Lanting prelude

Chapter 29
The dark night deep in the Qinling Mountains is like viscous ink, which can hardly be torn apart even by the light of a torch.

Xiao Junmo and his party of five walked in the dense forest with one deep foot and one shallow foot.Overhead, the canopies of towering trees obscured the moon and the stars, making it impossible to navigate by anything.Everyone can only roughly estimate to climb in a certain direction based on the position of the sun before sunset.Xiao Junmo walked in the front, holding the torch high in one hand, and with the other hand, he used a horizontal knife to continuously split the tangled branches, shrubs and vines, and forcibly cut a path.

After escaping from the secret path in the mountain behind the ancestral hall yesterday, they were led by Meng Sanlang and fled to Beiqupu in one breath.Although there was a small team of policemen encountered there, they were quickly dealt with.Afterwards, the group crossed the Lantian-Wuguan post road and headed southwest into the vast jungle of the Qinling Mountains.

They rested in a cave last night, only slept for two hours, then hurried on the road again, after nearly a day of hard trekking, they arrived at the foot of Shimen Mountain at dusk.Here, six or seven miles to the left is Dachang Pass, and seven or eight miles to the right is Kugu Pass, both of which are heavily guarded, and it is impossible to forcefully break through.Therefore, they could only follow Xiao Junmo's plan, climb over the mountain in front of them, find the secret path that Xiao Junmo had walked in the past, and continue walking for forty or fifty miles to the southwest to reach the only post road in the mountains with a radius of hundreds of miles—Yi Gu Road, then go south to Fengyang County, then go south along Zuo River and Xun River, turn eastward to Xunyang County, and finally go east along Han River all the way to Jingzhou.

However, the current Shimen Mountain made it difficult for them to move forward, and it took a lot of energy to climb up a short distance.Mi Mancang, who was walking at the back, was already complaining, and almost failed to keep up with the team several times, Xiao Junmo had no choice but to ask Meng Sanlang to help him go.Chu Lisang and Biancai supported each other and walked behind Xiao Junmo, they were already out of breath from exhaustion.

At this moment, sweat continued to flow from his forehead, blurring Chu Lisang's vision.

Chu Lisang raised his hand and wiped it a few times.The strange thing is that the sweat has been wiped off, but everything in front of me is still blurred.Is it foggy?Chu Lisang remembered hearing from his father that there is something called "miasma" in the deep mountains and old forests, which is the poisonous gas produced by the mixture of dead beasts and rotting leaves.Once encountering the miasma like black mist, people will die.

"Father," Chu Lisang nervously grabbed Biancai's hand, "Is there a miasma? Why can't I see things clearly?"

"No, there is no miasma here." Biancai looked at the road under his feet, not noticing that Chu Lisang's face was getting paler and paler, "Wait a few hundred miles to the south, where the weather starts to be hot and humid, there will be miasma .”

"I, I'm dizzy..." As soon as Chu Lisang finished speaking, his whole body shook from side to side.Xiao Junmo happened to turn his head back, seeing that something was wrong, he immediately jumped up: "Li Sang!"

Chu Lisang closed his eyes, fell into his arms, and lost consciousness for an instant...

When Chu Lisang opened his eyes, he found himself lying on Xiao Junmo's back.Her cheek was pressed against his shoulder, and her body was tightly pressed against his broad back.That solid sense of security filled Chu Lisang's heart again.If he could keep walking behind her back, she would rather go into a coma than wake up.

Thinking of this, Chu Lisang quietly closed his eyes.

Gradually, she no longer knew anything.

Hearing a slight and even snoring sound in his ears, Xiao Jun, who was sweating profusely, smiled silently.

In fact, he had noticed when she woke up just now, but since she didn't say anything, Xiao Junmo pretended not to know.If a strong woman like Chu Lisang hadn't fainted, she would definitely not let him carry her back.So, this is fine now, as long as she is willing to sleep peacefully on her back, Xiao Junmo is willing to carry her to the end of the world...

When he woke up, Chu Lisang found himself lying in a dark cave with weeds under his body, and a small bonfire was burning beside him, and there was a roasted pheasant on the bonfire.

A pang of hunger struck, Chu Lisang turned over and sat up, tore off a chicken leg and gnawed on it.After just a few bites, she felt something was wrong—she was the only one in the cave, and her father and Xiao Junmo were nowhere to be seen.She got up quickly, groped around in the cave, but still couldn't see anyone, only Xiao Junmo and Mi Mancang's package lay quietly in a corner.

Chu Lisang panicked, quickly picked up the knife on the ground, pulled out a half-burned thick branch from the fire, and began to look for the location of the hole.Fortunately, the hole was not too deep. She felt the moss-covered, wet and slippery stone and stumbled for four or five feet, then saw the faint light shining from the entrance of the hole.

It turned out that it was already dawn, and I actually slept all night!

When he walked out of the cave, Chu Lisang was dumbfounded. He saw that the surroundings were covered in thick fog, and he couldn't see anything at most one zhang away.She hesitated for a moment, but still took a step forward.In order not to get lost, Chu Lisang drew a knife and carved a triangle mark on the nearby tree every ten steps.Walking and carving like this, she walked carefully for about a stick of incense, but she found helplessly that the mark she had just left was engraved on the trunk of a tree in front of her.

She circled back to where she was.

While he was at a loss, a man's voice suddenly sounded nearby.Chu Lisang thought it was Xiao Junmo and the others, and was about to shout, but saw two men in black armor walking out of the mist.

Xuanjiawei!
They actually tracked here?Aren't the father and Xiao Junmo more dangerous than good? !

Chu Lisang dodged and hid behind the big tree, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Since Xuanjiawei had already appeared here, there must be a lot of them. Right now, they can only avoid them as much as possible, and must not fight them head-on.Having made up his mind, Chu Lisang tried his best to hide behind the tree, but unexpectedly stepped on a dead branch with his hind foot.There was a click, which was particularly crisp in the quiet mountain forest.Hearing the sound, the two soldiers drew out their sabers at the same time, approaching here step by step.

Oops!

Chu Lisang was quick to wit, picked up a stone on the ground, and threw it far away.Hearing the sound, the two soldiers quickly ran over there.Chu Lisang heaved a sigh of relief, quickly dodged into the slanting stab, and jumped into the dense jungle.

After a while, Chu Lisang slowly walked around a boulder and came to a gentle slope.She looked up inadvertently, and her whole body froze immediately.Just a zhang away in front of her, there were more than a dozen Xuanjia guards lined up, slowly climbing up the mountain.Fortunately, they all just buried their heads in the climb, and no one noticed her.

Chu Lisang didn't dare to turn around for fear of making a noise, so he could only move quietly and walk backwards.One step, two steps, three steps, as long as she takes a few more steps, she can disappear into the fog again.However, just as she was taking the fourth step, she suddenly stepped on the ground and fell straight down from a cliff...

Am I going to die?

Listening to the wind whizzing past her ears, she was seized by great fear in an instant.

Chu Lisang closed his eyes in despair.

Just four to five feet above the ground, a figure suddenly flew out from the cliff, hugged her, spun a few times in the air, and then cracked and broke many branches during the fall, and finally fell together On the thick dead leaves, it rolled down with the slope of the mountain.

The two hugged each other and rolled at least dozens of times before hitting a tree trunk and stopping.

Chu Lisang's closed eyes did not open until this moment, only to see Xiao Junmo being pressed under her.

"Where did you die? Why can't you be found anywhere?!" Chu Lisang was shocked and angry, and cried out in a crying voice.

Xiao Junmo was pressed down by her, but with a smile on his face: "Can you go down first? I have a little chest tightness."

"I'm the one with chest tightness!" Chu Lisang was anxious, "Who told you to hug me so tightly?"

Only then did Xiao Junmo realize that his two hands were still tightly hugging her waist, and he hurriedly let go.Chu Lisang punched him hard on the chest, and then turned over and got up.In order to cover up his embarrassment, Xiao Junmo had to pat his chest and cough exaggeratedly a few times.

"Tell me, where did you all die?" Chu Lisang was still reluctant.

"It's best to use that word with caution. We're running for our lives now. It's unlucky to say that word." Xiao Junmo smiled, and patted the rotten leaves on his body, "You didn't fall, did you?"

When he fell to the ground just now, Chu Lisang leaned over, treating Xiao Junmo as a meat pad, so although his whole body was sore, his muscles and bones were not injured.Even so, she was still in shock, so she stared at Xiao Junmo and said, "Where's my father? Why isn't he with you?"

"Don't worry, your father is fine, the three of them are over there." Xiao Junmo pouted towards the south.

"What are you doing there?" Chu Lisang was puzzled.

"Knotting ropes, rattan ropes, used to cross the river." Xiao Junmo said, "There was a heavy rain last night, the mountain torrents were heavy, and the stream in front was difficult to pass, so we had to find rattan to tie the ropes, so we came out early in the morning. Seeing that you were still asleep, I didn't dare to call you."

"If you leave me alone in the cave, you won't be afraid that Xuanjiawei will catch me?"

"That hole is very hidden. Besides, it's hard for them to find it in such a thick fog." "You guys are big-hearted. What if they find out?"

"I was just worried about you, so I came back in such a hurry." Xiao Junmo felt aggrieved.

When Chu Lisang thought of the moment of life and death just now, he was actually very grateful to him in his heart. If he came a step later or hesitated a little, he would die. "You jumped out from such a high place just now, aren't you afraid to fall to pieces with me?"

Xiao Junmo smiled: "For you, why am I afraid of being smashed to pieces?"

Chu Lisang's heart suddenly moved: "You have a conscience!"

Xiao Junmo smiled again: "Let's go, I'll take you to the side of the stream first, and then go back to the cave to pick up your luggage."

"Where are we now?" The two walked side by side, and Chu Lisang finally remembered the most important thing.

"I have already passed Shimen Mountain, and now it is on the south side of the mountain."

When Chu Lisang heard the words, he was moved again when he remembered that he had turned over the mountain with his back on his back yesterday.She took a sneak peek and saw that his eyes were bloodshot and his face was haggard, which meant that he must not have had much rest last night, and got up early this morning to look for the rattan.Thinking of this, Chu Lisang couldn't help feeling sorry for her. "After crossing the river later, you have to take a good rest. If this goes on, hard-core people will not be able to bear it."

"Now we are racing against Xuanjiawei, and we can't stop even a single step." Xiao Junmo said, "But I am very touched that someone cares about me so much. Once touched, my whole body will be filled with strength."

Chu Li Sangjiao said angrily: "Don't be smug, I don't care about you, I'm afraid that you will drag us down when you get tired."

Xiao Junmo chuckled: "Don't worry, if I really get down, I'll send myself on my way with one knife, and I will never drag others down."

"Go, go, don't say anything unlucky." Chu Lisang rolled his eyes at him again, and suddenly thought of something, "By the way, there is something very strange, why did the Xuanjia guards come so fast? How did they know we were going to go through Shimen?" Mountain?"

Xiao Junmo thought for a while: "Perhaps, the team of policemen we met at Beiqupu the day before yesterday is still alive. Pei Tinglong is not a brainless person, as long as he knows that we are going southwest, he can guess that we are going to cross Shimen Mountain .”

Chu Lisang was startled: "That is to say, he also guessed the path we are going to take?"

Xiao Junmo smiled wryly: "It's probably like this."

"What should I do?"

"Don't worry, the front is very steep, and those who haven't passed it will not dare to go. At most, Pei Tinglong will turn around and take the main road, and rush to Fengyang County first to block us."

"Isn't that still dangerous?"

"Let's not go into the county seat, go around and go south by boat directly from Zuoshui."

Only then did Chu Lisang feel relieved.

The two talked and walked out of the forest slowly.At this time, the fog had gradually dissipated, and it suddenly became clear to see a stream five or six feet wide rushing, and the muddy torrent rolled down from the upper reaches, violently beating the rocks in the water.Biancai, Mi Mancang and Meng Sanlang were weaving rattan ropes behind a pile of rocks.

Mi Mancang found that Xiao Junmo's hands were empty, and panicked: "Bao, where's the bag?"

"The burden is lost." Chu Lisang saw him looking like a money fanatic, and deliberately teased him, "Just now, in order to lure the Xuanjia Guard away, we threw away the gold, and threw it all the way."

"What?!" Mi Mancang was so shocked that his facial features were distorted, and he looked more uncomfortable than death.

Chu Lisang couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Mi Mancang realized that he had been cheated, and said angrily, "Take it again, take me, just for fun."

"Sang'er, are you okay?" Biancai discovered that there were several long and thin bloodstains on Chu Lisang's face and hands.

Those scars were scratched by the branches when I fell just now.Chu Lisang smiled: "It's nothing, I just fell down."

Xiao Junmo noticed that the rattan rope had only been woven for three or four feet, which was far from enough, so he couldn't help frowning.Among the four people, only he and Bian had experience in this field. Mi Mancang and Meng Sanlang could only stand aside and couldn't help much. If he went back to the cave to pick up the burden now, the rope might not be weaved yet. Wei came around.

Seeing his worries, Meng Sanlang said, "Brother Xiao, hurry up and weave the rope. I'll go get the luggage, and my bow and arrow are still in the cave." Like Erlang, he didn't have much sword skills, but he was good at hunting. , so he brought a pair of bows and arrows when he escaped from the ancestral hall.In the morning, I came out to cut rattan, but I thought it was a burden to carry a bow and arrow, so I stayed in the cave.Seeing that Xiao Junmo was still hesitating, Meng Sanlang said again: "Brother, I grew up in the mountains, and I'm used to walking on mountain roads. People say I'm a wild monkey. Let me go back and get it. I promise I won't miss anything."

Xiao Junmo thought for a while, and at the moment it is indeed the most suitable for him to go back, so he patted his shoulder: "Be careful, go and come back quickly."

Meng Sanlang nodded, turned around and ran, jumped a few times on the rocky beach, and jumped into the forest in the blink of an eye, as expected, he was as nimble as a monkey.

At this moment, Pei Tinglong was leading nearly a hundred Xuanjia guards in the formation of skirmishers, and slowly surrounded the stream from the forest.Meng Sanlang walked in the opposite direction to them, almost sprinted past them, but because the remaining fog in the forest hadn't cleared, Xuanjiawei didn't notice him.

A rattan rope about the thickness of a wrist and seven to eight feet long was braided in Xiao Junmo's hands.

It was twisted with multiple strands of ivy, which was strong and strong. Xiao Junmo tied one end of the rattan rope firmly to the tree trunk and the other end around his waist, and then pulled the rattan rope into the water.Biancai, Chu Lisang, and Mi Mancang all watched him nervously.

Although it was early summer, the water in the mountains was still icy cold, and Xiao Junmo shivered as soon as he stepped into the water.He didn't know how deep the stream was, so he could only try to move forward step by step.About a foot away, he suddenly stepped on the ground, and the rushing water submerged him.Chu Lisang cried out, hurriedly trying to pull the rattan rope, Biancai held her down: "Wait a little longer."

Chu Lisang stared anxiously at the surface of the water, but apart from the whirlpools and the occasional driftwood, the only living thing was a gazelle.It struggled desperately in the water and looked at the three people on the bank with terrified eyes, but it was quickly washed away by the raging water without a trace.Chu Lisang was sad for a while, and couldn't hold it anymore, and shouted to Biancai: "Father, I can't wait any longer!" As he said that, he pulled up the rattan rope and was about to pull it back.

At this moment, a force suddenly pulled out a section of the rattan rope.Chu Lisang was startled, feeling as if someone was pulling the rope, and quickly let go, and then the rattan rope on the ground was pulled into the water section by section.In a blink of an eye, there were only a few turns of a large bundle of rattan rope left.Immediately afterwards, there was a splash on the water surface on the other side, and Xiao Junmo jumped out as a mermaid.

"Good job!" Biancai let out a long sigh of relief.

"Wow, amazing!" Mi Mancang blushed with excitement.

Chu Lisang couldn't help covering his mouth, with tears of joy in his eyes.

Xiao Junmo fastened the other end of the rattan rope to the south bank, and Biancai was the first to wade across by grabbing the rope.Then, Chu Lisang and Mi Mancang went into the water one after another.The two of them had just waded to the middle stream, when suddenly there was a lot of rushing sounds behind them.Xiao Junmo's expression froze, and he saw groups of black storks flying out of the forest on the north bank, apparently quite frightened.

Xuanjiawei!
"Li Sang, the warehouse is full, hurry up!" Xiao Junmo yelled sharply.

Chu Lisang made great efforts with his hands, and approached the opposite bank within a few strokes, but Mi Mancang behind him panicked, one of them lost his grip, his left hand fell off, and only his right hand was still holding on, and his whole body was immediately washed away by the current Get up and yell.Xiao Junmo jumped into the water with a plop, swam a few times, grabbed Chu Lisang, pushed her ashore, and then went back to rescue Mi Mancang.

On the north bank, the first batch of Xuanjia guards had rushed out of the forest.Three soldiers were closest to the tree where the rattan rope was bound, and immediately rushed up with their knives drawn.Xiao Junmo's heart suddenly sank.If the rattan rope was cut off, he and Mi Mancang would be completely swept away by the torrent. Although the other end of the rattan rope was still tied to the south bank, he couldn't guarantee that he and Mi Mancang could go back.At this time Mi Mancang was still three feet away, he didn't dare to delay, grabbed the rattan rope and turned his hands quickly, quickly approaching Zhongliu.

On one side were the three Xuanjia guards rushing towards the rattan rope with their knives, and on the other side were two struggling in the water.Biancai and Chu Lisang watched this scene from the south bank, holding their breath nervously.

When Xiao Junmo grabbed Mimancang, the soldiers on the north bank were only three feet away from the rattan rope, which was almost the same distance as the two in the water returned to the south bank.But Xuanjiawei was running on the shore, while Xiao Junmo was walking in the water with Mi Mancang. This game was not fair, and there was little suspense about the outcome.Once the rattan rope is broken, there is still the possibility of Xiao Junmo going back to the south bank by himself, and it is hard to say with a rice full warehouse.

Three feet, two feet, one foot, when Xiao Junmo and Mi Mancang finally approached the south bank, the soldiers on the north bank had already slashed at the rattan rope.The green vine was so tough that it only broke in half with one blow.The soldier swung the Dragon Head Saber again...Suddenly, a sharp arrow pierced through the air and pierced his neck.The soldier grunted and fell straight down.The other two soldiers just ran under the tree, they were shocked when they saw this, and hurriedly turned their heads.Taking advantage of this gap, Xiao Junmo has already pushed Mi Mancang ashore.Chu Lisang squatted on the bank, and desperately stretched out his hand towards him: "Quick, grab my hand!"

However, Xiao Junmo didn't reach out, because he saw Meng Sanlang running out of the forest on the north bank.He couldn't leave Saburo behind.

"Jun Mo, what are you doing?" Chu Lisang shouted hoarsely.

Xiao Junmo smiled at her, turned around and entered the water again.

"Are you crazy?!" Chu Lisang was so anxious that tears almost came out.

Meng Sanlang shot the second arrow while running, and the No. 2 soldier fell to the ground. Sergeant No. 3 turned pale with fright, and hurriedly ran to hide behind the nearby rock.Soon, Meng Sanlang came under the tree, and Xiao Junmo also came to Zhongliu for the third time: "Sanlang, come down quickly!"

Meng Sanlang was about to go into the water, but he stopped suddenly.

He couldn't go down, because as soon as he left, the soldiers behind the rock would cut off the rattan rope, not only he might not be able to pass, even Xiao Junmo was in danger.

"Brother Xiao, continue!" Meng Sanlang threw the two bundles over one after another.Xiao Junmo caught them one by one, and threw them to Chu Lisang on the south bank.

"Sanlang, come down quickly, even if the rope is broken, we still have a chance!" Xiao Junmo shouted.

More and more Xuanjiawei rushed out from the forest and quickly surrounded Meng Sanlang.Meng Sanlang looked back, smiled sadly, and said loudly to Xiao Junmo: "Brother Xiao, if you can get out alive, do me a favor and set up a memorial tablet for my father, otherwise the sixth uncle will scold me for being unfilial of."

"Sanlang, don't be confused!" Xiao Junmo's expression changed drastically, "Come down quickly, stop dawdling!"

Meng Sanlang shook his head, picked up the dragon head knife on the ground, pointed at the rattan rope on the tree trunk, and shouted: "Brother Xiao, I shout three times, you go back immediately, otherwise I will cut the rope. One!"

"Are you crazy Saburo?!" Xiao Junmo's eyes turned red anxiously, and the veins on his forehead popped up.

"Two!" As soon as Meng Sanlang finished speaking, several arrows were shot from the direction of the forest, one hit his shoulder and the other pierced his thigh.Meng Sanlang swayed, supporting the tree trunk with one hand, but still holding the dragon head knife firmly in the other.The soldier hiding behind the rock was about to move, but he still didn't dare to step forward rashly.

A burst of despair flashed through Xiao Junmo's heart.

He knew that Meng Sanlang was determined to die, and at the same time he was in a situation of mortal death!
Xiao Junmo looked back sadly, grabbed the rattan rope and quickly returned to the south bank.

The moment he landed, the rattan rope was completely cut off.Meng Sanlang laughed wildly and threw away the Longshoudao, put on his bow and arrow again, and shot down several Xuanjia guards one after another.

On the south bank, the four of Xiao Junmo stood in a row, silently watching the lonely Meng Sanlang fight his last battle in a desperate situation.

He finally cut off the rattan rope, not only cutting off his own escape route, but also cutting off the possibility of the Xuanjia Guards following and chasing him.

A soldier rushed a few steps in front of Meng Sanlang, and was shot through the chest by an arrow. The huge penetrating force made him fly backwards.Meng Sanlang went back to touch the arrow box, but it was empty.The soldiers behind the rock rushed up immediately, and five or six other soldiers surrounded him from all directions.

When Pei Tinglong came striding over, he saw Meng Sanlang being hacked to pieces with six or seven dragon head knives from a distance, and couldn't help frowning.He squinted his eyes and looked towards the south bank. There was no one there, only the endless mountains and jungles.

"General," Xue An, who was following beside him, said softly, "This subordinate has ordered the brothers to look for rattan. They can get through, so we can too."

Pei Tinglong gave a "hmm".He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to continue the pursuit.

"General, with all due respect, this subordinate thinks that the pursuit should stop." Huan Dieyi followed up and said coldly.

"Oh?" Pei Tinglong turned his head and smiled, "Tell me the reason."

"The terrain ahead is extremely dangerous. If we forcefully pursue it, it will only cause more casualties to the brothers. The subordinates think that the price is too high and it is not worth it."

Pei Tinglong was noncommittal, but still said with a smile: "In your opinion, what should we do?"

"Go back to Kugu Pass, take Yigu Road, and go to Fengyang County to intercept them." Huan Dieyi answered crisply.

Pei Tinglong pondered for a while, then nodded: "That's right, it's a good idea."

Xue An was displeased, and was about to speak, but Pei Tinglong raised his hand to stop him: "Pass my order, count the casualties, gather the team, and withdraw!"

"Yes." Xue An had no choice but to turn around and pass the order.

"Dieyi," Pei Tinglong turned around and looked at her with a smile, "This game between us and Xiao Junmo may not end so soon, are you sure you want to follow all the way to the end?"

"If the general doesn't give up, I, Huan Dieyi, have absolutely no reason to back down." Huan Dieyi looked calm.

"Haha, well said!" Pei Tinglong said with a smile, "Huan Dui is worthy of being a hero in the female school. It is my blessing, Pei Tinglong, to have you accompany me along the way!"

"This subordinate is here to arrest fugitives, not to accompany the general. General, please be careful with your wording." Huan Dieyi said coldly, "This subordinate is going to assemble the team, and leave."

Looking at Huan Dieyi's heroic and slim back, Pei Tinglong squinted his eyes unconsciously, and a wicked smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

A woman who is cold on the outside is usually hot on the inside.Huan Dieyi, one day, I will ignite the fire in your heart and let it burn for me.

As the sun slanted to the west, a group of tired birds returning to their nests passed slowly in the air.

Chang'an Qinglongfang, Wuliu Lane.

In the mansion with gray tiles and gray walls, Wang Hongyi was practicing his sword in the quiet backyard.Wei Laoliu walked quickly from the corridor, slowed down when he got close, and quietly waited aside.Wang Hongyi practiced the last few moves without haste, then closed his eyes and concentrated his mind, let out a breath slowly, then threw the horizontal knife to the servant standing beside him, took the sweat towel handed by the maid, and gently wiped his face, Without turning his head, he said, "Any news from Xuanquan?"

"Mr. Hui," Wei Laoliu stepped forward, "I just received the news."

Wang Hongyi let out a "huh" and deliberately didn't answer, the subordinates and maidservant at the side immediately retreated tactfully.

Wei Laoliu continued: "Xuanquan said that a few days ago, Xuanjiawei was severely injured in Jiayugou in Lantian County. Four people including Xiao Junmo and Biancai escaped. It is said that they did not take the Wuguan Road, but their whereabouts are unknown."

"Oh?" Wang Hongyi turned around, "It seems that Xiao Junmo really has some skills."

"It is said that two masters helped him." Wei Laoliu then briefly explained the round-up process.

"Cai Jiande?" Wang Hongyi was greatly surprised, "He was a brave general in Wagang back then, a well-known figure in the Jianghu, who unexpectedly hid there for so many years."

"Yes, there is also that Meng Huairang who also hid in Jiayugou with his name hidden. Mister must not be able to guess his real identity."

"What's his identity?"

"The former commander of the Zuo Tunwei brigade is a subordinate of the traitor Lu Shiheng."

Wang Hongyi frowned: "That's strange, a general of the imperial army who once served Li Shimin at the Xuanwu Gate, unexpectedly went to hide in that poor mountain ditch without being a good official, what's the reason?"

"Yes sir, Xuanquan said he was confused about this too."

Wang Hongyi pondered: "Could it be that he is also a man of Wu Ya Ruo?"

Wei Laoliu was startled: "Wu Ya Ruo?"

"The wine glass that I couldn't find in Lu's residence back then, could it be this Meng Huairang who brought it out?"

Wei Laoliu opened his eyes wide and couldn't react for a while.

"If this is the case, does that mean that the 'Boundless Cup' has now fallen into Xiao Junmo's hands?" Wang Hongyi muttered to himself.

Wei Laoliu was stunned by his jumping thinking: "Sir, this... it shouldn't be possible, right?"

"Nothing is impossible." Wang Hongyi said, "Didn't you see how many impossible things this Xiao Junmo has done in less than half a year?"

"This kid is really not simple." Wei Lao Liu had to admit, "Now that he has escaped from the Xuanjia Guard's snares, he doesn't know where he will go next."

"If my predictions are correct, his and Biancai's next target should be Jiangling in Jingzhou."

What Wei Laoliu was thinking: "You mean, what they are going to do next is related to the secret that old monk Zhiyong hid back then?"

Wang Hongyi nodded: "I have always suspected that the secret is hidden in Jiangling. Now it seems that Xiao Junmo and Biancai will help us solve this mystery. Tell Xuanquan to pay close attention to Xiao Junmo's movements. If there is any situation, you must immediately Report to me. If necessary, I may have to go to Jiangling myself."

"Yes, the subordinate will send him a message later."

"By the way, did Jinse say that he would come over today?" Wang Hongyi looked up at the gradually dimming sky.

Wei Laoliu hurriedly said: "This subordinate is just about to report to you that the eldest lady left Wei Wang's mansion early this morning, and she hasn't returned to the mansion until now, and she hasn't come to our side..."

"How could this be?" Wang Hongyi was startled, "Why didn't you say it earlier?"

"Sir, don't worry, the subordinates have already sent someone to look for it."

With his hands behind his back, Wang Hongyi walked quickly back and forth in the courtyard a few times, then stopped for a while, and suddenly strode up the corridor.

"Sir, where are you going, sir?" Wei Laoliu quickly followed behind him.

"Ye Lan Xuan!"

Xiugu, the bustard of Yelanxuan, has been restless all day long.

Ever since that mysterious woman arrived early in the morning, Xiugu's heart began to pound wildly.She was not afraid of any danger that this woman who was looking for Xu Wanniang would bring her, but because she had been lurking in Yelanxuan for so many years, and finally waited for the day when the mission started and ended at the same time, which made her feel an inexplicable excitement and nervous.

I can finally be free!
For 16 years, from a prostitute to a bustard, from black hair to gray temples, Xiu Gu has been waiting for this special day.However, the irony is that this day came completely by accident, because no one knew whether this day would come, and no one assured her that this strange task would definitely end one day.

At the beginning, when the superiors recruited her into the organization, they told her: We will provide you with all protection, and if necessary, we will make you the procuress of Yelanxuan, and at the same time give you a lot of money every month, and your only task , is to stay in Yelanxuan until someone comes looking for Xu Wanniang, you lead him or her to the place where he should go, and then your mission is over.

Who would come to look for Xu Wanniang?she asked.

have no idea.The above said that anyone could come.

If anyone came, when would it be?she asked again.

have no idea.As the above said, it is possible at any time.

What if no one ever comes?

Then you have to stay in Yelanxuan forever until you die, and we will be responsible for your funeral.

Xiu Gu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, she felt that this task was just a joke.

However, the conditions offered by the organization were so tempting that she had no reason to refuse.Both of her parents died since she was a child, and she had no relatives and no reason. She was sold into a brothel by traffickers at a young age. She has tasted almost all the sorrows and pains in the world, and she has lived enough of being bullied and played with. Finally, she can have " With a backer like the "Organization", no one dares to mess with you, and you have no worries about food and clothing. Where can you find such a good thing?So as soon as the superior raised it to her, she agreed without hesitation.

Then, it was 16 years in a flash.

She thought that this inexplicable task would be the same as no task, and would not cause any pressure on her, but as she grew older, she gradually had the idea of ​​being a mother, and wanted to marry someone well, and have a family that she had never had before. home, but this task trapped her in Yelanxuan, making her unable to go anywhere or do anything.From then on, she began to look forward to the quick appearance of the person looking for Xu Wanniang.However, with the coming of spring and autumn, year after year, even the bustling Yelanxuan in the past has gradually declined, but no one has ever come to her.Xiugu felt that she might die of old age in Yelanxuan just because of this damn mission.

Unexpectedly, this morning, before she woke up, the person looking for Xu Wanniang appeared without warning.She suppressed the excitement in her heart, pretended to be greedy for money, and recognized money but not people, and successfully led the woman to where she should go according to the plan.For the next whole day, she anxiously waited for the order from her superiors, until around midnight in the afternoon, a note was finally stuffed into the crack of the door, with six horizontal lines drawn on it, one, three, and five were broken. Open, two, four, six are connected.The superior had told her before that this is a hexagram of Zhouyi, named "Ji Ji", which means it has been completed. As long as she sees this hexagram, it means that the task is over and she can go far away.

Xiugu hurriedly packed up the gold and silver, and sneaked out of Yelanxuan through the back door without saying hello to anyone.Coincidentally, there was a waiting carriage parked at the back of the alley.Xiugu jumped up in a hurry, and said to the coachman, "Leave the city, go east, and go to Baqiao." The superior had taught her before that if she could leave one day, don't go directly in the direction you want to go, but go in the opposite direction first. Direction, then turn around and walk back, this is called east and west, which can avoid being followed.So Xiugu planned to go to Baqiao, thirty miles to the east, and then hire a car to turn southwest and return to Yizhou, her hometown in Bashu.

The coachman was dozing off, with a broken bamboo hat covering his face, and said in a low voice, "Twenty Wen."

"Stop talking nonsense, I'll give you thirty Wen, hurry up!"

The carriage quickly started to gallop, and Xiugu felt her heart start to fly.Going east from Pingkangfang, as long as you pass Dongshi and Daozheng, you can go out of Chunmingmen to Baqiao.But what puzzled Xiugu was that the carriage turned north after passing Dongshi, and drove straight towards Xingqing and Yongjiafang.Although you can go out of the city by walking through Tonghua Gate from here, it is obviously a long way around.

"Stop! I want to get out of the car!" Xiu Gu had an ominous premonition.

The carriage slowly pulled over and stopped.Xiu Gu lifted the curtain on the car door, a familiar face suddenly came into her eyes, and Xiu Gu's body froze instantly.

"I said, I'll come back to you, bitch!"

Xie Chong grinned grimly.

However, before he could finish laughing, Xiugu suddenly grabbed a hairpin and stabbed it hard into his throat, and the blood immediately gushed out like a fountain, splashing Xie Chong's face.

When she finally fell down, Xiugu felt a kind of relief that she had never felt before.

She felt truly free.

When Wang Hongyi hurried out, the night ban had already begun.From Qinglongfang to Pingkangfang, they had to go through six or seven workshops, and the distance was not short. Along the way, they encountered several teams of Wuhou guards who were watching the night.However, as soon as Wang Hongyi showed his waist card, he let each other go without exception.

The waist card was given by the king of Wei, and his position is a doctor of the Ministry of Industry.Wang Hongyi rushed to Pingkangfang with Wei Laoliu and a group of entourage, knocked on the door of the workshop, and rushed to Yelanxuan in one breath.Even though blatantly committing crimes violated Wang Hongyi's low-key principle, but now that Su Jinse's whereabouts were unknown, he couldn't care less.

Wang Hongyi and his entourage rushed into Yelanxuan viciously, almost turning the whole brothel upside down, but not only was there no sign of Su Jinse, even the old bustard Xiugu disappeared for no reason.Wei Laoliu grabbed a turtle man by the collar and ordered him to call his master out.Gui Gong tremblingly said that Xiu Gu was both the bustard and the owner, and Yelanxuan had no other owner.

Wang Hongyi's heart suddenly sank.He knew that Xiugu's sudden disappearance at this time must have something to do with Jinse's search for Xu Wanniang.Looking at it now, it was definitely an unforgivable mistake for me to let Jinse come to find Xu Wanniang!

Despite Wei Laoliu's repeated questioning, Ye Lanxuan's tortoise and prostitutes still couldn't explain why, they only knew that there was indeed a beautiful woman who came to see Aunt Xiu in the morning, and they didn't know anything else.

Wang Hongyi sighed at last, and said to Wei Laoliu: "Leave a few people here to guard. Release all the brothers tomorrow morning. No matter what, bring Jinse back to me!"

When Wang Hongyi returned to Qinglongfang, he saw Wei Wang Li Taizheng pacing up and down the main hall anxiously.

After the night ban started today, Li Tai was a little worried when he found that Su Jinse still hadn't returned home.He thought she had returned to Qinglongfang, but he thought again, every time Jinse returned to Qinglongfang, he would greet him in advance, why not this time?The more Li Tai thought about it, the more disturbed he became, so he rushed over immediately, but he heard that Wang Hongyi had just left the house in a hurry, and he didn't know where he was going.Li Tai expected that he must be looking for Su Jinse, so he had to wait.

As soon as he saw Wang Hongyi coming back, Li Tai couldn't wait to greet him: "Where's Jinse? Didn't you find her?"

Wang Hongyi's face was gloomy, and he said after a while: "Jinse is missing."

Like thunder, Li Tai asked Wang Hongyi loudly what was going on.

Wang Hongyi ignored his rudeness, and said sadly, "It's all my fault, she shouldn't be allowed to do this."

Li Tai was startled and asked what was going on.Wang Hongyi remained silent for a while, and then briefly explained what had happened, but did not mention Xu Wanniang's name, only saying that she was a confidante from his past.

Li Tai was full of suspicion, and said, "I'm afraid the person you are looking for is not just a confidante, is it?"

Wang Hongyi remained silent.

The two stalemate for quite a while, Li Tai said coldly: "Sir, don't blame me for not listening to you, if there is something wrong with Jinse, we may not get along well." After speaking, he walked away.

Wang Hongyi remained motionless, as if he didn't hear it, until Li Tai walked away for a long time, a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Su Jinse opened his eyes in a daze, feeling the darkness around him, the muddy ground beneath him was damp and cold, and the air was filled with a pungent fishy and musty smell.

What is this place?
Am I dead?

Could this be the underworld after death?

Su Jinse slowly stood up, feeling weak and sore in all limbs.She reached out and groped for a while, and finally touched a stone wall, then moved over to sit on the wall, and then let out a long breath, as if these few movements had exhausted her.She tried to think back for a moment, and then gradually remembered what happened to her.

Xu Wanniang, Yelanxuan, the bustard, Zoroastrian temple, Doris, the basement.Obviously, someone has carefully laid out a game, or weaved a net. Once a prey approaches "Xu Wanniang", it will fall into this net step by step until it is trapped in this hell-like dungeon.

Father obviously didn't expect that finding Xu Wanniang would be such a dangerous thing, otherwise he wouldn't let himself be in danger.Who is Xu Wanniang?Why after so many years, there are still so many people around her laying out puzzles and attracting people?What is the relationship between father and Xu Wanniang?What is his purpose in looking for Xu Wanniang?Is Doris really a Zoroastrian priest?Chang'an is not a place outside the law, why did she dare to blatantly hijack herself?Was she doing this to protect Xu Wanniang?So what will she do next, kill me?
All kinds of confusion wrapped Su Jinse tightly like the dense darkness in front of her eyes, making her feel suffocated.I don't know how long it took, there was a sound of tinkling and unlocking in the darkness, and then there was a sudden light, and someone walked in.

For Su Jinse, the dim candlelight is like the dazzling sun, which cannot be looked directly at.She quickly raised her hand to cover it, and at the same time turned her face away.

A person came and stood in front of her: "Guitanyue, I have wronged you because of my poor hospitality." Doris' voice was gentle and sweet, like the opening remarks of a sermon.

It took Su Jinse a while to get used to the light: "No, the priest's reception is very special and impressive."

Doris knelt down and smiled brightly at her: "Since Gui Tan Yue is so appreciated, then we can have a good chat."

"Yes, the priest can talk to me, when did your Zoroastrianism engage in kidnapping and murder?"

Doris giggled, her voice was still so sweet: "This religion only deals with villains. If you want to prove that you are not a villain, you have to tell me who you are, who sent you here, and what is the purpose of looking for Xu Wanniang. "

Su Jinse picked up a name casually, and continued: "I'm just an ordinary person. My father and Xu Wanniang are old friends. Please ask me to visit her. There is no other intention."

"You're not telling the truth."

"Believe it or not."

"Since Guitanyue is so dishonest, there is nothing I can do to help you." Doris stood up, "I can only keep you here for a few more days."

"The priest is not afraid that my family will come to your door and ask you for someone?"

"Since we dare to keep you, we are not afraid of anyone coming." Doris sneered, "By the way, I might as well tell you that I came to see you today to give you a chance. If you insist on not telling the truth, That's all right, your three followers will tell."

"Are they still alive?" Su Jinse was a little surprised.

"Of course. What you saw yesterday was just the hand of my priest, Xiaolu. Do you really think they have turned into three balls of rotten flesh?"

Su Jinse was stunned.

It turned out that the horrible scene she witnessed yesterday was the illusion of Zoroastrianism.

She had only heard about it before, but she never expected that it would be so terrifying, and it would be so realistic, it was simply unimaginable.She recalled that before witnessing the vision that day, she seemed to smell a strange fragrance first. Perhaps it was that thing that confused people's minds and caused people to have all kinds of terrible hallucinations.

"Doris, I advise you not to waste your efforts in vain. My people are not cowards. No matter what methods you use, don't let them speak." These followers were carefully selected by the father, regardless of courage, loyalty or will Their strength is very comparable to other people, so Su Jinse is very confident that ordinary torture will definitely not work on them.

"I know what you're thinking, and I also know that punishment is useless to them." Doris saw through her mind and smiled triumphantly, "So, I don't intend to torture them. On the contrary, I will treat them with heart, Give them what they like."

"You can't buy them with money."

"Who said I wanted to buy it with money?"

Su Jinse looked at Doris and suddenly understood that she was referring to beauty.

"When your people surrender under the pomegranate skirt of our Persian women, they will naturally know everything and talk endlessly. At that time, you will have no chance to say anything."

Doris walked away.Then, someone threw a plate of sticky food in front of Su Jinse, like treating a dog, and then closed and locked the door, and the dungeon fell into darkness again.

Sun Boyuan's subordinate Sun Pu led his men to squat in Taohua Lane of Tongguifang for several days, and finally caught Yao Xing.

Sun Pu imprisoned Yao Xing in a secret house, tortured him, and tried to force him to confess information about Mingzang and Yang Bingjun, but unexpectedly this guy could not speak a word.Sun Pu had no choice but to report to Sun Boyuan and Li Ke.Li Ke decided to go out in person to meet Yao Xing for a while.

When Li Ke saw Yao Xing for the first time, he could hardly recognize him.

Yao Xing is completely different from before: a long scar runs from his forehead on the right side, across the corner of his eye, across his cheek, and extends to his upper lip; he used to have a mustache on his lip, but now he deliberately left it along his chin. A ring of whiskers; most of the original bushy eyebrows have been plucked out, and turned into sparse broom eyebrows.

Yao Xing became what he is today, naturally thanks to Mr. Mingzang Wang Hongyi.

That scar was left on him by Wang Hongyi himself, and it was well proportioned, enough to disfigure him without hurting his bones.What Wang Hongyi did was firstly to punish Yao Xing for his incompetence in the Gantangyi operation, and secondly to disfigure him to "change his face" to prevent being recognized by others.

Looking at the face-changing Yao Xing in front of him, Li Ke couldn't help but sigh a little. If Sun Boyuan hadn't found out Yao Xing's concubine, and then arrested him at the concubine, and wanted to capture Yao Xing by relying on the portrait on the sea arrest document, he might have Yuanmu is begging for a fish.

Sun Pu splashed a bucket of water on the unconscious Yao Xing.Li Ke stepped forward and looked at him with a smile: "Yao Xing, do you know who I am?"

Yao Xing raised his eyelids, glanced at him absent-mindedly, and lowered his head again.

"Don't know? Let me introduce myself. My surname is Li, my name is Ke, and I was the governor of Anzhou. I am currently living in Beijing. When I have nothing to do, I help the court catch one or two fugitives. This is why you are locked up here at the moment. "

"Wu Wang?" Yao Xing raised his eyes again, somewhat surprised, "You are His Highness Wu Wang?!"

"It's a fake one." Li Ke still smiled, "Tell me, where is Yang Bingjun hiding now, and where is Mingzang? What exactly do you want to do when you come to Chang'an?"

Yao Xing sneered: "Your Highness, don't worry, I won't say anything."

"Why don't you say it? Mingzang and Yang Bingjun have harmed you to this point. People are not like ghosts or ghosts. Don't you hate them? In terms of crime, they are the main culprits, and you are just a slave. Why do you fall into this situation?" This step in the field, but let them live happily?"

Yao Xing raised his head and stared straight at Fangliang: "Even so, they still have the grace to know me, and I don't want to betray them."

"Such loyalty?" Li Ke chuckled, "But what if I offer you a good price? Will you sell it?"

Yao Xing snorted coldly: "If it falls into your hands, it will be death, no matter how high the price is, I will not die."

"Yes, in my hands, you will definitely not survive. However, I believe we still have a chance to trade."

"I'm dead, I'm still trading a fart with you!"

With a slap, Sun Puzhong slapped him heavily: "In front of His Highness, you boy should show some respect!"

Yao Xing glared and struggled for a while, but his body was locked tightly by the iron chain and he couldn't move at all.

Li Ke quickly raised his hand to stop Sun Pu, and said to Yao Xing, "Yao Xing, although you are dying, I know that there are still people who care about you in this world. Am I right?"

Yao Xing was startled, and suddenly opened his eyes wide: "What do you mean? My wife and children are all exiled in Lingnan, and they have all suffered what they deserved. You can't use them to blackmail me..."

Li Ke laughed: "Yao Xing, please don't judge a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart, okay? I am a dignified prince, would I do that kind of rotten thing? You know the person I am talking about, although she is not you Your family, but in your heart, it may be better than your family."

After finishing speaking, Li Ke gave Sun Pu a wink without waiting for his reaction.Sun Pu turned and went out, and after a while, he brought in a fat and white woman in her forties, she was Yao Xing's concubine Guo Yan.

Guo Yan and Yao Xing met each other's eyes, and tears immediately filled their eyes.Yao Xing's eyes turned red immediately, he struggled hard, muttered, but couldn't speak.

Beforehand, after learning that Yao Xing had this concubine in Chang'an, Li Ke ordered someone to secretly investigate the relationship between the two.What Li Ke didn't expect was that Yao Xing and Guo Yan had been in love for many years, and it was true.

Guo Yan used to hang out in Pingkangfang's brothel in his early years, and met Yao Xing, who was working in Chang'an at the time. At first, the two were just acting on occasion, but later they fell in love. Yao Xing even thought of redeeming Guo Yan's body and marrying him back home as a concubine. But after all, in the officialdom, reputation is the most important thing, after all, I still don't have the courage.This time he sneaked back to Chang'an like a bereaved dog, and tried his best to find out Guo Yan's whereabouts. At first, he just went to find her with the mentality of trying, but he didn't expect that Guo Yan didn't dislike him at all. , let alone a penny from him.

The world says that actors are ruthless and whores are ruthless, but Yao Xing, who is in trouble, feels the warmth and true love in Guo Yan.He secretly vowed in his heart that one day he would take Guo Yan away so that she could have a happy and stable rest of her life.Helplessly, Yao Xing himself was firmly controlled by Wang Hongyi, and he had no chance at all, so he could only pray to God in his heart, hoping that a kind and loving person like Guo Yan would have a good home in the future...

Li Ke watched Yao Xing's expression and knew that the effect had been achieved, so he motioned for Sun Pu to take Guo Yan down.

After a long time, Yao Xing looked at Li Ke: "I don't know what your Highness wants to do with Guo Yan?"

"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to use her to blackmail you. On the contrary, as long as you say everything you need to say, I promise you that I can keep her safe and let her have a good life for the rest of her life."

"If..." Yao Xing struggled to choose the words, "If she wants to marry, I hope she can find a man who treats her well and live the rest of her life in peace."

Li Ke nodded and patted him on the shoulder: "Yao Xing, just based on this sentence, I respect you as a man. Don't worry, I will help you convey it. If she needs it, I will try my best to help her." .”

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yao Xing suddenly calmed down a lot, "However, I still can't tell Your Highness about Mr. Mingzang."

"Why did you come back again?" Sun Boyuan's face darkened, "Your Highness promised you to take care of Guo Yan, and you are still so stubborn?"

Yao Xing smiled bitterly: "Of course I can't worry about Guo Yan, but I also can't worry about the family members who were exiled in Lingnan. Brother, I know you are also a member of the Tian Xing League, so you don't want to think about the consequences of my betraying Mingzang? His kind What can't people do? If I let him know that I betrayed him, will my family in Lingnan still have a way out?"

As a member of the Tianxing League, Sun Boyuan felt that it made sense when he heard it, so he fell silent.

Li Ke pondered for a while, then smiled: "Forget it, I won't make it difficult for you, just don't say anything else, you just need to tell me one thing: where is Yang Bingjun hiding?"

Yao Xing was sad for a long time, and finally spit out three words: "Wei Palace."

Li Ke and Sun Boyuan looked at each other in astonishment.

(End of this chapter)