Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 47 The Mansion
The autumn wind is bleak and the autumn rain is chilly.

In late autumn in Hebei, the night wind alone was already extremely cold. When bean-sized raindrops fell without warning, Zhu Wen felt the chill penetrate straight into his neck.

The reason for the detour through Hebei was quite simple. Going directly to Pinglu Town would require passing through Taining Town, where Qi Kerang was stationed. Zhu Wen had already killed Qi Kerang's deputy commander, Kou Qianzhi, so passing through Taining Town would simply be a trap.

Compared to the land of Henan, the land of Hebei was noticeably more desolate. Though equally vast, the plains were often completely uninhabited for dozens of miles. What should have been suitable for farming was now a wilderness overgrown with weeds and infested with foxes and wolves.

Although he was disgusted with the corrupt rule of the imperial court to the extreme, Zhu Wen had to admit that when it came to exploiting the land, there was always someone better than you. The soldiers in the Heshuo vassal state were really skilled.

The ground soon became muddy due to the pouring rain, and the mud barriers on both sides of the horses' bellies were splashed with mud.

The night grew darker under the heavy rain. The lantern in its glass case, tied to the horse's head, flickered in the fierce wind, as if it were about to go out.

Zhu Wen hurriedly took a hat from the pack horse and covered his head with it. He then grabbed Lan Suting from behind and covered her tightly with his cloak.

The girl snuggled quietly in his arms, without saying a word.

But the wind and the heavy rain still mercilessly threw raindrops onto the faces and clothes of the two people. Some of the raindrops had even turned into hail, and when they hit their faces, they caused a burning pain.

In such a cold rain, not to mention humans, even big creatures like horses will inevitably catch a cold if they are drenched for a long time.

"A-choo." Zhu Wen heard a crisp cough from the girl's mouth.

When she lowered her head, her little face had turned red from the cold wind.

Such a slender girl would not be able to withstand such heavy rain.

He placed his palm on Lan Suting's forehead and felt that it was a little hot.

Zhu Wen couldn't help but regret why he didn't prepare a fox fur cloak, which could not only keep out the cold, but also protect against rain and snow.

But now we have to find a place to shelter from the rain.

Looking around in the dim light of the lantern, I saw a vast wilderness without a single big tree.

Faced with this situation, Zhu Wen was not without a way to deal with it.

If all else fails, you can find an earthen embankment or even a grave, dig a hole there, and crawl in fully clothed. If the hole is large enough, you can even make a fire from it. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword can cut through iron like mud, so you don't have to worry about the blade curling when using it to dig holes.

But digging a hole takes time, and during the process, you have to endure wind and rain.

Zhu Wen's anxiety was not unfounded.

There are many girls like Lan Suting who are weak and whose bodies are not yet fully grown. Often a cold will endanger their lives.

A girl who has never even done farm work is not suitable for such a long journey.

He was anxious to train her, so he let Lan Suting come with him. But if something happened, it would not only bring him endless regret, but also seriously damage his reputation in the camp.

Just when my mind was full of thoughts, a dark shadow appeared in the distance, which looked like a house and yard.

"There seems to be a house up ahead. Let's..." Lan Suting couldn't help sneezing again and tremblingly said, "Can we stay here for a while and avoid the rain?"

As if the horse could understand human language, it neighed, as if agreeing with the girl's suggestion.

This proposal certainly resonated with Zhu Wen. For a knight-errant, whether the host was welcoming or not was irrelevant. If the host was unwelcoming, or even rude, he could simply put a knife to their neck to teach them a lesson.

So he immediately rode his horse towards the house.

Soon, we arrived in front of the house. The red walls and green tiles on the courtyard were magnificent. I had never expected that such a large house with three entrances would exist in this desolate and deserted place. The house was pitch black, and I didn't know if anyone was there.

Zhu Wen dismounted, holding Lan Suting in his arms. He banged the door of the house several times with the ring of his sword and shouted, "Is the master home? My sister and I have come here to avoid the rain. We would appreciate your stay for one night. If you need any money, we will give it to you."

I shouted several times, but there was no response.

Lan Suting whispered, "Captain, the doorway of this house is enough to shelter us from the rain. Why don't we spend the night here..."

Her crescent-shaped almond eyes blinked slightly, and her sparse eyelashes trembled slightly, which could arouse people's desire to protect her.

"No!" Zhu Wen interrupted decisively, "You look like you've caught a cold. There's such a strong wind outside, and raindrops are blowing in. How can you stand it? You must get inside and rest!"

After saying this, he inserted the blade into the crack of the door and swung it. The door bolt was cut off with a few fierce blows. Zhu Wen pushed hard and the door creaked open in both directions.

The yard was still pitch black, without a single star of light.

Zhu Wen placed the two horses on the stone steps under the door, and their hair began to drip water onto the ground, as if they had just swam out of the river.

He held Lan Suting in his arms, grasped a glass lantern in his left hand for illumination, and walked towards the courtyard with a knife in his right hand. He thought to himself that although it was an emergency, entering a private house with a weapon in hand made him look like a robber.

However, in troubled times, it is better to be feared than to be considered easy to bully.

At worst, after the matter is resolved, I can apologize and give some money.

The hanging flower door on the corridor was wide open. Zhu Wen strode through and entered the main courtyard. He saw that the east and west wing rooms were also pitch black, and there was no sound of human voice.

Zhu Wen thought it would be best if the owner was not at home. Even if there was no charcoal in the house, he could chop up one or two pieces of furniture to make a fire.

After going around the screen wall in the main courtyard, they arrived under the eaves of the main hall. Zhu Wen shouted a few times at the door of the main house, but still no one responded, so he started to kick the door.

But at this moment, Lan Suting suddenly shouted from his arms with a hoarse voice: "Captain, be careful!"

She was a little girl with no martial arts background, but she could sense the sudden burst of murderous aura.

The main door, which was made of qingtan wood and had four doors, opened silently, and then several sharp rays of light as fast as lightning rushed towards Zhu Wen!

Zhu Wen pushed Lan Suting behind him and raised his sword to block the incoming fierce light.

When the blade touched the sharp edge, it suddenly became very soft, so light that it could not exert any force.

It turned out to be a bunch of silk threads.

But Zhu Wen had no doubt that these extremely tough silk threads, if straightened and drawn at high speed, would definitely cut his skin and flesh.

"Could it be Yan Jingming's accomplice?" Lan Suting, who was behind him, panted and made a guess.

Zhu Wen was a man of great talent and was often envied. When he saw injustice and helped Wang Xianzhi, he killed Yan Jingming, a disciple of Wang Xianzhi. Although Wang Xianzhi said he would not pursue the matter, there were probably many more in Wang Xianzhi's army who wanted Zhu Wen dead.

But Lan Suting's speculation was not the judgment that a qualified military advisor should make.

"If it was done by the generals in Alliance Leader Wang's army, unless they have divine vision, how could they have built such a large house in advance of us, and even planned to use it to shelter from the rain?"

Zhu Wen whispered to Lan Suting.

More threads shot towards him like the Weaver Girl's shuttle. Most of the sounds were definitely not made by human hands. It was obvious that the door was already full of traps.

(End of this chapter)