Start with a red name

Chapter 144: North and South, West and East

Upon hearing Geng Xuan's reminder, Master Fan did not respond, but looked at Master Gu, the ironworker.

Geng Xuan also followed his gaze and said with a smile, "It seems that Master Gu has a close relationship with the Wu family of Anleji."

Being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, Gu Dajiang already felt his whole body was covered with goosebumps.

Now that Geng Xuan asked this question in public, he felt like he was being roasted on the fire.

He waved his hand quickly and said:

"No, it's just that we worked together for a while before and interacted more frequently.

However, that matter is now over.

I haven't had any contact with the Wu family for a long time, let alone any so-called friendship."

"Cooperation? What cooperation?" Geng Xuan asked curiously.

"Uh..." Gu Dajiang hesitated for a moment, as if subconsciously wanting to keep it confidential for the client.

However, his professional ethics made him hesitate for a moment, and he said simply:

"The Wu family needs a large batch of high-quality armor. Due to the large quantity, high requirements, and urgent need, it is not something that ordinary craftsmen can obtain. We can only disperse and look for master craftsmen to place orders.

I forged more than twenty sets and earned some hard-earned silver, but our relationship ended there.

After they took the armor away, they had no further contact with me."

Geng Xuan nodded and said, "The armor you made for them is the armor and horse armor needed by the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, right?"

"……Yes."

Master Gu responded, and when he saw that Master Fan and Geng Xuan didn't say anything else, he turned around and left with the other masters.

However, Zhu Yi had already stuck to his side without him noticing and left with him.

……

After the other masters left, Fan Qi looked at Geng Xuan and asked directly:
"Your Excellency has come to me with such fanfare this time. I wonder what advice you have for me?"

Geng Xuan asked, "How much do you know about what happened in the past few days?"

Fan Qi looked at Geng Xuan, then glanced at Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng, and said in a deep voice:

"Are you planning to have a showdown with me?"

"You can say that." Geng Xuan said.

Kangleji is so close, it’s impossible to pretend they don’t exist.

In this case, why not just take the initiative to drag him into the water.

Even if we can't fight side by side, at least make sure we don't stab them in the back.

Fan Qi said nothing, but just stared at him with burning eyes.

Geng Xuan said:
"You may have guessed that the batch of medicinal herbs lost in Anleji was the work of Master Fang and Master Qi.

Of course, I also made some small contributions.”

After hearing this, Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng's calm faces finally showed obvious ripples.

Fan Qi's gaze fixed, and then swept back and forth over the three people.

He just said, "If I remember correctly, the alliance between Qingyuanji and Santongji happened after Anleji annexed Baiyuanji, right?"

The murder against the Anleji convoy outside Baiyuanji and the missing batch of medicinal materials were the direct triggers of this incident.

Now "Su Ruiliang" says that Qi Mingcheng and Fang Jintang did it. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?
Even though such an obvious flaw was pointed out, Geng Xuan just smiled and said:
"Grand Master, you don't think that the alliance between Qingyuan Collection and Santong Collection was hastily formed for such a ridiculous reason, right?
In fact, long before Anleji annexed Baiyuanji, facing the strength of the Wu family of Anleji, and feeling that they were alone and powerless, Master Qi and Master Fang had already reached a tacit understanding.

The alliance you heard about was simply a legitimate alliance between the two companies, taking advantage of the opportunity presented by Anleji's acquisition of Baiyuanji."

Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng, who were standing by, couldn't help but twitch their eyelids when they heard these words.

I even began to doubt the credibility of my memory.

Fan Qi's gaze lingered on both of them for a moment, and he nodded slightly, but it was unknown how much he believed this nonsense.

However, he did confirm one thing, that is, the three of them have now formed an "anti-Anleji Wu family alliance."

Geng Xuan continued:
“Of course, this is not the point I want to talk about today.

The key point is that we refined all the medicinal materials into various medicines such as blood-replenishing pills, essence pills, and tranquilizing pills.

The eight families near Kangle Market worked together, led by Fan Hongsheng, the chairman of the Kangle Market Car Dealership, who was personally approved by you, the Grand Master, to quickly distribute the goods to the surrounding markets through the 'East Fifth Market' car dealership channel."

Now, Fan Qi no longer had the mind to think about what roles the three people in front of him played in the incident outside Baiyuanji that specifically targeted the Anleji convoy.

He just felt that someone had forced a disgusting yellow and watery thing into his crotch.

He never imagined that this matter would actually be related to him!

However, Master Fan soon realized that his feeling of nausea came too early.

What’s more deadly is yet to come!

"Just a few days ago, Bajiafang had just sold the last batch of medicinal wine and was preparing to transport the silver from 'Dongwuji' to return to Kangleji.

The Wu family of Anleji finally realized that someone was selling various types of pills and medicines on a large scale and in an organized manner in Anleji and Baiyuanji.

It was basically confirmed that the medicinal materials used in these pills were the same batch they lost outside Baiyuanji.

Is this okay? !
The Wu family of Anleji immediately mobilized all their forces to search, and soon they followed the clues and locked onto the Lifang convoy that was preparing to transport the silver back to Kangleji.

Wu Youxin, who had already gathered a group of elite forces in Anleji, immediately led his famous Xuanyou cavalry in pursuit, aiming to intercept the silver transport convoy before it returned to the inner city.

At this point, Geng Xuan shook his head and sighed, saying:

"It's a pity that they were a bit careless when passing through the First Line Gorge, and ended up being completely wiped out."

As he listened all the way, Master Fan's expression changed again and again.

At the end, when Geng Xuan said lightly, "the whole army was annihilated," Master Fan's expression was finally completely distorted.

"One hundred and fifty Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, including Wu Youxin and four others at the Marrow Refining Realm.

And the logistics team of 120 people, a total of 270 people, not one less, all died in the first line of gorge. "

Apart from some artistic processing on some local details, Geng Xuan laid out the general situation of the matter in full.

Regardless of Fan Qi's mental state, he just forced his way in front of him.

Fan Qi's face was completely distorted, and he no longer tried to control his expression. He stared straight at Geng Xuan and said viciously:

"So, this matter was a trap you set for the Wu family from the very beginning.

This included deliberately seeking cooperation with Yong'anfang and Wanfufang, in order to lure Wu Youxin and his group through Yixianxia.

You have long since turned Yixian Gorge into a trap to kill the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry!"

As Fan Qi spoke, his eyes became sharper and sharper, as if he wanted to poke holes in Geng Xuan with his eyes.

"You're still trying to drag me into this now!"

Geng Xuan did not respond to this.

Instead, he asked, "Do you know why I cooperated with Master Fang and Master Qi on this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Qi was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes began to become strange and subtle.

With this change, the tough and sharp look in his eyes gradually subsided.

"I know." Fan Qi said.

"Oh, you know?" His answer made Geng Xuan curious.

"Because you are a good person." Fan Qi said lightly.

"what?!"

In his past and present life, this was the first time that someone gave him the nice guy card, and it was a middle-aged man at that. Geng Xuan was a little overwhelmed to react for a moment.

Master Fan's overly novel answer not only made Geng Xuan dumbfounded.

Even Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng, who were standing behind Geng Xuan and trying hard to reduce their presence, had their eyes wide open, looking as if they had seen a ghost.

Fan Qi looked at me with a look that said, "I've seen through you." He said calmly,
"Others might think you have some grand agenda by doing this, but I know you simply hate evil and want to eradicate it."

“Ah—hahaha—hahaha—”

Faced with such a "fairy from the sky" move, Geng Xuan, who didn't know how to respond, laughed twice and turned to look at Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng.

Half jokingly and half seriously said:
"I really didn't expect that Master Fan knew me so well."

As he spoke, Geng Xuan looked at Master Fan again and said:

“This happened a few days ago and now there are some new developments.

Because Wu Youxin and his group had not sent any news back to Anleji for many days, Wu Yi arranged for several people to look for him.

Last night, they broke into Yilingfang, three of them were left behind, and two escaped.

I think it won't be long before Wu Yi finds out that Wu Youxin and his group have all met with misfortune."

Hearing this, Fan Qi's eyes just flashed, but he didn't want to talk anymore.

He immediately understood that the two people who escaped were not really escaping, but were clearly let go on purpose.

"Su Ruiliang", Fang Jintang, Qi Mingcheng and others wanted these two people to pass the message back.

Not satisfied with killing Wu Youxin and his group, they continue to trap the Wu family in Anleji to death!

He understood what was going on and looked at Geng Xuan, asking:

"You came here this time just to tell me this?"

Having said that, he immediately made his attitude clear.

"You are either trying to drag me into this or throwing dirty water on me.

No matter what, I won't get involved in your affairs with the Wu family of Anleji!"

Geng Xuan smiled and said:

"Don't worry, there is no place for you even if you want to get involved.

...The Wu family's piece of fat meat in Anleji is so small, and you are willing to have another person share the meat, but Master Fang and Master Qi are not happy about it. "

Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng stood there expressionlessly. Fan Qi glanced at them and then looked at Geng Xuan again, suspiciously asking:

"You're the one who's truly in control of these things, right? ...Then why did you come here today?"

Geng Xuan asked:

"What do you think Wu Yi's reaction will be after hearing the news from here?"

Fan Qi was stunned for a moment, and seeing that "Su Ruiliang" asked seriously, he also began to think seriously.

"First of all, of course, we need to confirm the situation of Wu Youxin and his men... I think you should have left enough clues for them at Yixianxia, right?"

Geng Xuan smiled but said nothing.

Fan Qi thought in his heart and continued:

"After basically confirming the clues in Yixianxia, he will definitely mobilize more forces to search for more clues.

It won’t be long before many spies, both overt and covert, will appear in Qingyuanji and Santongji to dig up more information.

...I think you must have deliberately left many loopholes for them to discover."

Geng Xuan continued to smile without saying anything.

"After discovering that this was a trap deliberately set by Qingyuanji and Santongji, the enraged Wu Yi will definitely gather all his forces for revenge!"

"How long do you think it will take for things to progress to this point?" Geng Xuan asked.

Fan Qi was startled, not knowing why "Su Ruiliang" asked him this. However, he still thought about it from the perspective of the market master, and considering the resources and manpower that Wu Yi could currently mobilize, he slowly said:

“The fastest time will be no less than ten days.

At the slowest, it will never exceed one month.

…No matter what, Wu Yi must respond to this matter within a month!”

Geng Xuan nodded. This was pretty much what he expected.

So he asked again:
"Then do you think that during this period, Wu Yi could have done something else?"

Although he didn't know what this "Su Ruiliang" was up to, Fan Qi already had a feeling.

This is most likely related to the visit of "Su Ruiliang" and the other two this time!

So, he frowned and turned over what "Su Ruiliang" said in his mind, while putting himself in Wu Yi's role and imagining the actions he might take next.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind.

"Wu Yi is likely to cross the remaining range of Chiwu Mountain and personally go to Yixian Gorge to search for clues.

...Since we have already arrived at Yixianxia, it is very likely that we can come to Bajiafang to check the situation.

Although these eight families are just bait for fishing, they are still directly related to this matter.

If he were really allowed to enter these inner quarters, he would probably realize there was a trap set for him!"

Having said this, Fan Qi's face had become very ugly.

Because he had already vaguely realized what "Su Ruiliang" and the other two were going to do when they came to his house this time.

Geng Xuan clapped his hands lightly and said:

"Master, you are really smart. You spotted this flaw right away.

You should be able to imagine that at this time, I cannot meet Wu Yi, and I can't even let him realize that I exist in this matter.

Both Master Fang and Master Qi are not suitable to show up in the inner district.

But apart from the three of us, if Wu Yi is determined to force his way into the neighborhood, Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong and the others will not be able to stop him.

I was just thinking of asking the Grand Master for a favor.

If Wu Yi or An Le Ji sends other Marrow Refining Realm cultivators across Chiwu Mountain to cause trouble for the local community, you will step forward to repel them."

Fan Qi said with an unpleasant expression: "I told you, I will not interfere in your affairs with Anleji!"

Geng Xuan was surprised:
"How can this be called meddling? This is the territory of Kangleji.

The people from Anleji came here to cause trouble, which is clearly an infringement.

You haven't shown any reaction at this time, hiding in Kangle Market like a turtle, how do you expect the other market owners to see you?"

"Hiding in Kangleji like a turtle," these words came out of Geng Xuan's mouth lightly, but they were like a lead ball hitting Fan Qi's body directly.

He almost exploded with anger immediately.

“You can tell Wu Yiming that you will not interfere in the conflict between Santongji and Anleji, but you will definitely not allow the situation to escalate within Kangleji.

No matter whether they are from Anleji or Santongji, they are not allowed to act wildly within the scope of Kangleji.

I think this is the attitude you should show as the headmaster of the Kangle Collection!"

"You said you wouldn't get involved, but if you allow Wu Yi to commit crimes within the jurisdiction of Kangleji, isn't that an act of openly siding with Anleji?

From the time of the Baiyuanji convoy until now, how many elite members of Anleji had died? How many marrow refining masters had been lost?
Is the current Anleji worth your fear?!"

"..."

Fan Qi sat there with a sullen face, not saying a word.

Having said all that needed to be said, Geng Xuan stood up and walked out the door without waiting for Fan Qi to give him a clear answer.

Before Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng turned around and left, they couldn't help but look at Master Fan Qi.

Seeing yet another great museum owner being "victimized", they felt inexplicably happy.

Just as Geng Xuan was about to step out of the door, Fan Qi suddenly said, "Wait!"

Geng Xuan paused, turned around, and said with a smile, "Master, have you figured it out so quickly?"

Fan Qi, however, turned a deaf ear to this question.

Instead, he asked, "Your Excellency acts so freely and recklessly, aren't you worried about getting into trouble?"

Geng Xuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then we'll wait until we hit a wall."

Fan Qi looked at Geng Xuan and suddenly asked again, "Do you know Xu Xiangfeng?"

Geng Xuan asked curiously, "Who is this?"

Fan Qi kindly helped him understand:
"The leader of the Jinsha Gang is said to be at least at the peak of the Marrow Refining Realm, but he has no sense of being a master. Even when facing someone much weaker than him, he would poison them if he could, or launch a sneak attack if he could.

He is a ruthless man with a heart like a viper but the strength of a lion and an elephant.

...A great master of our Kangle Group died at his hands, a rather pathetic death."

Geng Xuan was startled, as if he had realized something.

There was no special change in his expression, but he asked doubtfully:

"How is the Jinsha Gang related to Kang Le Ji? Did you offend him?"

Fan Qi continued his “kind” scientific popularization:
"The Jinsha Gang usually operates on the Mangjiang River. From the section of the river bordering Haozhou to the downstream mouth of the river, the water traffic on this section of the Mangjiang River is basically controlled by them."

"The Jinsha Gang's headquarters is located in Jinsha Bay. During the rainy season every year, the environment in Jinsha Bay is harsh, and many women in the gang would disperse to the various markets along the river to escape the heat.

Our Kangleji is less than a hundred miles away from Mangjiang River in the south and adjacent to Chiwu Mountain. Not only does it have beautiful scenery, but many places are also very cool.

Therefore, the Jinsha Gang also considered Kangle Village as one of many alternatives and specially selected a site outside the village to build a Lvyi Garden.

During this year's rainy season, Xu Xiangfeng's two daughters chose to come to Lvyi Garden to escape the summer heat.

Xu Xiangfeng even specifically contacted the then-headmaster, asking him to take care of them. Then, instigated by a group of playboys, they rode their horses through the streets, ultimately resulting in a tragedy that shocked the entire Kang Le Group.

One of Xu Xiangfeng's daughters even died in this accident."

Geng Xuan added in his mind, "Her name is Xu Nianwei."

Fan Qi continued speaking.

“…Originally, after personally killing the Grand Master and sending those playboys away to be buried alongside his daughter, the matter was over.

It was originally an accident. We can’t just kill the entire Kangle Village without leaving a single person alive because of it!

But now, as you continue to struggle, your reputation is bound to grow.

You said, if Xu Xiangfeng knew that there was a person like you hiding in Kangleji.

Or he is a goody-goody who hates evil and wants to intervene when he sees injustice. What would he be thinking?
Do you still think that the tragedy that claimed the life of his daughter was just an accident?"

Geng Xuan was surprised and asked, "What kind of reputation do I have now? I hope I have already been heard by this great leader Xu, right?"

Fan Qi said: "You can't enter now, but if you keep doing this, it won't take too long. Once you finish setting up a scheme to harm the Wu family of Anleji, Xu Xiangfeng will definitely notice it.

Although Green Ripple Garden was originally built just for summer escape, over the years it has become the spies and informants of the Jinsha Gang inserted into this area. There are people stationed there all year round, and they regularly compile and report the surrounding information.

If a particularly serious incident occurs, they will definitely report it urgently!"

Geng Xuan nodded, a look of realization on his face.

He bowed to Fan Qi and said, "Thank you, Master, for clearing up my confusion. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known there were such extravagant people around!"

Originally, Geng Xuan wanted to ask where this Luyi Garden was.

But after thinking about it, he felt that there was no need to trouble Master Fan with such a small matter.

So, after bowing to Fan Qi, Geng Xuan walked out.

Soon, he, Fang Jintang, and Qi Mingcheng rode their horses out of the recreation center and returned to Wanfufang.

At the moment he mounted his horse, Geng Xuan was still pondering the information that Fan Qi had finally revealed.

Fan Qi's original intention was probably to use the momentum of the Jinsha Gang to suppress his arrogance and make him behave less arrogantly.

There is always someone better than you. Even if I can't control you, there will always be someone who can!
However, Geng Xuan was still grateful for his reminder.

What Geng Xuan was thinking about at the moment was not the possible consequences after Jinsha Gang leader Xu Xiangfeng noticed him.

But it is above the Jinsha Gang and even the entire Mangjiang River.

Kyushu has two most famous rivers. It is no exaggeration to say that they have shaped the basic pattern of Kyushu.

There is a river called Hang River in the north.

There is a river called Mangjiang River in the south.

They all originate in the far west, cross the nine provinces, and flow eastward to the sea.

Ignoring those local details, the Hang River and the Mang River divide Kyushu into three major parts.

Youzhou, Xuanzhou and Minzhou, from west to east, are located north of the Hang River.

Haozhou, Yuanzhou and Cangzhou, from west to east, are located south of the Hang River and north of the Mang River.

Zhuzhou, Yanzhou and Yangzhou, from west to east, are located south of Mangjiang River.

The section of the Mangjiang River controlled by the Jinsha Gang ends at the border between Yuanzhou and Haozhou in the upper reaches and at the mouth of the Lushui River in the lower reaches.

In other words, more than half of the waterways between Yuanzhou and Yanzhou in the south are under his control.

Not only that, the villages and towns around Chiwu Mountain "live off the mountain", and there are also many villages and towns along the Mangjiang River that "live off the water".

And the Jinsha Gang is the heaven for these people.

Compared to Wuyou Palace, this is powerful in another sense.

Geng Xuan pondered this information in his mind until three balls of red air rushed towards him and quickly sank into his brows. Piece after piece of information emerged in his mind, and his mind returned to reality.

[Capture the remaining energy, do you want to refine it? ]

[Capture the remaining energy, do you want to refine it? ]

[Capture the remaining energy, whether to refine it. 】

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Yes."

By quickly refining these three balls of residual energy, Geng Xuan once again gained seventy-four points of good luck.

The profit from black luck is zero, and nothing is gained.

[Good Luck: 609, Bad Luck: 618]

……

The three of them returned to Wanfufang and dismounted in front of the Wei family compound.

Geng Xuan handed the Xuanyou horse to Teng Yu, who was standing beside him. He looked at Qi Mingcheng, who seemed to be hesitant to speak, and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"

Qi Mingcheng quickly shook his head, but after a pause, he couldn't help but ask:

"I've heard about that too. It doesn't really have anything to do with you, does it?"

"What do you think?" Geng Xuan asked back.

"...If you can pull off a massive operation like Yixianxia, wouldn't it be easy to do it with just a little tampering on a section of the road?
So, for you, this matter is just a matter of whether you want to do it or not, not whether you can do it or not!"

After a pause, Qi Mingcheng expressed his thoughts.

"Then why are you asking me?" Geng Xuan said.

"..." Qi Mingcheng's eyes widened. Seeing Geng Xuan walking in, he quickly followed and said:

"After this Wu family incident is over, let's go our separate ways. I'm old and can't stand the hassle."

Geng Xuan smiled and nodded, saying without comment: "We'll talk about it when the time comes."

As he spoke, he ignored Qi Mingcheng, who had a complicated and tangled expression on his face, and looked at Wei Wanzong, Fan Hongsheng and others who had regrouped in the courtyard: "I have already made arrangements. We can set off at any time."

Soon, a large group of people left Wanfufang.

Originally, driven by the murderous intent in his heart, Geng Xuan wanted to do his best and mobilize all his strength.

But under the persuasion of Fan Hongsheng and others, all the local Yuanzhou horses were retained.

All ninety-seven Xuanyou horses sold to the neighborhood were dispatched, with Wei Wanzong, Fan Hongsheng and others personally riding their horses in front to lead the way.

The Xuanyou cavalry, led by Geng Xuan, followed briskly behind.

Among the eighty riders, nineteen were from the Giant Bear Gang, led by Hong Quan, Cheng Hui, and Xie Hang, while the rest of the gang stayed in Wanfufang to guard the house.

In addition, twenty people including Gu Laosi, who were captured from Wu Youxin's logistics convoy and had already participated in a joint operation, also joined the team.

In addition, Geng Xuan selected another 34 people from the cavalry led by Fang Jintang based on the degree of their reputation, from strong to weak, from high to low.

In addition, there are Fang Jintang, Qi Mingcheng, and four other masters of the marrow refining realm from Santongji and Qingyuanji.

A group of eighty riders followed briskly behind.

About an hour later, the cavalry consisting entirely of Xuanyou horses had passed through Yixian Gorge and continued to gallop at high speed towards the direction of "Dongwuji".

About another hour later, the huge cavalry had entered the jurisdiction of Chang'anji, one of the "Five Eastern Ji".

This is also the market closest to "Nansiji" in Dongwuji.

From here on, the eastward extension of the remaining branches of Chiwu Mountain has gradually stopped. If you want to continue to Santongji or other "Eastern Five Ji", you have to start turning northeast, and gradually, you will end up heading completely north.

Then, between Santongji and Qingyuanji, the road will gradually turn from north to west.

Baiyuanji, one of the "Eight Northern Collections", is basically located due west of Qingyuanji.

However, the team that arrived here did not turn north along the familiar road, nor did they try to approach the Chang'an market, but instead headed east.

The cavalry marched eastward for about an hour and left Chang'anji more than a hundred miles behind.

At this moment, it was just after noon, about one o'clock in the afternoon.

The cavalry stopped in an open space and will rest here for about an hour.

As soon as the cavalry stopped, someone quickly unloaded all the weights from the Xuanyou horses' backs.

Start crushing the Xuanyou Pills and mixing them into the fine feed, preparing to feed them to the Xuanyou horses.

The load on the back of each Xuanyou horse includes a complete set of armor, some spare weapons, and enough horse feed for each Xuanyou horse for one day.

The total weight of all the loads was strictly controlled below 200 kilograms.

After this meal, the weight of each Xuanyou horse will be reduced by more than 20 kilograms.

The reason for this arrangement is naturally to save time.

If the Xuanyou horse is allowed to carry the carriage on the road, even if the carriage is empty and the load is not heavy, the speed of the Xuanyou horse cannot be increased.

It’s not a problem with the Xuanyou horse, but a problem with the carriage.

Even if we completely ignore the problem of wind resistance, given the structure of the carriage, if it were towed by a Xuanyou horse at full speed in the wilderness, it would definitely be torn apart.

Let Gu Laosi and others and the people in the neighborhood rush around among the Xuanyou horses with horse feed.

Geng Xuan stood on a bank covered with weeds, watching Da Huang leading Ba Xiao running and playing in the dry riverbed ahead.

At this moment, Geng Xuan felt something strange beside him and turned his head to look.

But he saw Mr. Chai coming over with a cloth bag. Geng Xuan almost couldn't help but give him a "Geng Xuan-style" smile, and instead gave him a questioning look.

Mr. Chai handed the cloth bag to Geng Xuan. Geng Xuan said thank you and took out two freshly baked meat patties from the bag.

Seeing that "Su Ruiliang" started to eat without hesitation, Master Chai's old face blossomed into a chrysanthemum-like smile and said:

"Boss Su, I've really troubled you these days."

Geng Xuan nodded and accepted his thanks without saying anything polite like it was just a small thing and nothing to worry about.

With his help to Bajiafang, he fully deserves this thanks.

At this time, Mr. Chai was standing by and had not left yet, but was looking towards the dry riverbed in the distance.

There, Dahuang and Baxiao were chasing and playing.

Geng Xuan felt a little helpless.

Before this, he had tried his best to avoid letting Da Huang meet the people from Changpingfang, but this time he couldn't leave Da Huang and Ba Xiao alone in Wanfufang, so he just let them be noticed.

Moreover, after a lot of good fortune, she went through another birth and molting experience.

Compared to when he was in Wanfufang, Dahuang has not only grown taller and bigger, his physique has also become more vigorous and youthful, and his spirit is completely different.

Even a close neighbor like Chen Rongshan would only feel a vague sense of familiarity when he saw it, but would never regard it as the same mountain dog as the previous family's.

Looking at the dry riverbed ahead, Geng Xuan simply asked the question that had just been in his mind.

"Master Chai, you are old, I want to ask you a question."

Master Chai immediately withdrew his gaze and said quickly, "I'm not worthy of being called Master. If you have anything to ask, just ask."

Geng Xuan raised his hand and pointed at the dry riverbed in front of him and asked, "Is this the same ancient riverbed as the one outside Baiyuanji?"

Mr. Chai nodded and said, "Yes."

Geng Xuan nodded slightly and continued, "When there was still water in this river, this wilderness probably didn't look like this now, right?"

Mr. Chai nodded again, with a look of reminiscence in his eyes.

He said: "According to the rumors I heard, before this river dried up, the banks were very fertile, and many villages specializing in farming took root here.

At that time, if we wanted to marry someone from outside, we didn't need to travel thousands of miles to Yueluyuan, we could do it nearby.

Until the river completely dried up, a small number of villages and towns on both sides of the river that were engaged in farming remained and merged into the surrounding villages and towns that relied on Chiwu Mountain for their livelihood.

At that time, Changpingfang absorbed quite a few of them, and even more moved eastward to Yueluyuan."

Having said that, Mr. Chai shook his head repeatedly, with a look of pity on his face.

"This happened hundreds of years ago. It is said that many people lived underground at that time, and it was very dangerous to move above ground.

During that great upheaval, it's said that more than half the people living on both sides of the river died for various reasons, leaving no trace of their fate."

For Geng Xuan, listening to Mr. Chai's stories again in another identity was also a novel experience, and he nodded from time to time.

It was not until Master Chai finished speaking and stopped talking that Geng Xuan said:
“But as far as I know, the river stopped flowing because of a landslide upstream that blocked a section of the river.

There are so many people downstream... Let’s not talk about the past. It was dangerous to live on the ground at that time, and no one dared to show their heads.

But in the past one or two hundred years, has no one thought of reopening this river?"

In Geng Xuan's opinion, this was a very logical idea.

He is a man who can create two "natural disasters" in Yixianxia within one or two hours.

Even if we put aside his cheating existence, and the special contributions of those who have practiced the "Earth Walking Technique" like him.

He thought that this should not be a difficult thing.

After hearing this, Master Chai glanced at Geng Xuan and shook his head, saying, "It's true that dredging the river isn't difficult, but who would do such a thankless task?"

"Hmm?" Geng Xuan looked at him with some confusion.

"Think about it, once the river is dredged again, the thousands of miles of wasteland on both sides of the river will once again become thousands of miles of fertile land.

But for the person who worked hard to clear the blockage, how much can he get?
Given the current situation in Yuanzhou, it is absolutely impossible to allow such a large area of grain-producing land to fall into the hands of a certain force.

Therefore, the final situation can only be that various forces rush in.

Those from the neighborhood, the market, and the various gangs and guilds, each one gets a bite, and we are all in each other, until the last bite is eaten up."

"Since this is the outcome, who would come forward to do such a thing?"

"Uh……"

This reason was very good and powerful, and Geng Xuan was completely speechless.

The one-hour rest time passed quickly, and the horse team crossed the dry and wide riverbed and continued to move east.

After crossing the riverbed and entering the wilderness on the east side, the horse team continued to march eastward.

Just from what we saw along the way, we could tell that the water power in the earth was becoming more and more abundant, and the wasteland was becoming more vibrant and fertile bit by bit.

At around three or four in the afternoon, the horse team entered another world from the overgrown and untended wilderness.

Surrounding it are fields of varying heights, in which ragged men and women are scattered in groups of three or two, working in the fields with wooden or stone farm tools in this cold winter.

Even with Geng Xuan's sharp eyesight, it was difficult to see much difference between these men and women.

Apart from being able to tell whether it is a boy or a girl, other features are almost vague.

They seemed to share the same face.

Almost all of them have the same skinny body and the same withered face.

The same mechanical movements, the same numb expression.

It was not until Geng Xuan and his imposing cavalry galloped past them on the road that the huge noise awakened them from their numb and mechanical labor.

They stopped what they were doing blankly and turned to look in the direction of the cavalry. The air seemed to freeze for a few moments.

Then, their numb faces finally came to life.

Everyone's face showed an expression of extreme fear.

Some of them dropped the farm tools in their hands and ran away from the horse team.

He ran for his life, shouting meaningless words.

It seemed to be giving a warning to someone far away, but it also seemed to be simply venting the extreme fear in its heart.

Some were so frightened that they could not even walk. They stood there in a daze, holding farm tools, completely dumbfounded. Others collapsed on the ground in fear.

With his keen eyesight, Geng Xuan even discovered that many people had water dripping from their crotches.

In response to this, the only action Geng Xuan took was to let the Xuanyou horses run faster, so that the entire cavalry could pass through this area as quickly as possible to reduce the disturbance to these people.

When the fast horses passed by, Geng Xuan also turned his head to look in the direction of the fleeing people.

About two or three miles away from this field, there are a large number of houses.

However, those houses seemed to be built quite randomly, with neither unified planning nor reasonable construction.

Some "houses" are simply made of some crooked branches as the skeleton, and hay as the walls and roof. This is the so-called "house".

This kind of house can only be used in winter.

As soon as the rainy season comes, it will fall apart.

However, for the residents of these "houses", perhaps all they need is to survive this harsh winter.

The commotion here obviously attracted the attention of the people there, and people ran out of the houses one after another.

However, when they saw the terrifying cavalry of more than 170 Xuanyou horses from afar, some of them retreated directly into the house, while others simply fled further away.

Soon, the horse team passed through the area quickly.

Geng Xuan asked Mr. Chai who was standing beside him, "Is this the neighborhood of Yueluyuan?"

Mr. Chai shook his head and said, "No matter how bad the neighborhood is, it's not this bad. These are all vagrants."

(End of this chapter)