The torrential rain stopped in the wee hours of the morning and the red sun rose from the east. The trees and flowers in the mountains were still covered in dew.
Outside of Yueyang City, in the huge military camp, there were peasants pushing grain carts and military equipment in and out.
The situation in Chu had basically stabilized. General Tu Qianchu was leading his troops to confront Dong Yue's troops in Ezhou. Because the artillery ships and other military equipment were still being built and could not be sent to Chu in a short period of time, it could be considered a stalemate. Apart from the distribution of rations and fodder, there was not much to do in the military camp.
In a small tent near the commander's tent, Zhong Li Jiujiu woke up early and went to the workbench, mixing all kinds of medicine.
After the autumn rain, the weather became much cooler. The little beetle, which liked the cold and heat, was also released. It scurried around the tent happily. The little sparrow might have been annoyed by the sight of it. From time to time, it flew up and stuffed the beetle back into the bottle. It even used its claws to press the mouth of the bottle. It only released it resentfully when Zhong Li Jiujiu glared at it fiercely.
During her free time, Zhong Li Jiujiu would occasionally look outside the tent. Seeing that Xu Buling and Ning Yuhe, master and disciple, had not returned yet, there was a hint of envy and jealousy in her eyes.
Two women and a man had gone out to play for a night. Zhong Li Jiujiu did not need to think to know what they were doing. She was envious of the stinky Daoist nun, who could spend the night with her husband. She was also shocked that the stinky Daoist nun dared to spend the night with a man with her disciple.
Zhong Li Jiujiu secretly shuddered. Just thinking about such an immoral and daring act made her feel ashamed. She really did not know how that shameless stinky Daoist nun had convinced Qing Ye …
If only Chu Chu was so easy to fool …
Zhong Li Jiujiu secretly glanced to the side and quickly lowered her head.
Zhong Li Chuchu was pounding medicine. She was obviously absent-minded and took the wrong medicine several times.
At first, Zhong Li Jiujiu thought that Chu Chu was also thinking about Xu Buling and Little Ning. But after looking at her a few times, she felt that Chu Chu's expression was a bit abnormal. She hesitated and got up to sit next to Chu Chu, asking:
"Chu Chu, why are you so distracted today? Xu Buring's Qi and blood are vigorous to begin with, so he needs to be nourished with warm medicinal herbs. You added so many ginseng and cordyceps, are you trying to make him fight with a nosebleed? "
"Oh …"
Zhongli Chuchu came back to her senses and looked down at the medicine pounding pot. She quickly picked out the medicinal herbs she had added and whispered:
"Nothing … um …"
She hesitated for a few words.
Zhongli Jiujiu sensed that something was wrong and sat a little closer.
"Chu Chu, I am your master. Why are you hiding something from me? Did he do anything to you when you went out with Xu Buling last night? Did he kiss you or grope you? Tell me, I will deal with him. "
Zhongli Chuchu shook her head and did not know what to say.
Nanyue was different from the Central Plains. The mountain village was a small community. They huddled together in the barren and steep mountains. Their relationship was much closer than the ordinary villages in the Central Plains. Moreover, even the ordinary villages in the Central Plains were united with outsiders.
Chu Chu and Jiujiu both grew up in the mountain village of Nanyue. Jiujiu's grandmother was the daughter of the old chief of the village. Her grandfather was a doctor who escaped from the Central Plains during the war. Her parents had been practicing medicine in the mountain village all their lives. In the end, something happened to them when they went to the mountains to collect medicine. Young Jiujiu was also taken care of by the village.
She received the kindness of the elders in the village when she was young. Now that the master and disciple were out in Jianghu, they were considered to have made a fortune outside. They could not cut off their relationship with the village and ignore the life and death of their elders.
Zhongli Chuchu hesitated for a moment, but she still said softly,
"No. Yesterday … yesterday, I went out with Xu Buling and ran into a few people from Nanyue. They said that we are looking for strong men and caused a big commotion. "
Zhong Li Jiujiu sat up straight and thought for a moment.
"There is a war now. We are probably looking for strong men. I remember that every village has to send people. My father is a doctor. In the past, Aunt Gui even specially asked my father to hide in the mountains so that he would not be taken away by the government … Why, the imperial court wants a lot of people this time? "
Zhongli Chuchu had only heard some rumors and could not say it directly. She only shook her head.
"I am not sure. Xu Buling sent someone to find out. You can ask him when he comes back."
Zhong Li Jiujiu had a vague feeling that something was wrong. However, Chu Chu did not seem to know the inside story, so she did not ask further. She got up and walked out of the tent …
…
The first rays of dawn appeared.
Xu Buling led the master and disciple down the pleasure boat and rode back to the military camp.
Ning Yuhe and Qing Ye rode together on a horse. Ning Yuhe sat in front with a smile on his face.
Qing Ye frowned. Her face was still red. She would raise her hand and pinch her master's waist from time to time. It was obvious that she was still angry.
However, the relationship between master and disciple was obviously more intimate.
Thinking of the scene last night, Xu Buling still felt a little light-headed at this moment.
Last night on the small pleasure boat, Qing Ye was stopped from leaving, so he naturally went with the flow.
Although he did not really do anything to Qing Ye, he hugged the thin-skinned Qing Ye and bullied Yu He. Qing Ye did not dare to look, but she could not avoid the embarrassed and angry look on her face. It was indescribably touching.
Especially in the end, Qing Ye was also dizzy. Under Yu He's instigation, she held him and gave him something. The feeling could only be understood, but could not be described.
After doing something absurd together, it was like handing over a certificate of allegiance to the Jianghu. From then on, they became locusts on the same bed. The pressure in Ning Yuhe's heart naturally disappeared, and he did not shy away from the matter between men and women.
Ning Qing Ye was almost the same. They were already sleeping together, what else could they be strange about? They even started to ridicule their master directly with the matter of the bed.
After going out to relax for a while, the mental fatigue of the three of them over the month was greatly relieved.
After returning to the military camp, Xu Buling let the master and disciple rest in the tent. He went to the commander's tent alone to deal with the complicated affairs of the military camp.
However, just as he approached the commander's tent, he saw Zhong Li Jiujiu pacing back and forth in the commander's tent. Her hands were folded on her waist, and there was some worry on her face. Nightingale was also standing in front of the tent, waiting.
Xu Buling slightly tidied up his clothes and quickly walked over.
"Jiujiu? Nightingale, what's wrong? "
Zhong Li Jiujiu raised her head. Seeing that Xu Buling had returned, she hurriedly pulled on Xu Buling's sleeve and entered the commander's tent. Her eyes were slightly aggrieved.
"Husband, did something happen in Nanyue? I just heard from Nightingale that the stronghold was destroyed by the government. Our stronghold is not a bandit stronghold. Even if there is a war, there are rules for how many people each stronghold can send. Why did the government send troops to destroy our stronghold for no reason? … "
Xu Buling did not know the specific situation, so he naturally could not answer. He turned to look at Nightingale.
"Nightingale, did you find out anything?"
Nightingale stood in front of him and nodded. "Last night, I sent people to the city overnight to ask around. Recently, many people escaped from Nanyue. Under the guidance of Yue Yang's Dragon Head Chen Han, they found people in a stronghold in Flying Water Ridge. According to them, the current leader of the Eighteen Strongholds, Zhan Bao, is close to the Nanyue government. He told the government that the old stronghold was harboring Jianghu bandits, which led to the government's encirclement. Apart from those who were outside, the rest of the people in the stronghold were basically arrested … "
"He's spouting nonsense!"
When Zhong Li Jiujiu heard this, she burned with anger. She turned to look at Xu Buling.
"Husband, that Zhan Bao has never been a good person. He bullied people everywhere in the Eighteen Strongholds with his martial arts skills. He even wanted to marry me in the past, but I taught him a lesson. Aunt Gui is the leader of our stronghold, and she scolded him a few times. Zhan Bao must have held a grudge against him and took the opportunity to frame him …"
Xu Buring frowned. Seeing that Jiujiu was very angry, he raised his hand to comfort her, telling her to calm down.
The Eighteen Strongholds in Flying Water Ridge added up to only ten thousand people. Each stronghold had no more than a few hundred people. Speaking of it, it was just a dispute between villages. Far away in a foreign country, even if Xu Buling wanted to protect his wife, he could not just listen to the wind and kill his way over. If it was just a dispute caused by arresting able-bodied men, sending a threatening letter to the Nanyue government would basically solve the problem.
Xu Buling comforted Jiujiu and continued to ask, "Apart from this, is there any other news?"
Nightingale nodded. "I went to ask Sister Qiqi last night. Recently, Nanyue's spies have been reporting that the Nanyue government is recruiting soldiers. Their intentions are unclear, and Sister Qiqi is also paying attention to this matter. She has also heard of the massacre of the strongholds in Jianghu. According to the description, it is similar to the Mad King Parasite from sixty years ago. Sister Qiqi said that if Nanyue is recruiting soldiers for an opportunity, it is a threat to Chu's rear. Indeed, we should treat it seriously. Tell the young master to take some time to return to the ship and discuss it with you. "
Xu Buling nodded. There was nothing important to do in the army, so he brought the panicking Zhong Li Jiujiu with him to the ship.
