The stars were sparse, and it was not yet midnight, but Hangzhou City gradually quieted down.
The commotion caused by Qi Yuankang's rebellion had not yet dissipated, but the commotion caused by the escaping henchmen and the stubborn resistance had been suppressed to a very small area. The lights in the city were dimmed to the lowest level. Occasionally, soldiers would walk on the streets, and a few people who had not returned home hurried back. Although the commotion was a little big, the city had not yet been put under martial law. The soldiers would search some places, but it was not to the extent that no one dared to go out.
In Four Seasons House, the banquet had ended. As the shopkeeper, Wenren Bu 'er was instructing the remaining servants to tidy up the things in the store. Tonight, perhaps, the topic that everyone was talking about was not the literary meeting held by Zhu Yanlin, but the battle between Ning Yi, Liu Jin, and Li Tianyou. When the woman carrying the box went upstairs, Li Tianyou waved his hand and called the soldiers who followed him to leave. This scene caused many people to be confused. However, when the woman also left with the box, the literary meeting in the building ended there.
The doctor who came later started to treat Liu Jin, and at the same time, he bandaged Ning Yi's wounds. When a few people from the Tyrant's Saber Camp came to clean up the mess, everyone bid farewell to Zhu Yanlin. Since there were not many people in Hangzhou City who had dealings with the Tyrant's Saber Camp, everyone was still unfamiliar with these people. At most, they knew that the Tyrant's Saber Camp ran a business related to wood, but they did not have any relationship with them. If one had to speculate, it must be that the people from the Tyrant's Saber Camp had come, and Li Tianyou had suffered a loss. Knowing that it was useless to continue to fight, he could only leave.
If it was someone who had a deeper relationship with Fang La's army, and had a higher status … They would think of some other things. For example, the identity of the woman who had only shown herself once before leaving. Zhu Yanlin, who had come downstairs earlier, had a thought at the beginning that the woman who had suddenly appeared could very well be the rumored Liu Dabiao. However, he really couldn't be sure about this. Even Wenren Bu 'er, who was watching from the side, had thought of this possibility. Not long after that, he received a lot of news from the city.
The sudden news of the rebellion earlier was like thunder, but little raindrops. It could only be said that regardless of whether Qi Yuankang, who was involved in politics, truly rebelled or not, this time it was the higher-ups who first made plans to deal with him, and Qi Yuankang was then forced to make the final resistance. However, it was Liu Dabiao's Tyrant's Saber Camp that made the final decision. Although the Tyrant's Saber Camp only had 800 soldiers, it was one of the backbone forces under Fang La's command. However, the Tyrant's Saber Camp had always kept a low profile and was not part of the central command. Thus, it was difficult to estimate the importance of this army. It could be imagined that the plan to deal with Qi Yuankang was opposed by the Tyrannical Blade Camp at first, but in the end, Liu Dabiao had no choice but to agree to it. She first sent someone to deliver a poem to the street where Qi Yuankang was. This poem was exactly the same as the one written by the woman who came upstairs later. It was called "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer".
"The winds and clouds of the world originate from my generation. Once I enter the martial world, time flies.
Grand hegemony, the talk and laughter, was no better than a drunken life.
Carrying a sword, riding on a horse, waving a rain of ghosts, white bones like a startled bird flying.
The world is like a tide, people are like water, sighing at the emptiness of the Jianghu. "
In the little information that Wenren Bu 'er had about the Tyrant's Saber Camp, this woman named Liu Dabiao did not have such literary talent. No one knew who wrote this poem, but it was a sigh of admiration for Qi Yuankang's actions. After that, Liu Dabiao led the most elite force of the Tyrant's Saber Camp and killed their way in. After a fierce battle, she personally beheaded Qi Yuankang. Everything that happened after that was just the aftermath of the battle that was still continuing.
As a part of this matter, the Xuanwei Camp had obviously received the news after Qi Yuankang's death. Under the Four Seasons Temple, the soldiers who surrounded the building would not have allowed the woman to come upstairs. However, after the woman wrote this poem, an advisor of the Xuanwei Camp realized that something was wrong. He hurriedly came up to inform Li Tianyou. Li Tianyou left angrily because of this. This was the truth that Wenren Bu 'er was able to grasp. During this period, the identity of the woman had become one of the most suspicious points of the night.
However, Wenren Bu 'er was not thinking about this at the moment. Whether the woman was Liu Dabiao or someone else, it was meaningless to think about it now. At this moment, he was standing in the small room that had been destroyed, carefully checking everything around him.
This matter, in the eyes of Zhu Yanlin, the forty or fifty scholars, and the famous prostitutes in the brothel, did not have much meaning or doubt. However, for many people who knew martial arts, it was almost a mystery.
After Tang Kou was killed, the people of the Xuanwei Camp and Wenren Bu 'er, who was watching from the side, all looked for the suspicious figures in the room and even the surroundings. Everyone was sure that it was impossible for Ning Yi to kill the man named Tang Kou. According to his style, it was most likely that he had set up an ambush or arranged for someone to help him in the dark room. However, although the people of the Xuanwei Camp reacted quickly, they did not find any suspicious traces.
Wenren Bu 'er actually had the same idea when he went over there. He wanted to enter the small room and kill Tang Kou before everyone could react. However, things happened too fast, and he didn't have enough time. Taking a step back, even if he had thought of a way to come in at that time, he could have cut off Tang Kou's head with one strike. However, he would not have been able to escape from this room in such a short time.
Then, the third person in the room at that time, if there was a possibility … Who was he?
*****
The night wind blew over with the coldness of the late autumn. Ning Yi was walking on the street, evaluating everything that had happened, trying to clear his head a little bit.
To him, tonight's battle was a desperate gamble that he had made when he had no confidence in winning. If he made a single mistake, he might lose his life. He was mentally prepared for this, but after doing it, he still felt a great sense of exhaustion after surviving a disaster. Everything that had happened before was like a dream. If he had to do it again, he really didn't know what would happen — although he always thought that way.
After the fight, some people from the Domineering Saber Village also came. They were not in high positions, and Ning Yi only knew one of them, who was a carpenter. His injury was not very serious, but Liu Jin's situation was really bad. He could only ask the doctor to treat him in a nearby clinic. After making sure that Liu Jin's life was not in danger, he was going to walk home. The two people from the Domineering Saber Village also followed him. At this time, they could protect him.
To be honest, Ning Yi was a little surprised at the appearance of these people. Seeing Liu Dabiao's straightforward way of leaving, he also suspected that the woman who only showed one side of her face was Liu Dabiao, who didn't wear a veil and was dressed in traditional Chinese clothes. However, if it was really Liu Dabiao, then the people who followed her to deal with the aftermath, even if they were not the guards of the Domineering Saber Camp, they should be one of the eight people who had to pay for the murder. On the way, he asked them. However, the two people who followed him didn't know who he was. They only knew that someone was looking for them with a token. They were nearby, so they hurried over.
"But that woman is really beautiful. If she says that she is the Domineering Saber Village, we will believe it."
"From the back, she really looks like the Domineering Saber Village …"
"If the Domineering Saber Village hears us talking about her like this, he will make things difficult for us …"
"I think she should be someone close to the Domineering Saber Village. Mister Ning hasn't seen her before?"
The two people discussed on the side. Liu Dabiao was quite dignified in the hearts of the people in the Domineering Saber Village, but they usually kept their distance. There were not many people who could see the Domineering Saber Village with a veil, let alone those who didn't. As they were talking, a figure appeared on the road in front of them. When the two people saw it, they immediately shut their mouths.
At this moment, they were still some distance away from Xiliu Street, where the Domineering Saber Village was located. This street was very quiet, and all the shops were closed. However, not far away, there was a shop whose lights were still on. It was a small restaurant that sold braised food such as pig skin. There was a shed outside the door. At this moment, there was a table under the wooden shed, and the woman who had appeared earlier was sitting with her back facing them. It seemed that she was eating. The long wooden box used to store the Domineering Saber Village was placed on one side of the table.
"You guys … go back first," Ning Yi said softly to the two people beside him.
"But if we leave, you'll be alone …"
"That lady can scare Li Tianyou away by herself. With her around, I should be fine … Besides, if she is really your Domineering Saber Village, it won't be a problem for you to meet her like this. But if you suffer in the future, don't blame me."
As they spoke, the two people thought for a while and nodded. They walked around the side of the street, but when they walked past, they stole a few glances at the woman's appearance. Ning Yi walked past from behind. For the time being, he felt that the woman in front of him might not be Liu Dabiao. However, her figure did look somewhat similar, and it was just that her temperament was different.
"Dabiao?"
As he spoke, he sat down on the seat next to him. The woman was eating. She glanced at him, but her expression did not reject him, nor did she look particularly friendly. She was beautiful and seemed to have the temperament of a rich family's daughter. There was even some baby fat on her face, but her skin did not appear rosy. Instead, she looked rather tired after a day of hard work. After swallowing the food in her mouth, she said, "Are your injuries alright?"
"They're not very serious, thank you." With a bandage on his head, Ning Yi looked like an Arabian with a crooked hat. However, compared to Liu Jin, he could still run and jump. There were only superficial wounds on his body, and there were no signs of a concussion. As a fierce martial artist who called himself the Bloody Butcher, there was no need for him to think too highly of himself.
"Since you're fine, go back quickly. It's not a peaceful night. You shouldn't stay here."
"Looks like I'm fine." The other party did not confirm his identity, so Ning Yi could only look at the wooden box. It was indeed the box used to store Liu Dabiao's Tyrant Saber. However, there was more than one such box in the Tyrant Saber Manor. Looking at the woman's pale face, he probed, "Are you injured?"
The woman glanced at him and then said, "Then let's eat together."
There were only a few types of braised food on the table, but Ning Yi was hungry anyway. He was also curious about this woman, so he went to the shop owner to get a bowl and chopsticks. He scooped a bowl of rice and started eating. The two of them did not speak for a while. They had only eaten a few mouthfuls when a carriage drove over. Not long after, the person who arrived confirmed his suspicions.
There were eight or nine attendants accompanying the carriage. At this moment, the person who got off the carriage was Lou Jingzhi, whom he had met once in the Four Seasons Sect. He got off the carriage and saw the young girl under the shed. He heaved a sigh of relief, but when he saw Ning Yi, he frowned again. Then, he walked over.
"Liu … Dabiao. And this must be Mister Ning … Can I sit down? " At first, he seemed to be hesitant about how to address him, but in the end, he still called him Liu Dabiao. However, it was purely perfunctory to Ning Yi. Ning Yi saw that the young girl did not have much intention to drive him away, so he stayed. Now, he felt a slight headache.
There was an engagement between Lou Jingzhi and Liu Dabiao …
It seemed that the young couple was in a hurry to meet here. It was not right of him to interfere like this.
He sighed in his heart and prepared to say goodbye. However, after a while, what happened next made him realize that everything was not as he had imagined.
"I remembered that I have something to do, so I'll take my leave first."
Ning Yi was not a sloppy person. He cupped his fists and stood up. Beside him, Liu Dabiao raised his eyebrows and looked at Lou Jingzhi. "You better not sit down." Then, he said to Ning Yi, "Sit down, eat before you leave." Her voice was much gentler when she spoke to Ning Yi.
Even though he had experienced many things, Ning Yi still felt a little bored in the current situation. Opposite him, Lou Jingzhi glanced at him. Then, she pulled out the bench beside her and sat down. She no longer paid attention to Ning Yi.
"I … found out about what happened tonight. I just happened to pass by and knew that you were not in a good mood, so I came to take a look …"
The scholar's voice sounded rather gentle in the tranquil night …
*****
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