Thick clouds covered the sky, and the north wind blew a huge amount of snow onto the ground. Pei Zi Yun rode his horse and galloped all the way. West Hall County was just ahead of him. After galloping for about thirty kilometers, he finally entered the county.
It was noon. It was snowing heavily, and there were few people around. He went straight to the yamen and saw that the doors were closed. The bluestone steps in front of the door were covered with a thick layer of snow.
Pei Zi Yun dismounted from his horse and saw the drum in the fence. He pushed the gate open and started beating the drum. "Dong dong dong" sounds could be heard.
It was almost the new year. In the afternoon, the County Magistrate discussed the matters of the new year with some people and went back to the yamen for a drink. Before he had finished resting, he heard the sound of the drums. He had no choice but to open the door and go out. He was very unhappy and secretly cursed, "Who was the one who beat the drums?
At this point, someone had already opened the door of the county government office. He rubbed his hands and shouted, "It's snowing and cold. Who's here to report the case?"
"I am the current Top Scorer of Ying Prefecture. I was ordered by the Governor to accompany the Governor's envoy to the Imperial Court. I didn't expect that there would be an assassination attempt. The Head Envoy, Liao Ge, was killed. I'm here to report the case." Pei Zi Yun said coldly.
"What? An official was killed? " The bailiff was shocked, and hurriedly turned around to inform the magistrate. Before long, he led Pei Zi Yun into the magistrate's office.
At this point, the West Hall County Magistrate was sitting in the main hall, rubbing his hands and feet. His nose was red from the cold. He then said, "Are you Top Scorer Pei? Tell me everything in detail."
Pei Zi Yun then handed over the documents and explained everything in detail. When they heard that more than twenty people had died, everyone in the hall was filled with fear. This was a major case.
"Top Scorer, please bring us there quickly. This is going to be troublesome!" The Magistrate said fearfully.
The county magistrate, several constables, and dozens of bailiffs rushed to the ferry.
When they arrived at the field of reeds, they saw corpses littering the ground. Everyone was terrified. The magistrate had just turned fifty this year, and had a dignified demeanor. However, his face was ashen at this point, "Check every single corpse and record it down."
Along the way, Pei Zi Yun noticed that the horses and the corpses of the six men were nowhere to be seen. He gave a cold humph. Indeed, there was someone behind these people. Luckily, he had escaped quickly enough. Now that he was surrounded by the officials, they wouldn't dare to attack him.
"I implore master Top Scorer to stay for a few days!" The county magistrate said with a bitter face. For him, this was an unexpected disaster. It happened in his jurisdiction. Even if it wasn't his responsibility, he couldn't avoid a bad evaluation.
However, the person in front of him was a Top Scorer. If he was a commoner, or even an Elementary Scholar, he would have taken him down long ago.
"Of course!" Pei Zi Yun smiled and followed the magistrate into the city. The winter days were short, and the sky was getting dark.
The magistrate had been an official for a long time, and had regained some of his composure. He smiled, "Master Top Scorer, I've long heard of your great name. It's my honor to meet you today. Please allow me to be your host."
The magistrate also understood that this matter couldn't be blamed on Pei Zi Yun, nor could he be blamed on Pei Zi Yun. Since he couldn't do anything about it, why should he be the enemy?
It would be better to form a good relationship, so he led the way to the small hall.
There was already a small banquet in the living room. A hot pot was boiling, and white smoke was rising from it. Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but laugh, "So it's antique soup. It's late and cold, this is the best."
Hot pot, also known as antique soup, existed during the Warring States Period. The pot was made of clay. By the time of the Song Dynasty, hot pot was common among the commoners. During the Qing Dynasty, hot pot was not only popular among the commoners, but also became an imperial dish.
This world was similar. Hot pot was considered elegant, and the most important thing was that it was convenient.
The magistrate laughed, "It's because it's late and cold that I didn't have time to prepare. Besides, even if I did prepare, it would get cold quickly. That's why I'm using this pot."
As he spoke, a serving maid came over and placed the spices, ginger, garlic, sugar and vinegar into the pot. She then poured some yellow wine into the pot. At that point, the aroma of meat, wine and vegetables filled the air. Slices of pork, meatballs, meatballs and other ingredients were placed on the table. There were also steamed buns, spring rolls and snacks.
"What are you saying, magistrate!" Pei Zi Yun laughed, "I'm already satisfied with this sumptuous feast."
As he spoke, he picked up the wine jug on the table and poured some wine for the magistrate. He then sniffed it, "It's fragrant!"
"This is self-brewed wine." Hearing Pei Zi Yun's praise, the magistrate said happily, "Let's drink it together!"
In actual fact, Pei Zi Yun was already hungry. He wolfed down the food. The magistrate was also very attentive and poured a cup of wine for Pei Zi Yun. After a few cups, he then said, "Master Top Scorer, do you have any new works? Why not let us feast our eyes on it? "
"I've written my university notes, and used up all my years of writing. I don't have any more essays, but I do have a poem. It was written when I was crossing the river."
Pei Zi Yun laughed. Just now when he was killing people, he was still thinking about the scenery of the northern lands. Now, he didn't dare to say a single word about it. If it wasn't written by the Emperor or the Emperor himself, he would definitely be beheaded. He then recited,
"Thousands of mountain birds fly, tens of thousands of people disappear.
A lone boat with a straw hat, fishing alone in the cold river. "
This was Liu Zong Yuan's poem about mountains and rivers. The intention was to express his anger at being demoted. It was just four lines, but it created a sense of desolation and loneliness. Although he didn't use the word "snow" directly, it was as if he could see snow falling from the sky, and could feel the biting cold.
When it came to Pei Zi Yun, it was another realm. The magistrate listened to this person's words and suddenly remembered that there were more than twenty corpses. Many of them were killed by this person. He then thought to himself, "What a good poem, what a strong killing intent!"
His heart trembling, the magistrate raised his cup and said, "What a good poem. With this wine, I won't be drunk even after a thousand cups. Cheers!"
After the banquet ended, the magistrate ordered people to clean up the room and invited Pei Zi Yun to stay for the night.
The room was warm and the blankets were soft. It was very comfortable to lie down on. Pei Zi Yun was extremely tired, but he couldn't fall asleep. He was thinking …
"The people who attacked me, the first batch were martial artists, the second batch must be soldiers."
"That's strange. Although my departure is not a secret, the time and route I take is a secret. I purposely kept it a secret. There are no satellites here, who would be able to react fast enough to intercept us?"
The answer wasn't hard to guess. Pei Zi Yun sighed and put on his clothes. He paced slowly in front of the bed. The fire in the brazier was still burning. Without hesitation, he checked his belongings.
"Soft armor, no problem."
"Magic sword, no problem."
"This is …" He rummaged through his bag and touched something. When he left, he didn't remember having it. When he pulled it out, his face turned cold. It was a Dao talisman.
Pei Zi Yun's eyes were filled with killing intent. He didn't expect that someone would hide a Dao talisman under his clothes. Pei Zi Yun recognized this talisman. It was a tracking talisman, and could be used to locate someone. He was furious.
"Who did this to me?"
"Could it be?" Thinking of the source, Pei Zi Yun gave a cold laugh, "Forget it, who else could it be? It must be you, Song Zhi."
"Hey, I took a look. It can only last for ten days?"
"Then there's no use for me to take it back. Besides, I can't go back now."
"But am I someone who can't fight back when they bully me? Let me think, how can I retaliate? "
"Hm, I shall stay in the county for three days, and let you catch up. At the same time, let me prepare myself and give you a surprise."
Thinking up to this point, Pei Zi Yun let out a smile.
On the third day, Pei Zi Yun brought his documents back to the capital city and bade farewell to the magistrate. He had only known Pei Zi Yun for a few days, and the magistrate was impressed by his talents. He even gave him twenty taels of silver as a gift.
Mountain Deity Temple
On a hill, there was an empty plot of land. It was made up of soil and rocks, and there weren't many trees. In the middle of the empty plot of land, there was a broken temple.
Perhaps it was because of the lack of maintenance, the walls of the temple were mottled, and a cold wind blew in. There was a plaque on the door, with the words "Mountain Deity Temple" written on it.
Pei Zi Yun walked up to the altar and lit up some incense. He then heaved a sigh of relief, "There are no more deities in this temple. If not, I wouldn't have chosen this place."
There were deities in this world, and there were deities in this temple. Pei Zi Yun would not have chosen this place. Since there were no more worries, Pei Zi Yun looked around coldly. The temple was wide and spacious, with a mountain at the back. It was a good place to set up an ambush. From the front, he could check on his enemies, and from the back, he could escape into the forest. If they didn't come, it would be fine. But if they did, he would definitely make them suffer. Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly. Ever since he had acquired the Dao Talisman, he had this idea. He then lit up a bonfire.
How could he not take revenge after falling into such a trap? This Dao Talisman could expose his location, and could also lure the enemy into an ambush. Tonight, he would see if any thieves came. If they did, how could he rest in peace without killing a few of them?
He laughed evilly and retrieved a water pouch from the back of his horse. The water pouch was huge and heavy. The magistrate even asked him about it. Pei Zi Yun laughed, "This is to bring some wine. The weather is cold, and we can warm ourselves with wine."
The magistrate actually believed him.
At this point, Pei Zi Yun carefully used the water pouch to wash the wood, the door, as well as other places that would catch fire easily. He then laughed coldly, "This kerosene of mine has been tormenting me for several days. The kerosene I stole is of high quality."
"I've also used some Dao arts to refine it. I can guarantee that it will catch fire in a short period of time."
After all the preparations were done, Pei Zi Yun retracted his evil smile and revealed a look of fear. Previously at Common Reed Bank, he had been too careless. He didn't think that these people would be so daring as to lure a martial artist who had a feud with the pirates to kill an official.
"Hm, but the ambush wasn't professional enough. If that woman from the first wave of attacks had been coordinated with them, I wouldn't have been able to escape." Thinking about it, Pei Zi Yun felt a chill down his spine.
At this point, he held onto his sword and leaned against the pillar of the temple. After some time, he heard noises coming from outside.
Pei Zi Yun was startled. He then snuck to the door and saw dozens of shadows. He then thought to himself, "These thieves have learned their lesson."
"Originally, the martial artists at Common Reed Bank were just a motley crew. Although the cavalry behind them were elites, they were too few in number. I've taken them down one by one."
"From the looks of it, there are at least thirty of them. Furthermore, from the way they've snuck over here, it seems like they're all well-trained. It's obvious that they're prepared to wipe me out in one fell swoop."
"In all fairness, if it weren't for this battlefield, I wouldn't have been able to escape if I were anywhere else."
He then retrieved some items from his body and threw them into the incense burner. He then turned around and snuck towards the back of the courtyard. Taking advantage of the fact that these people weren't too close to him, he jumped out of the courtyard and hid behind a boulder.
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