The sky began to brighten in the misty green curtain of rain.
In the city of Jiangning, people had already woken up and started working in the markets with messy facilities.
Women in plain clothes carried firewood through the dripping rain to the kitchen. Green smoke passed through the chimney and into the drizzle. The nearby courtyards and shacks were finally filled with life.
Old men with crutches asked about their breakfast under the eaves. Women in the kitchen complained about the inconvenience of living in the city. They didn't even have a place to cut firewood. Young men who got up early fetched water from the nearby wells and told everyone which well had been poisoned by a wicked person and could no longer be used. There were also young boys who stuck to their old habits and defecated under the eaves of the courtyard. Raindrops fell from the eaves and hit the old straw hat. The boy with his butt stuck up and defecated backwards, watching the rainwater dripping in front of him.
After a busy night, Lu Xian came back from outside and stepped on feces again.
"Son of a b * tch! I told you not to defecate outside your own house, but you didn't listen! "
He looked at the pouting child in front of him and cursed angrily.
The child jumped up in fright and pulled up his pants. "That, that wasn't me."
"Anyway, it was you little bastards who did it! I told you long ago that you should act like you live in the city. Don't … don't run … "
Before he could start lecturing, the child turned around and ran away. Lu Xian chased after him. The child didn't stop. "Don't hit me!"
"Who hit you? You're an idiot who won't change!"
Before the child could run far with his pants up, Lu Xian, who was chasing after him, had already used the Eight Steps Chasing Cicada to grab him. "You idiot! You didn't even wipe your butt and you pulled up your pants. How many pants do you have at home for you to wash … f * ck … "
As he cursed, he pulled up the child's pants and gave him a few twigs from the roadside. "Clean it for me!"
"Oh." The child took the twigs and squatted down. Seeing that the other party was staring at him, he mumbled, "I … I'm done …"
"Sigh … If I see you again, I'll slap you …"
Enraged, Lu Xian spat out some harsh words and headed back to the courtyard.
Outside the courtyard, many people started to greet him. "Brother Xian."
"Xian, you're back."
"Lu Xian, you're busy again."
"It's time to go home at night …"
Lu Xian washed the soiled soles of his shoes in the water outside the courtyard. After coming in, he nodded from time to time in response.
It was originally a courtyard with two entrances, but now it had been transformed into a large courtyard with many families living together. There were people he knew inside and out, and there were also middle-aged men of similar age who teased him, "Lu Xian, I heard you scolding a dog."
"Lu Xian, did you step on sh * t?"
"Lu Xian, go and find out who's the one who pooped?"
"I think it was you." Lu Xian retorted with a smile, "You smell the same as that sh * t."
"That's because I stepped on it too. Haha, you're not meticulous in handling cases …"
There were a few families living in the courtyard outside, and there were also a few families living in the courtyard. In such a morning, it was a noisy scene. When he returned to the house, his wife came over and nagged him about the problem of food being eaten too fast recently. Erzhu's daughter-in-law, who was injured, came to ask for rice again. She also mentioned that the city was not as good as the countryside, that it was not easy to buy firewood recently, and that it was not peaceful outside … These were all routine complaints, so Lu Xian casually said a few words to dismiss them.
With the help of the woman, he took off his coat, untied the long and short knives, and then untied the bag with all kinds of hidden weapons and medicines. He took off his coat, untied the body armor with iron pieces, untied the leg bindings, and took off the iron plates and knives … After taking off all these things, it was like there was a hill on the table, and his body felt a lot more relaxed.
"Go and call Uncle Duanwu. Prepare two portions of breakfast."
After taking off these things on his body and washing his face, he asked the woman to go out and call someone. After a while, a tall man of about 50 years old came in. Although his hair was half white, his eyes were still full of spirit. Lu Xian saluted him: "Uncle Duanwu, are your injuries better?"
"The injuries on my hands are all healed. I can go out with you tonight." The man nodded his head and said: "I heard from Xiao Shan that you have received a strange job this time. How is it? Is there any trouble? "
"It is a strange job. We caught two children, one is 14 or 15 years old, and the other is 13 or 14 years old. They are young, but their kung fu is really good. The night before yesterday, we almost suffered a loss."
"They have such kung fu at this age, I'm afraid they have some background."
"Well, this matter is strange, but not troublesome. These two children … want to assassinate Zhou Shang. Hey, we don't have to worry too much. In fact, I called Uncle Duanwu here today because I have some doubts. I want to discuss it with you. "
"Mmm." The man nodded his head and said: "Speak."
"Uncle Duanwu, do you think … Jiangning … Should we go?"
After Lu Xian said this, the man thought for a while. After a moment of silence, he raised his head: "What do you feel?"
"I can't say clearly." Lu Xian walked to the door and looked outside. Then, he closed the door and said in a low voice, "When the Fairness Party conquered Jiangning, they said that they wanted to open their doors and do business. They wanted to invite guests from all over, and I made some contributions. That's why I called everyone over … At first, I thought that the Fairness Party and the Fairness Party were one. But after a few months in Jiangning, the five parties bumped into each other, and I realized that wasn't the case …"
"Didn't they say that after this meeting, we would really become a family?"
"I don't think it's that simple." Lu Xian shook his head: "Before, everyone said that they would talk to each other, fight each other, and take a step back. In the end, they would all be in the same pot. But now, it seems that the thinking of these five parties is too far apart. Uncle Duanwu, you know that I've been running the school for Dog's Head and Tiger's Head during this period of time … When we first entered the city, many families wanted to settle down here, and we did manage to protect many teachers. But now, there are fewer and fewer. "
"These two days … there are indeed quite a few people running out of the city …"
"It's not just these few days … In the past few months, other than the Fairness Prince who has protected a few schools in the city, there are fewer and fewer scholars here … Some of the higher-ups have protected some scholars, saying that they are aides. In private, they only let the teachers teach their children how to read and write, and they are not willing to open the doors to us. I originally had my eyes on Teacher Yan in the south and wanted to ask him to teach Dog and the others. Something happened before, so I was delayed. A few days ago, I heard that he was beaten to death … "
The two of them sat at the table, and Lu Xian lowered his voice: "He Shuangying took a fancy to someone else's daughter and proposed a marriage for her silly son. Teacher Yan did not agree, so He Shuangying brought people to his door and beat him to death. To the outside, these people say that these people who read and write are useless, but they are arrogant and look down on everyone. Now, our Fairness Party wants everyone to be equal. Of course, those who have studied and those who have not are also equal. If he looks down on others, he should be beaten to death … Outside, there are people who applaud him. "
"Uncle Duanwu, we are also people who use knives to make a living. We know what fighting and killing can do. If the world is bad, of course we can destroy it, but I have never heard of people who are illiterate and don't understand reason being able to do anything well. Even if everyone is equal and uses knives to make a living, this skill has to be learned from others. If those who learn a skill can be equal to those who don't learn a skill, I think this equality will become a joke sooner or later … "
"I'm aware of the things you've mentioned." Opposite him, Uncle Duanwu thought for a moment, then nodded. "But now that everyone is here, and suddenly saying that you want to leave, can you leave? And now that you are working under General Wei, if you suddenly leave, won't you offend General Wei … Where are we going? If we run back, don't forget that our village is also the territory of the 'King of Hell'. "
"Ai, if it wasn't like this, we wouldn't have followed here. Now that we look at it, if we can follow the Prince of Fairness, perhaps it will be better. At least there will be a place for Gou 'zi and the others to learn …" At this point, Lu Xian shook his head. "It's a pity that those people who investigated the' Reading Club 'have also formed a grudge with the Prince of Fairness. I reckon they won't be able to get along."
As the two of them spoke, the room was silent for a while. Uncle Duanwu tapped his fingers on the table, then said: "I know that you have always been someone with ideas. Since you have come to me to talk about this, you should have some ideas. What are your specific plans? Why don't you tell me?"
Lu Xian nodded. "Although our King Zhou's side has gone a bit overboard, at this point, he has still plundered some gold and silver. Recently, the situation in the city is not quite right. I feel that we have to think of a place to go, so that everyone has a way out … "
Uncle Duanwu sighed. "Look at the people who have recently entered the city and followed King Zhou. Who doesn't want to plunder and then find a place to relax? But the problem is, the world is in chaos now, where can we go? Moreover, you will need people to work for General Wei and the others. If the young and strong men here follow you, it will be difficult for the women and children to leave. If we ask everyone to escort their families out of the city, whether it is to go home or to other places, I'm afraid it will delay your work here … "
Lu Xian waved his hand. "Uncle Duanwu, we can naturally think about these things slowly. However, ever since Teacher Yan was killed, I have been feeling uneasy. We can first think about where else we can go … Uncle Duanwu, what do you think of General Liu Guangshi's side? I heard that they treat the people well, and General Liu is a scholarly general … "
In the early morning drizzle, the two of them discussed these things in the room for a long time. Then, they talked about some backup plans if the city was in chaos. The two of them could be considered the backbone of the people in the city. After they finished talking about these things, Uncle Duanwu asked about the details of the recent mission.
"… Two children, they are very undisciplined. One calls himself the 'Martial Arts Alliance Master' Long Aotian, and the other calls himself the 'Little Sage' Sun Wukong. But in reality, the older one is also nicknamed 'Five Feet Devil'. Previously, he committed some crimes in Tongshan, and now several families are actually trying to capture him …"
Lu Xian explained the entire matter, including the dozens of people who were recently injured by the two. Uncle Duanwu frowned. "They have come into contact with gunpowder, this matter is not simple …"
"From his tone, it sounds like he's from the southwest. However, people from the southwest are usually very disciplined. This kind of child is most likely an elder of his family serving in the southwest army. Once he goes out, he's lawless. We think he's probably an orphan …"
"Then the elders in their families are all martyrs against the gold …"
"They want to kill General Wei and King Zhou …" Lu Xian sighed, "This matter is not good, but I also know in my heart that the two of them are young. When they fought the day before yesterday, I didn't smell too much of a scent on them, so they must have a fixed foothold in the city. In the next few days, I will investigate the place, and then inform King Pingdeng or King Zhuanlun to attack. General Wei will definitely be satisfied with this. Of course, the two of them often act at night and cause trouble everywhere, so I still have to pretend to patrol every night. "
"Mm, this is a good way to deal with it." Uncle Duanwu nodded. "I will accompany you for tonight's night patrol."
"No, Uncle Duanwu, on your side …"
"My injuries have already healed. Let's secretly inquire about the escape route and how to sell the goods. It won't cause any delays. On your side, if the two children are orphans, of course we can just capture and kill them. If they really have a powerful background, I can accompany you and help you hold the line. Alright, it's just a small injury. After resting for more than a month, I'm almost bored out of my mind. I have to do something. "
Amidst the intermittent drizzle, the city under the blue sky seemed to have fallen into the season of dusk. After a busy night, Lu Xian began to rest. People went in and out of the courtyard. In the afternoon, a young man brought over a large cart of firewood, as well as some meat, vegetables, and rice. This could be considered as some of the benefits Lu Xian had obtained from working under Wei Xiawen.
In the evening, some young men gathered in the courtyard. When Li Duanwu, with his uneven white hair, appeared in black clothes and a long saber on his back. Everyone saluted him respectfully, and some even cheered.
He was an old-fashioned Greenwood man. In the past, he had a great reputation in Jiangnan as the "River Severing Dragon". Although he had grown old these years, he had taught Lu Xian, who had surpassed his master. It was also because of the gathering of the young men in the village during the chaotic times that they were able to kill their way out of such a situation. Now, they had a place to stay in the city. Although this place looked shabby, everyone had actually accumulated some gold and silver, so they were living a much better life than the others.
They huddled together and had their own thoughts, standpoint, desires … as well as joy, anger, sorrow, and joy.
At this moment, they were going to find the two young men who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. This was one of the most mediocre missions they had carried out over the past year.
Under Wei Xiawen's command, those who could always do things could survive the best, and those who could survive well. They all understood this principle. Therefore, after Lu Xian and Li Duanwu made some arrangements, everyone dispersed in different directions under this curtain of rain.
The city darkened, and then gradually rippled with light in the drizzle. The lights in the rain were hazy like an oil painting …
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