The evening rain pattered down in waves.
Under the hazy sky, in the dilapidated courtyard, the rockery that was originally used as a garden had collapsed. The green rocks were wet from the rain, as if they were stained with vegetable oil. The ground that had been burned was also black and muddy.
Houses that had collapsed in the fire were all around. Only a few dilapidated eaves were still intact. Under this kind of sky and the scenery of the deserted garden not far away, everything was as gloomy as a ghost's territory.
A slender figure silently rushed out of the eaves and stepped onto the wet stones in the courtyard. The sword in her hand slid through the curtain of rain. In a few leaps, she had already passed under the opposite eaves like a ghost.
After a while, the figure came back at the same speed. Her footsteps were mysterious and soundless, and her sword was swift and fierce. In this afternoon, she did not know how many times she had sprinted back and forth in this courtyard in the same way.
After rushing under the eaves again, the slender figure dressed in black was already trembling slightly. She stood there and slowly let out a long breath. She knew that today's training had reached its limit.
This was a relatively extreme training method in Master Tangut's Sword. Using this kind of speed to pass through the stones in the rain was several times more dangerous than practicing pole-standing during the day. Every strand of mental energy had to be mobilized when swinging the sword. If there was even the slightest mistake, it would be a minor sprain or a serious injury. Training in this kind of environment was actually similar to boxing on a cliff. It was a type of "stealing God's secrets".
Yan Yunzhi put away the two swords in her hands.
This kind of extreme training method could make people improve faster, but it was also very taxing on the mind. Not to mention the constant fear of getting injured in the process. But compared to the other things that had been bothering her recently, this was only a small matter that was not worth mentioning.
Every part of her body was feeling tired. She gritted her teeth and tried to calm her breathing as much as possible. The swordsmanship passed down in her family was about "hiding like water and moving like thunder". Even if she was tired, she could not relax.
She stood quietly and adjusted her breathing for a while. Then, she put on the straw raincoat that was left under the dilapidated eaves and walked out of the courtyard.
His clothes, both inside and out, were already soaked from the previous training. Putting on a straw raincoat was just better than nothing. Outside the abandoned courtyard was a cold and gloomy street. The consecutive days of autumn rain had already soaked the road into a pool of mud. In the evening, there were only a few pedestrians on the road. Most of them carried swords and sabers under their straw raincoats. A grey horse trod on the black mud on the road.
Perhaps it was because they were wet, but the shabby streets and the greenish-gray courtyards near and far in the city gave off a cold feeling in the rain and mud.
Yan Yunzhi lowered her head and chose an area in the mud that was relatively easy to walk through. She cautiously and quickly went to the inn at the end of the street.
In the evening, there were no lights in the inn, but the messy lobby was crowded with people from all walks of life. It was still quite lively. Yan Yunzhi walked in with her head lowered. She greeted the familiar waiter and then went upstairs to her room. After a while, someone brought a large basin of hot water.
The waiter closed the door and left. There was no light in Yan Yunzhi's room. She had already taken off her straw raincoat and untied her soaked outer clothes. When she was about to take them off, she seemed to have thought of something and walked to the door from the inside of the room.
Her footsteps were light as she walked to the door. She picked up a dagger and silently stabbed it through the gap in the door.
She heard a cry outside the door, followed by the sound of footsteps quickly leaving. That person in the corridor said, "Hehe, this little girl is really strong …"
Yan Yunzhi silently put away her dagger after the voice had gone far away. She stood in the room for a while, as if only the slight rise and fall of her chest could prove her existence at this moment.
After a while, she found a corner of a rag and stuffed the gap in the door. Then she went to the basin of hot water, took off her clothes, and wiped her body. When her body was dry, she put on a light coat and found a small bag of medicinal powder from her bag. She poured some into the basin of water and then placed the basin on the ground in front of the stool. She took off her shoes and soaked her bare feet in it.
The stimulation of the drug brought some pain to her feet. She bent down and hugged her knees with both hands. She clenched her teeth and her body trembled slightly. The room was quiet. She tried hard not to cry.
At this moment, the seventeen-year-old Yan Yunzhi was all alone in a cold city thousands of miles away from home.
Due to a moment of anger, her relationship with Shi Weiyang had completely fallen apart, but she did not regret it. His reputation might be ruined, but in the end, it was just a matter of death. The alliance between the Yan Clan and the Shi Clan was the real purpose of their trip to Jiangning. If the deal failed because of her, she would not be the only one who would be affected. Everyone in the Yan Clan Fort, young and old, would be affected. This was the biggest factor that made her feel uneasy.
These questions, big and small, appeared in her mind all the time. The seventeen-year-old Cloud Water Heroine had already killed two Jurchen soldiers in her past life, but the moment she closed the door, guilt, confusion, loneliness, and fear still made it difficult for her to control herself.
Unbeknownst to him, someone had knocked on the door.
"Miss Yan, are you there?"
Yan Yunzhi sat up.
"Brother Ping? I'm here. "
The voice from outside the door belonged to one of the two brothers who saved her that day, the older brother, Han Ping. The two brothers were highly skilled in martial arts. The older brother seemed to be considerate and gentle, while the younger brother had strange strength and unparalleled punches. However, his surname was Han and his first name was Yun, which sounded like a woman's name. The two of them should also be descendants of some big clan who came to Jiangning to discuss cooperation. They didn't usually stay in the inn, so Yan Yunzhi guessed that their names might be fake. But she was in a foreign place, so she naturally would not ask about it.
She heard Han Ping say outside the door, "We just came back from outside and heard some news. Let's have dinner together tonight." He paused, as if hearing the sound of water inside the door, and then said, "Miss Yan, there's no hurry."
"… Oh, okay. Then I …"
"Han Yun and I will wait for you downstairs."
This brother named Han Ping seemed to always take care of everything. After a few words of arrangement, he turned around and went downstairs. Yan Yunzhi wiped the water off her feet, changed her clothes, and then took her two swords downstairs.
At this time, the sky was completely dark. The courtyard outside the inn was still raining intermittently, but the main hall was lit. All kinds of people from all walks of life had gathered here. When Yan Yunzhi came down from upstairs, she saw two figures fighting in the corridor outside. One of the parties involved was the strong and muscular young man, Han Yun. With a single punch, he sent his opponent flying into the mud in the courtyard. The Jianghu people in the hall cheered.
His older brother, Han Ping, was sitting at a table in the hall, reading a small book in his hand. When he saw Yan Yunzhi, he waved at her.
"Brother Ping, what's going on?"
"Young people are hot-blooded and want to exercise a bit. Don't mind him." Brother Ping said lightly, as if he didn't care about his younger brother, Little Yun.
While they were talking, the young man who was fighting came over, waving his arms. He had a bright smile on his face, "I heard from the waiter that this person went to your room to cause trouble. He really doesn't know what's good for him. I'll teach him a lesson for you. "
Yan Yunzhi frowned and looked outside. Only then did she know that the person who was beaten into the mud was the Greenwood man who had peeped at her door not long ago.
"Thank you, Brother Yun."
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. Hahahaha …" The other party waved his hand.
"Brother Yun is silly." Han Ping, who was reading at the side, laughed.
Han Yun glared at him, "Don't call me Little Yun."
"You have a problem with Little Yun? What would Miss Yan think? "
"Miss Yan, I have no problem with your name …"
The two brothers bickered, and Yan Yunzhi couldn't help but laugh. At this time, the waiter came over to serve the dishes. After the three sat down, they chatted for a while. Han Ping put down the book in his hand. Yan Yunzhi looked at it curiously and saw that the book was stained with blood and dirty water. She didn't know where he picked it up, but the words on the cover were "Four Peoples".
Han Ping noticed her gaze and smiled, "Today, I went out with your Brother Yun. On the way, we saw the Undead Guards chasing after a criminal. I went over to take a look out of curiosity. When the criminal escaped, he threw some books on the ground. This is one of them …"
Perhaps he felt that Yan Yunzhi didn't understand, so he added, "This is a handwritten copy from the southwest. It was originally made by Mister Ning and his group, but I didn't expect the Fairness Party to do this. There are actually people secretly reading this kind of thing. Look at the annotations on the top, it's densely packed, and the words "Reading Society" are written at the bottom … The Five Great Kings of the Fairness Party have such mighty and murderous names. I wonder what this Reading Society is … "
"Brother Ping, do you know much about the southwest?" Yan Yunzhi asked.
"I only know a little." Han Ping deliberated for a moment. "I know that Miss Yan was framed by bandits from the southwest, and perhaps you don't have a good impression of them. But as far as I know, the Huaxia Army is still mostly made up of heroes. "
On the side, Han Yun said in a muffled voice, "There are good people and bad people everywhere. That Long guy may be from the southwest, but if the Huaxia military finds out about his actions, they will deal with him."
Yan Yunzhi nodded, "I know …"
Actually, before this, she had also admired the Huaxia Army in the southwest.
"We heard some news when we were outside today." Seeing that Yan Yunzhi's expression wasn't right, Han Ping changed the topic.
Yan Yunzhi nodded slightly. The other party said, "We heard news about that Long Aotian."
"Ah …" Yan Yunzhi was stunned.
"He's in Jiangning City."
"…" Yan Yunzhi was silent for a moment. "Indeed … I think he said that he would come to Jiangning …"
She had an impression of this matter, but for the past few days, she had been thinking about how to assassinate Li Yanfeng, who had instructed the newspapers to spread the rumor. As for this unrestrained young murderer, he only thought that perhaps one day when he found him, he would perish together with him.
It was hard for her to think about the difference between the two. Perhaps it was because she already knew what had happened in Tong Mountain, and that the youth himself could be considered a chivalrous person. However, his last words had ruined her reputation … Or perhaps it was because the memories of him suppressing her with one move were too heavy, making it difficult for her to even have the generosity to take revenge …
These days, she had even spent some money in the inn to hire someone to help her investigate the Chakravarti King. Previously, when Han Ping said that he had heard some news, she had thought that it was about Li Yanfeng. She didn't expect him to suddenly throw out news about Long Aotian. For a moment, she found it hard to wrap her head around it.
"Although this kid is lawless, to be honest, to be able to make such a big mess, he really has guts. He really doesn't know what's good for him … "Han Yun said from the side." Of course, Miss Yan, if you meet him, we will naturally help you. "
Yan Yunzhi looked at him. "He … what did he do?"
"Heh." Han Yun smiled. "If I didn't ask around, I wouldn't have known. Now that I did, I was shocked. This kid has offended half of Jiangning. Even if we don't look for him, I reckon that he won't be able to live for long."
Yan Yunzhi frowned.
Han Ping, the elder brother, also nodded. "We didn't ask much about the gossip in Jiangning. Today, the person we met happened to talk about it, so we asked a few questions. A few days ago, around the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, that kid named Long Aotian entered the city. In the past few days, he has already offended the Chakravarti King, the Yama King, and the Equality King. "
Han Ping said, "It is said that his most eye-catching achievement was when he wanted to kill the subordinate of the Yama King, Killer Wei Yiwen. He continuously challenged the Yama King's territory, but couldn't find him. After that, he announced that he was going to kill Zhou Shang. Even though the people he found were all the middle and lower level leaders of the King of Hell's side, this little friend is skilled and bold. He successively got rid of many experts and slapped Zhou Shang and Wei Yiwen's faces resoundingly. Now they're in a huge mess … "
Yan Yunzhi's eyes almost widened. No matter how she imagined it, she could not have imagined that the other had already caused such an exaggerated scene after entering the city. She was still planning to assassinate one of the leaders of the Chakravarti King's side, but the other was actually shouting everywhere that he was going to kill Zhou Shang.
Just like in Tongshan, he single-handedly fought against an entire faction. How powerful was the other? But who would have thought that after entering Jiangning, he would also plan to do such a thing in the face of the Fairness Party? Were all the people taught in the Southwest this kind of people?
Han Ping said, "As for why he offended the Chakravarti King, Miss Yan, there is no harm in guessing."
Yan Yunzhi thought for a moment, then said in disbelief, "He … he originally said … he was going to Jiangning to find Li Yanfeng and denounce him … could it be that he really …"
Han Ping laughed. "Although not exactly, it's not too far off. According to the news we heard, this kid called Long Aotian single-handedly went to challenge one of the Chakravarti King's territories. This territory is one of the strongholds that the Chakravarti King uses to print news papers. Guess what? The newspaper that slandered Miss Yan at that time had been printed here. In other words, that Monkey King Li Yanfeng found someone to send a message to slander Miss Yan. At the same time, he also gave the other party the title of 'Five Feet Devil'. This little devil immediately went to find him and picked a fight with him. This is already a declaration of war against Li Yanfeng. "
The burly Han Yun said, "Based on this kind of lawless behavior, this kid from the Southwest will sooner or later find Li Yanfeng for revenge. It's just that his initial targets were Wei Yiwen and Zhou Shang, so he didn't have the time to deal with them … Heh heh, with this kind of guts, I really want to meet him and have a good fight with him. "
Between the two Han brothers, the younger Han Yun was obviously more hot-blooded and valiant. A few days ago, when Yan Yunzhi told him about her encounter, he said that if he met this scum of the Southwest, he would definitely give him a good beating. Now that he was talking about the things that Long Aotian had done in Jiangning, although he still wanted to beat him up, it was clear that he already felt a sense of kinship with Long Aotian. Probably because he felt that Long Aotian was able to court death and not die, he also felt a little yearning.
"Then … on the King of Equality's side …"
"Then it must be because of you," Han Ping said. "The news in the city is a bit messy right now. Most of it is pieced together. We asked around today and reckoned that after this Little Friend Long smashed up Li Yanfeng's newspaper office, Li Yanfeng mobilized his subordinates to hunt him down and leaked the news to the Shi family. Miss Yan, you've been tainted with rumors because of this person on Mount Tong. In the future, whether it's the Shi family or your Yan family, the best way to deal with the aftermath is to capture this person. Therefore, we heard that Shi Weiyang of the Shi family, that Shopkeeper Jin of Baofeng Cruise Line, and that Second Uncle of the Yan family have all secretly sent people to capture or kill this' Five Feet Devil of Sex '… Heh heh, I don't know how Li Yanfeng came up with this nickname. It's really immoral. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't let him off either … "
Han Ping had mentioned this nickname 'Five Feet Devil of Sex' several times. At this time, he couldn't help but laugh at the immorality of this nickname.
"Anyway, now that the situation in the city has yet to be settled, there are already people from three major forces here saying that they want to find the whereabouts of this Little Friend Long. Your Brother Xiaoyun is right. I reckon that sooner or later, he will be caught and beaten to death … Oh, also, there's a little monk who's highly skilled in martial arts by his side. He's even younger than him. I think his name is something like … Sun Wukong. He's been given the nickname 'Four-foot Devil of Sex'. Does Miss Yan have any impression of this person? "
Yan Yunzhi shook her head blankly.
"This matter can't be rushed," Han Ping said. "We'll keep an eye out for Miss Yan."
"Leave it to me." Han Yun patted his chest and said generously.
Yan Yunzhi hurriedly thanked him.
The light rain was still drizzling. In the dimly lit lobby of the inn, the figures of the people were a mess. After that, the three of them chatted for a while. After dinner, they sat for a while longer before taking their leave.
Yan Yunzhi walked them to the entrance of the inn. She watched as they walked further and further away in the drizzle of the night. The two of them were part of a major force. They lived in a courtyard a street away from here. They had their own things to do every day. It was already a great favor for them to occasionally help her. Perhaps she could only slowly repay these heavy favors in the future.
On the way back upstairs, she was still thinking about the information about Long Aotian.
Why did he act so recklessly?
What kind of family did he come from? How could he have such an arrogant personality?
If he were to die here, how would she seek revenge?
Her mind was in a mess …
When she went back upstairs and was about to enter her room, the inn's waiter came over and said in a low voice, "Miss Yan." Most of the people in this inn worked for Heavenly King Gao. It was also because the Han Brothers, who might have a relationship with her, had spoken to her in private. That was why they had been taking care of her. She had actually spent some money in private to beg the waiter to buy some information for her.
At that moment, she heard the waiter say, "Miss, I've just received the information about Li Yanfeng that you wanted to know."
The waiter handed her a piece of paper, then turned around and left.
Yan Yunzhi returned to her room and lit the oil lamp. She carefully read the information on the paper …
…
After leaving the inn, Yin Ping and Yue Yun returned to their own residence.
On the way, Yue Yun protested to her sister, "You are not allowed to call me Xiao Yun anymore."
Yin Ping frowned and smiled. "You can say that your surname is not Han, but you can only be called Yun in this life. How did I call you wrong?"
"Xiao Yun is too much like a woman. Only someone like Miss Yan can be called Xiao Yun. If it's not convenient for you, you can call me Second Brother or Brother Yun."
"No, it's not convenient for me."
"…"
Yue Yun was angry. He looked at his sister with hostility. Yin Ping couldn't be bothered with him. At that moment, the rain had stopped temporarily. The two of them walked on the dark street. Yin Ping was still holding the bloodstained and dirty booklet in her hand. She rubbed it carefully, as if she was thinking about something.
"Why are you always holding this booklet?" Yue Yun was a little curious.
"I think it's interesting. Have you heard of the 'Four Citizens' in the southwest? "
"These books were transported from the southwest. There are many in Fuzhou. Of course I've heard of it. "
"But you haven't read it. This book, 'Talking about the Four Citizens' …" Yin Ping deliberated for a moment. "There are many revisions …"
"What does that mean?"
"I want to look for Mister Zuo … to talk about this."
As the two of them spoke, they had already entered the courtyard where they were staying with Zuo Xiuquan and the others. Yin Ping went to look for Zuo Xiuquan to talk about the booklet and the 'reading club'.
After a while, someone came to look for Yue Yun and reported something to him …
…
The rain had stopped a little.
Black smoke rose from the bridge by the canal outside the Five Lakes Inn. It rose into the sky, which was still wet even after the rain had stopped. Occasionally, the sound of someone coughing due to the smoke could be heard in the night.
The 'Five Feet Yin Devil' Long Aotian and the 'Four Feet Yin Devil' Sun Wukong were scurrying around.
The two of them searched nearby and found some firewood for Xue Jin and Yue Niang who lived under the bridge. Due to the continuous rainy weather, the firewood that the two youths found was also moist under the premise that they didn't snatch it by force. After a long time, they finally lit a fire under the bridge and piled some of the wet firewood next to the fire.
Smoke and steam filled the air, making people feel uncomfortable. It was only a little better than having no fire.
The two of them did good deeds for a while. Their physical strength was not affected, but their hearts were tired. After doing good deeds, they rested in the darkness by the roadside.
"Wei Yiwen and Zhou Shang are too cunning. They have been on guard for the past few days, so we can't use the previous method to find them. Otherwise, they will be waiting for us." Long Aotian analyzed the situation. Ever since he met the swordsman called Lu Xian two days ago, he knew that his movements had been analyzed by the other party.
"Hmm, waiting for them is too stupid." The little monk nodded and flattered, "A pig is bigger than a rabbit. Why would you eat a rabbit when you have a pig?"
"Haha, you're too stupid. Waiting for them doesn't mean that. It's the plant of this plant, not the pig of that pig …"
Long Aotian put his hands on his waist and laughed out loud. Then, he started to tutor his follower on cultural lessons. After a while, he came up with a new plan. "Since they've already discovered us, let's leave them here for a while and let them work for nothing for a few days. How about this, let's find trouble with the bad guys, King of Chakravarti … "
"Ah …" The little monk was dumbfounded. He blinked and stammered, "Big … Big Brother, are we … going to be faithful to one person until the end of our lives …"
"What do you mean by faithful to one person until the end of our lives! A real man should learn to adapt to the situation! " Long Aotian patted the little monk's head and was ready to teach him some life lessons. "Hmm, the cultists are noisy and like to be in the limelight. They are different from Zhou Shang and Wei Yiwen. Let's go and find out what's going on with Li Jianfeng and think if we can find a chance to kill him …"
"Hmm … Are we going to kill Li Jianfeng? Should we kill the others … "
"Of course we'll kill him first. I don't know the others. Besides, I've already told you about the bad things he did at Tongshan. Do you think we should kill him? "
"Hmm, we should … Hehe, I thought you wanted to kill that … fat monk …"
"Haha, Lin Eechan is our enemy for life. We can't beat him now, so we should run away when we see him. Don't die! You're so silly … "
"Hmm, hmm, hmm." The little monk nodded and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Alright, it's decided then!"
Long Aotian placed his hands on his waist. "Kill Li Jianfeng! Leave your name! "
"Let's make a name for ourselves and let … King of Chakravarti know how powerful we are!" The little monk waved his fists. He thought about his master's reaction after knowing his name and was actually looking forward to it.
On their way south from Jindi, his master often analyzed the good and evil of certain things and told him about the complexity of the world. However, he often let him make his own decisions. There were bad guys in the Great Radiant Sect. If he secretly helped his master to clean up the sect, his master would definitely be pleased, right?
Deep down, his master was actually a good person.
That was what he had always thought.
…
By the Qinhuai River, on a relatively prosperous street under the jurisdiction of King of Chakravarti, Xu Zhaonan.
The rain had stopped, and the well-preserved buildings on the street were brightly lit.
On this day, Chen Juefang, the leader of the Undying Guards, was hosting a banquet to welcome Meng Zhutao, the leader of the Love and Hate Association who had just entered the city. The banquet took up an entire floor of the Golden Tower. People came and went, and the place was bustling with noise.
You Hongzhuo passed through the crowd and saw Kuang Wenbai sitting at an inconspicuous stall downstairs. The deputy leader of the Undying Guards was dressed casually. His broken nose was still patched up, making him look miserable and low-key.
He was here to observe the movements of Chen Juefang, Tan Zheng, and the others. Now that he saw his fourth brother, he couldn't help but feel relieved. As long as he wasn't dead, everyone would be fated to meet in the future.
The night was hazy, and there were countless turbulences in the city. No one knew when they would cross paths …
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