Eternal Sword

Chapter 652: A Plum Blossom
"The Azure Dragon Guard is nothing special."

Chen Tang smiled faintly.

The Qian Kingdom is on the verge of collapse and may fall apart at any time.

By then, many heroes will rise up and Daqian will no longer exist. What will a Qinglong Guard be worth?

"You kid..."

Old Sun felt that Chen Tang's words were extremely arrogant and subconsciously wanted to refute him.

After all, in their eyes, high-ranking officials like Qinglongwei are high above them, out of reach, mysterious and terrifying, with numerous experts around them who hold the power of life and death.

The Qinglong Guards don't even take the imperial officials seriously, let alone common people like them.

But Chen Tang's tone was indifferent, but it revealed an inexplicable power, as if the Qinglong Guards were really not worth mentioning.

Old Sun stopped talking halfway through.

Chen Tang did not dwell on the matter, but changed the subject and asked, "Have you ever seen the Meng Constable from Changze County?"

"Xiao Meng?"

Old Man Sun nodded and said, "I actually came here once. Later I heard that he joined Iljimae."

Chen Tang asked, "What is a plum blossom?"

"They are the newly emerged rebels from the past two years. In the eyes of the government, they are called bandits and robbers."

When this matter was mentioned, Old Man Sun perked up and said, "Chen Tang, you will never guess who the head of this 'Yizhimei' is."

Chen Tang thought about it and asked, "Mei Yingxue?"

"what!"

Old Sun was stunned, his face full of surprise, and asked: "How did you know?"

"I'm just guessing. Please continue. What's the matter with this 'Iljimae'?"

Chen Tang smiled and didn't explain.

Seeing Old Sun's reaction and combining it with the news that Meng Liangyu had come here, he guessed that the old friend from Changze County should be Mei Yingxue.

After all, they had celebrated the New Year together, it was so joyful and warm, and they had also lived under the same roof in Wu'an County and fought side by side.

Old Sun said, "Since the current emperor ascended the throne, the exorbitant taxes that were previously abolished have returned. Many people are living in misery and cannot survive. They have fled and become bandits in the mountains, robbing houses."

Chen Tang asked, "The government doesn't care?"

"What do you care?"

Old Sun sighed and said, "Thieves are like wooden combs, and soldiers are like bamboo combs. These officials only collect taxes and grain in the name of suppressing bandits, but the more they suppress bandits, the more bandits there are in the area."

In his previous life, Chen Tang had heard the saying that bandits pass by like combs, and soldiers pass by like rakes.

In troubled times, robbers come like a wooden comb.

If government soldiers came, the killing, burning and looting would be even more severe, like the scraping of a bamboo comb.

Killing innocent people and claiming credit for their achievements is even more common.

Old Sun said, "You said that Miss Mei is really amazing. She looks so weak, but she went up the mountain alone, faced so many burly robbers and bandits, and killed the leader of Beifeng Village!"

"Oh?"

Chen Tang was a little surprised and asked, "Where is Master Mei?"

"He's been dead for two years."

Old Sun said, "After being beaten by the Black Wind Gang, he didn't last long before he passed away. His eldest brother was drunk all day and was killed by the robbers, leaving her alone."

"At that time, everyone in the county thought that Miss Mei was helpless and alone, and her life was definitely over. Unexpectedly, we really didn't expect..."

Chen Tang was silent.

In the past, the Plum Blossom Martial Arts School was considered a local tyrant in Changze County, and both the black and white worlds gave it some face.

However, in the face of such a major change as the Pingzhou Rebellion, they still offered no resistance and disappeared silently.

Old Sun said, "I heard that Miss Mei was very courageous and resourceful. She knew that she couldn't use force, so she used a trick to get close to the leader of Beifeng Village. But when they were alone that night, she took advantage of the situation and killed him!"

"I heard that Miss Mei killed many people that night, and blood flowed like a river. Later, Beifeng Village was taken over by her and renamed 'Yizhimei'."

Chen Tang nodded.

If the robbers of Beifeng Village are composed of refugees from nearby areas, their fighting power is not very high.

After all, Mei Yingxue had practiced martial arts for several years, and had also experienced life and death in the battle of Wu'an County.

If he could get into a good rank and kill the bandit leader, he would have a chance to stabilize the situation.

Old Sun said: "Although Yizhimei and Beifeng Village are both bandits in the eyes of the court, they do not do the same thing."

"Think about it, those who turned into bandits were originally law-abiding people who could not survive. Miss Mei took over such a big business, but she also had to eat and feed people."

"But Miss Mei didn't bully us civilians. Instead, she focused on robbing the government's grain and silver."

"Hey! Before, Beifeng Village didn't rob the officials, so they didn't go to suppress the bandits. They were just pretending. Now that they are robbed, they know the pain. Many counties have organized armies to encircle and suppress Yizhimei."

"At first, Miss Mei carried a branch of plum blossoms and wandered around the mountains for three or two months. Later, she was trapped and could not escape."

After all, they were just refugees who had become bandits and could not be compared with the regular army of the imperial court.

If the imperial court really wanted to take action, Mei Yingxue would definitely be unable to resist.

Counting the days, Meng Liangyu left Liangzhou probably because of this incident.

However, he alone wouldn't be able to help much.

"Later, I heard that several masters showed up and took 'Iljimae' to fight their way out of the encirclement and escape."

At this point, Old Sun showed a trace of confusion in his eyes, and said: "There were all kinds of rumors at that time. There was also a saying that those masters were all former Azure Dragon Guards."

"I don't quite believe it. The Qinglong Guards are highly regarded by the court. How could they go against the court and help Yizhimei?"

Chen Tang's heart moved, and several people came to his mind.

Wei Qun, Wang Yanli...

Those people were all his old acquaintances from the Qinglong Division, and they all worked under Cai Tou.

After the mutiny in Wu'an County, Cai Tou died. Both Tan Wujiu's reaction and Qinglong Division's handling of the situation disappointed these people. In despair, they chose to leave Qinglong Division and their whereabouts are unknown.

If there are really Qinglong Guards to help, perhaps only these few people are possible.

"and after?"

Chen Tang asked.

Old Sun said: "Later, Yizhimei escaped the imperial court's encirclement and suppression. Although it suffered some losses, its reputation became even greater, and many people joined."

"To be honest, if I wasn't too old and had old arms and legs and couldn't run, I would have wanted to become a bandit, alas."

I noticed it when Chen Tang came.

There are no finished weapons in Old Sun's blacksmith shop, and it looks even more shabby than it was a few years ago.

I'm afraid life will be difficult in the next two years.

Old Sun calmed down and continued, "Later, Yizhimei crossed the Three Thousand Snow Ridges and ran to the Black Water Country. He plundered everywhere there and it is said that he caused a great impact on the Black Water Country."

"Miss Mei is a good person who values ​​friendship and loyalty. When the government office was robbed, the soldiers came to plunder the people. Miss Mei knew that if she continued to oppose the Daqian court, firstly, she would not be able to win, and secondly, it would only make our lives more miserable."

"That's why Miss Mei brought a plum with her to fight against the people from the Black Water Country. Besides, she has a deep blood feud with that country."

"I heard that Yizhimei relied on robbing the Black Water Kingdom, and everyone lived well, with enough food and warm clothes. Sometimes, a hero from Yizhimei would secretly come to Changze County, saying that he was ordered by the boss to help the folks in the county."

"Everyone dares not say it, but in their hearts they are grateful for Miss Mei's kindness."

Chen Tang was filled with emotion and sighed after hearing this.

In his impression, Mei Yingxue was just a rich girl from the Plum Blossom Martial Arts School.

Although he is chivalrous and kind-hearted, he is actually quite weak in character.

Unexpectedly, after not seeing her for a few years, this Miss Mei has changed so much and grown to this point. Not only has she become the boss of a powerful area, calling the wind and rain, but she is also so bold that she leads an army of volunteers to plunder the Black Water Kingdom.

Chen Tang pondered in silence.

The cultivation levels of Wei Qun, Wang Yanli and other Azure Dragon Guards were only at the sixth or seventh rank.

Even if his cultivation has improved over the years, he should only be at the fifth or fourth rank.

Even with these people's help, Yizhimei would probably not be able to succeed.

If we are targeted by the Black Water Kingdom, we probably won’t be able to hold out for long.

"Didn't the Black Water Nation go to siege Yizhimei in the past two years?"

Chen Tang asked.

Old Sun said, "The Black Water Nation could not stand being bullied by Yizhimei, so they sent troops to encircle and suppress her many times. Miss Mei is also smart. If she had heard the news in advance, she would have come to Daqian."

"The Black Water Nation suffered a great loss in Pingzhou before, and has learned its lesson. It is not good to cross the border to hunt down Yizhimei."

"I heard that once the Black Water Nation mobilized all its forces and made arrangements in advance to intercept 'Yizhimei' at the Three Thousand Snow Ridges and trapped it in a snowy valley!"

At this point, Old Man Sun swallowed his saliva, his eyes gleaming with light, and said, "Guess what? The mountain god suddenly descended and crushed the Black Water Nation's army!"

"What mountain god?"

Chen Tang was stunned.

Old Sun shook his head and said, "I don't know either. It's just what everyone says. When someone met the hero in 'One Plum' and asked about it, they all said it was a mountain god."

"Anyway, the Black Water Nation's army suffered heavy losses and fled in panic. Tell me, is this God's blessing?"

"Mountain God?"

Chen Tang seemed to be thinking about something.

Could it be that such a big commotion at the Three Thousand Snow Ridges alarmed the Emperor Wu?
But soon, Chen Tang rejected this idea.

With so many people present, it is unlikely that Emperor Wu will show up.

Old Sun laughed and said, "Later, when Yizhimei goes to Black Water Country to plunder, as long as he goes through the Three Thousand Snow Ridge, the people of Black Water Country will not dare to come in, haha!"

When he thought of Emperor Wu, Chen Tang couldn't wait any longer and prepared to leave and head to the Three Thousand Snow Ridge immediately.

Seeing Chen Tang stand up, Old Sun panicked a little, looking a little embarrassed, rubbing his hands and saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you see I'm old now, I just love to chat with people, I can't stop, I even forget the important things."

"Kid, what kind of knife do you want? I'll make it for you right now without asking for your money."

"fine."

Chen Tang smiled and said, "I have something else to do and was about to leave. Why don't you have any finished knives here?"

When talking about this, Old Sun smiled bitterly and said, "All the finished swords were taken away by the white servants, saying that they were to replace the food and wages. I won't display any finished weapons. If there are guests coming, I can still forge them now."

Chen Tang was silent for a moment, then he took out ten taels of silver from his pocket, stuffed it into Old Sun's hand, and said, "Let's make a sword similar to my father's."

"Oh, this, this, this is too much!"

Old Sun felt something strange on his palm. He looked down and was shocked. He quickly pushed it back.

But his eyes blurred.

Chen Tang has disappeared!

Old Sun stood there with his mouth open.

The person was here just now, how come he disappeared?

Old Sun was shocked.

It’s broad daylight, I hope you won’t see a ghost!

Old Sun felt a chill down his spine, but he squeezed the silver in his hand again. This was indeed real silver, there was no doubt about it.

How strange.

After a while, Old Sun gradually calmed down.

No matter what, the knife must be forged first.

Even if Chen Tang was a ghost, he didn't seem to have much ill will towards him.

At that time, we will know whether Chen Tang comes to get the knife or not, and then we will know whether he is a human or a ghost.

Chen Tang left the blacksmith shop, moved his body, and quickly flew high into the sky.

Little Golden Roc hovered over Changze County.

The man and the bird worked in perfect harmony and caught him steadily.

Chen Tang pointed in a direction, and the little golden roc turned into a ray of golden light and rushed towards the direction of the Three Thousand Snow Ridges.

Chen Tang didn't intend to get the knife, he just wanted to find an excuse to leave some money for Old Sun.

Of course, there wasn't much left.

Leaving too much money behind might draw attention and bring you trouble.

Just when Chen Tang reached the middle of the air, in an abandoned house in Changze County, a man was sitting quietly, like a stone without any life signs. At this moment, he seemed to be aware of something and suddenly opened his eyes!

This person is the death demon who traveled thousands of miles from Xiling to Beiqian and guarded Changze County!
The master instructed him to keep an eye on Chen Tang.

He failed to fulfill his master's instructions and must make up for this mistake.

Since Chen Tang was going back to Beiqian, he thought about it and decided that the most likely place to wait for Chen Tang was Changze County.

He is alone, doesn't like to talk, and has no channels for information.

This is the only way to wait and see.

This method may seem stupid, but it is very useful.

Finally waited!
The Death Demon rushed out of the room and looked up.

But just as I saw Chen Tang's back, the next moment, Chen Tang followed the golden light into the northern fog and disappeared.

What the hell?
The Death Demon stood there in a daze, not reacting for a moment.

Where is my junior brother?

Why did it suddenly disappear?
This place is remote. Chen Tang was in the Wusun Kingdom and was causing chaos in Liangzhou, but the news could not reach here.

He waited in Changze County for two months, but still had no idea what had happened in Wusun Kingdom and Liangzhou.

Chen Tang turned into a golden light and disappeared, leaving him stunned.

What method is this?
The golden light that spans the earth in mythology?

Even the master doesn't have such amazing skills, right?
eccentric.

The Death Demon was puzzled.

Fortunately, I have waited for my junior brother, and he just flashed by and noticed the direction Chen Tang left.

North?

What is Junior Brother going to do in the north?
The Death Demon frowned, becoming more and more confused.

He took a deep breath and set off, circulating his innate true energy to the limit and running as fast as he could in the direction Chen Tang had left.

He finally waited for his junior brother, and this time, he couldn't let him leave!
I must bring my junior brother back to Xiling.

Chen Tang's soul was damaged and his perception was greatly reduced.

What's more, the breath of the dead demon is not easy to detect and there is no fluctuation.

Chen Tang left on Xiao Jinpeng and did not notice the death demon guarding Changze County.

Not long after, Xiao Jinpeng arrived near the big snow mountain.

　4,000-word chapter
　　
　
(End of this chapter)