Taiheiki

Chapter 5 Falling into the trap
"My dear gentleman?" a soldier asked, "How did you know that?"

"Nonsense! Look at how they're dressed and dressed. Does that make them look like an ordinary family?" Wang Shou sneered. "Let's not talk about anything else. Just look at that head. It's over eight feet long, right? How many generations have you had a head like that?"

The soldier smiled awkwardly. He didn't quite understand what it meant to be calm, but the height in front of him couldn't lie. The working people in ancient times were originally malnourished, and the heavy physical labor they started doing in their youth further bent their spines. Very few of them could grow to that height. On the contrary, the children of the ruling class had better nutrition and did not have to bear heavy physical labor, so their average height was much higher. However, there were not many people in the ruling class who could grow to eight feet.

Wang Shou looked around and heard the sounds of pursuit getting farther and farther away. He yawned out of boredom and sat down cross-legged next to Wei Cong. He forced a smile and was thinking about how to talk to this noble man so that he could brag to his comrades in the future when he suddenly heard someone shout, "Who!"

Wang Shou turned around and saw a man approaching from a distance. He held a knife in his right hand and a hook in his left. His face was unclear in the darkness. Although he was standing by the fire, a chill ran through him. "Who are you? We are soldiers from the county and state pursuing thieves. Anyone who has no connection with us, please get out of here!"

"Zhao Yannian from Jing!" The man came closer, the firelight shone on his face, his expression was cold and grim. Wei Cong couldn't help but exclaimed, it was the murderous evil guest he had just met in the mountains.

"Oh no! This guy is so cunning! Cai You has fallen for his trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain!" Wang Shou was secretly groaning. He was about to call for help when two county soldiers beside him, one holding a halberd and the other holding a spear, rushed towards the intruder. However, Zhao Yannian's body was like a ghost. He slid to the right, avoiding the spear's thrust. The hook in his left hand had already caught the branch of the halberd from the opposite side. With a hook and a pull, the halberd-wielding soldier rushed forward, and Zhao Yannian cut his throat with a knife. Seeing that one of the soldiers had died in the exchange, the spearman quickly retreated and stood beside Wang Shou, shaking like a sieve.

"So it's you? I didn't expect to meet you here again. What a coincidence. But why didn't you run away this time?" Zhao Yannian recognized Wei Cong standing by the fire, frowned slightly, and sneered, "Never mind. I've killed enough people today. Get out of here, and I'll spare your lives!"

Wang Shou heaved a sigh of relief when Zhao Yannian said he wouldn't kill him. He still remembered Cai Buyi's warning and reached out to pull Wei Cong's sleeve, "Sir, let's run! This guy is very powerful, we can't beat him!"

Wei Cong naturally didn't understand what Zhao Yannian and Wang Shou were saying. He thought to himself that even if they fled, they wouldn't be able to escape even with the two sides so close. He still had three men on his side. If they could hold on for a while, the others would return and they could save their lives. He looked around and saw a pile of freshly cut bamboo nearby. The soldiers must have dried it for firewood. An idea flashed through his mind, and he turned and picked up a bamboo about ten feet long, with many branches and leaves still on the end, and held it flat towards Zhao Yannian.

"You're not running away this time. You want to fight me? You're so brave!" A fierce look flashed in Zhao Yannian's eyes. "Okay, let me see what you can do!"

"My lord, my lord, Zhao Yannian is very powerful, don't provoke him!" Wang Shou, who was standing next to him, was frightened by Wei Cong's behavior. He thought to himself that this noble young man didn't know how powerful he was and went to provoke the evil ghost opposite. But he didn't dare to leave Wei Cong and run away alone, otherwise Cai Buyi would be the first to not forgive him when he came back. He could only stand beside Wei Cong with a bitter face. The soldier with the spear wanted to escape, but seeing that Wang Shou didn't run away, he also plucked up the courage to stand beside Wang Shou with his spear.

Zhao Yannian's expression darkened when he saw the three men across from him not only didn't flee but instead stood shoulder to shoulder, clearly intent on confronting him. He had fought countless battles against the Qiang Rebellion and the Southern Barbarians, possessing not only exceptional martial proficiency but also a deep understanding of military tactics. He had just killed one man to establish his authority, then pretended to be generous and let the three escape, hoping to defeat the enemy without a fight. He could easily kill all three from behind, then leisurely scavenge the necessary supplies from the army camp, thus securing his escape across the mountains. Unexpectedly, this tall, strange man didn't flee this time. Seeing he had no weapons in his hands, only a bamboo stick to confront him, he knew he was a useless, unarmed person, a perfect opportunity to kill him to establish his authority.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yannian moved a few steps to the left. The bamboo branches on the opposite side pushed forward. He took a few steps to the right, and the branches and leaves on the opposite side also moved. Zhao Yannian suddenly realized a problem. The bamboo had many branches at the end, seven or eight feet away. No matter how much he moved left or right, the strange man across from him would turn slightly, and the bamboo branches would continue to block him. No matter what he did, he couldn't get around them. Could it be that this strange man didn't just grab the bamboo randomly to fight him, but chose it specifically? Zhao Yannian wondered to himself.

Zhao Yannian snorted coldly, pushing the distracting thoughts out of his mind. With a loud shout, he lunged forward. His left hand's hook had already caught the bamboo, and his right hand was about to chop it down. However, the bamboo was clogged with branches and leaves, and despite his sharp steel blade, it couldn't completely sever them all, becoming entangled in the branches instead. Seeing this, Wei Cong twisted the bamboo stem and pulled it back, catching Zhao Yannian off guard. The ring-handled sword in his hand was wrenched out of his hand.

"Good!" Wang Shou, standing nearby, was overjoyed upon seeing this. He stepped forward to strike the fallen dog, but saw Zhao Yannian draw his sword from his waist. He quickly retreated, emboldening himself and shouting, "Zhao Yannian, you know how powerful I am, don't you? Our young master has taken your sword away with one move. Why don't you kneel down and surrender? I can even keep your body intact!"

Zhao Yannian snorted coldly. He naturally ignored a villain like Wang Shou, but his previous contempt for Wei Cong also completely disappeared. He calmly engaged the three men. After several rounds, he became increasingly aware of the power of the large bamboo branches across from him. The branches covered a wide area, enough to block Wei Cong and the other three. Whenever he tried to get close, he was met with a clump of bamboo branches. He couldn't cut them down, and he couldn't dodge them, so he could only retreat. Meanwhile, the spearmen were able to hide behind the bamboo branches and stab him repeatedly. His vision was obscured by the bamboo branches, so he couldn't see the spears coming. He could only see them when he got close, and then he dodged and blocked them, and he almost got stabbed several times. The three men on the opposite side grew braver and more coordinated, but Zhao Yannian became more and more nervous. He glanced around, searching for a way to escape.

Just when things looked promising, Wei Cong suddenly cried out, collapsing to the ground. Zhao Yannian, overjoyed, rushed forward with a loud shout, only to be met with a sudden, head-on sweep of bamboo branches. He couldn't dodge in time and instinctively blocked the blow with his hook. It would have been fine with any other weapon, but the bamboo trunk was thick with branches and leaves, making it difficult to block them completely. Many of them hit his face, and he suddenly felt his eyes go dark, unable to see anything. Zhao Yannian knew something was wrong and tried to retreat, but he was shot in the leg and fell to the ground.

"Got him, got him!" Wang Shou was overjoyed when he saw this. He danced with joy and said to the soldier who had stabbed Zhao Yannian, "Good boy Wang Ge, you were able to stab a fierce enemy like Zhao Yannian. You have done a great deed today!"

"Hehe!" Wang Ge, a simple man, laughed and said, "It's all thanks to you, my dear. I was just lucky!"

Wang Shou finally realized that he had actually brought down that noble young man. Not to mention that the credit had originally belonged to him, even if it hadn't been his, given his status, he would have remembered it. A simple move from him would have been enough to kill him. He hurried to Wei Cong's side, flattering him with a smile, "Thank you, young man, for saving our lives and capturing this thief!"

Wei Cong was sweating profusely, sitting on the ground, unable to move. The bamboo stick had many advantages, but its only problem was that it was too heavy. Furthermore, it was so long that he couldn't dance with it for a moment. But he didn't dare drop it. In a moment of desperation, he pretended to fall, luring Zhao Yannian forward. Fortunately, it worked. Although he couldn't understand what Wang Shou said, judging by his expression, it looked like congratulations, so he waved his hand, signaling him to stop.

"Sir, are you telling us not to act rashly and wait for Cai Youjiao and the others to return?" Wang Shou thought to himself, "Yes, that man on the ground is quite formidable. He's been shot in the leg, so he can't get far. We shouldn't take the risk!" Sure enough, a moment later, Cai Buyi and the others returned. They were startled to see Zhao Yannian sitting on the ground, having barely gotten away. They hurriedly inquired about him. Wang Shou seized the opportunity to exaggerate Wei Cong's wisdom, strategy, and martial arts to the heavens, leaving everyone amazed.

"Zhao Yannian, were you the one who made that noise just now?" Cai asked without hesitation.

"That's right!" Zhao Yannian knew that he was dead, and he was too lazy to lie: "I caught a wild rabbit, got two gourds, stuffed a few stones in them, and tied the gourds to the wild rabbit. I made some noise first, waited for you to come over, and then let the wild rabbit go. The wild rabbit will naturally make noise when running, and you idiots will naturally chase it. I wanted to get some things from you that I could use on the road so that I can go over the mountain to Jingnan, but I didn't expect to meet this guy-" At this point, his gaze turned to Wei Cong next to him.

"Going to Jingnan? You want to surrender to the Shanyue?" Cai Buyi snorted coldly, "What a shame, your fate ends here! Come, tie this fellow up, and wait until dawn to take him down the mountain to the county government office to ask for a reward!"

"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison. Cai Buyi walked up to Wei Cong, bowed deeply, and then sat down and wrote on the ground, "You have performed a great service this time. Would you like to go with me to the county government office to pay your respects to the county magistrate?"

"Go see the county magistrate?" Wei Cong thought to himself that he, a time traveler with no roots and no foundation, was full of flaws. If he went to the county government office, he would probably go in vertically and come out horizontally. It would be better not to go if possible.

Seeing Wei Cong hadn't written anything for a while, Cai Buyi thought to himself that he'd probably guessed right. This man, despite his high status, didn't want to see the magistrate. This was most likely related to the recent outbreak of factionalism in the capital. He smiled and wrote, "If you don't want to see the magistrate, that's fine. I have an empty house nearby where you can stay temporarily!"

"So easy to talk to? Even offering accommodation, is this a trick?" Wei Cong thought to himself, but then he thought again, it seems that there is no better choice in his current situation. He can only gamble on the other party's kindness. Thinking of this, he stretched out his finger and wrote on the ground: "Then I'll trouble you!"

Cai Buyi was overjoyed to see Wei Cong agree. He stood up and called Wang Shou over, "I just told that young man that he doesn't want to see the county lord. The credit for capturing Zhao the thief will be shared among us. Don't mention him!"

"Ah!" Wang Shou was startled and stammered, "But, but this is clearly all thanks to that young man! If he hadn't used the bamboo branches to block the evil thief Zhao Yannian, Wang Ge and I would have been in danger of our lives, let alone catching the thief!"

"Okay, stop talking nonsense!" Cai Buyi waved his hand impatiently, "Have you forgotten this person's background? He said he didn't want to see the county lord, and you still don't understand his difficulties?"

Snapped!
Wang Shou slapped his forehead and cursed, "Look at my pig brain! Don't worry, Youjiao, I will make sure the others don't leak a single word about this young man!"

"I understand!" Cai Buyi nodded with satisfaction: "As long as the matter is done, you will definitely benefit from it!"

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Zhao Yannian sat on the ground, his hands tied behind his back. He was covered in dirt, with a large, blackened bloodstain on his thigh. Seeing Cai Buyi approaching, he raised his head with a calm expression. The firelight added a bit of color to his pale face. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sarcastic look: "Lucky guy is finally back. Where did you find that big guy? What a pity!"

"What a shame?" Cai Buyi sneered, "Why? Are you unwilling to accept your defeat? What a pity you don't have another chance!"

"No, I'm convinced!" Zhao Yannian laughed. "He's a master of military strategy! I first said I'd give them a chance to live, hoping to scare them away. Those two idiots were so scared that their legs went limp. If it weren't for him, I would have succeeded! Then he saw a flaw in my martial arts and chose a weapon that could restrain me. From beginning to end, I was completely suppressed! This is the first time I, Zhao Yannian, have ever encountered such a master in my life!"

"Master of military strategy?" Cai Buyi looked at Zhao Yannian, confirming that he was not mocking him. He asked tentatively, "Choose a weapon that can restrain you. Are you talking about that bamboo stick?"

"That's right!" Zhao Yannian seemed to be talking in high spirits. "At that time, I held a ring-handled sword in one hand and a hook in the other. Whether the opponent was using a spear, a halberd, a sword, a halberd, or a knife, I had a way to break it. But he chose this bamboo stick, which not only protects himself, but also shields his companions. I couldn't break him, and he took my sword away. I drew my sword and fought again, but he pretended to be defeated and took a bullet in the leg. Zhao thought that since I had practiced martial arts since childhood and had experienced the Qiang Rebellion and the Southern Barbarians, my skills were more than enough to protect myself. I can't say I was invincible, but now I think I have never met a true hero. It's really ridiculous!" At this point, he asked with a smile, "If I am captured this time, I will die. Can you tell me who defeated me?"

(End of this chapter)