away, and clusters of blood splattered on the ground.

He didn't know when the cold wind behind him disappeared, but Su Chengyun still didn't dare to stop and could only run desperately!
Su Chengyun crossed most of the mountain and finally stopped. The lone moon in the sky was mostly covered by thick clouds, and the only remaining light shone on the temple. On the plaque, there were six big characters engraved: "Qingyi Jiangjiang Temple".

With a bang, Su Chengyun broke open the door and fell to his knees. Blood splattered all over the stone slabs.

"Help! Lord Jiang, help me!"

Su Chengyun's screams of grasping at straws were mixed with infinite fear. His head fell heavily.

"Murder, murder... there is a ghost killing people!"

Above the shrine, the statue of the River God in a green robe and tall hat stood motionless.

Su Chengyun moved closer, and as if to let Jiang Shen see, he tore off his shirt, revealing the hideous wound on his chest, and then he cried and kowtowed.

"Just look, please look! He wants to kill me!"

"Lord Jiang, Lord Jiang, please don't stand by and watch me die!"

"Lord Jiang, my Su family has offered incense, repaired temples, and built golden statues for generations. Could it be that you are so cruel today that you would ignore the descendants of my Su family?!"

Su Chengyun kowtowed again and knelt on the ground, not getting up for a long time.

There was no movement for a long time.

Just as Su Chengyun was about to raise his head to kowtow again, an irresistible force pressed down on his head.

Suddenly I heard the sound of wind, blowing through the doors and windows from inside to outside, and there seemed to be a mysterious figure standing before me.

"…Never mind, considering the hard work of the Su family, I will go for a visit."

(End of this chapter)