A single person, a horse, and a lone spear slowly walked down the mountain. The sun was strong and the temperature was not low, but the feeling in his heart was like the wind and snow outside the Mountain God Temple that year. He had lost everything and nowhere to go. The only change was that the pain in his heart was no longer as intense and sharp as before. It had already seeped into every part of his body like the strength of alcohol.
In life, there would always be some things that would not fade or be forgotten with the passage of time. They would only continue to settle in his heart, turning into something different and heavier than before. Just like that kind of pain, it would drill into every part of the body like maggots in tarsal bones, tearing people apart from the outside, and then hollowing them out from the inside. When people began to get used to it, their entire body would become empty, leaving only the pain and emptiness to fill up everything they originally had.
His wife's corpse had already turned cold. Slowly, one day, he might not even remember her voice and smile. His wounds would heal, and the scars would no longer hurt. He had long gotten used to the marks on his face. Hatred would remain, and the cowardice in his heart would have nowhere to go. Liangshan suddenly collapsed, and the wind and snow came again, reminding him of the fact that he had nowhere to go. He laughed at himself, drank a mouthful of wine from the leather pouch, and led his horse forward under the scorching sun.
In short, it was not good to implicate others.
The road at the foot of the mountain was narrow, rugged, and overgrown with trees. This area was not a commercial road. Even if bandits occupied the mountain, they would not rob them on these small roads, which could save them a lot of trouble. All the way through the valley ahead, there was a slightly flat road with traces of pedestrians. Over the past few days, the scattered leaders and soldiers of Liangshan had been fleeing in disorder in the mountains and forests within a radius of several hundred miles. They didn't know if the government had set up a checkpoint ahead. Thinking of this, they moved more cautiously.
He walked forward a few miles in this way, and suddenly sensed someone coming from the fork in the road ahead. He stopped, but the person on the other side had discovered this place first. He laughed and waved his hand.
"Brother!"
There were only a few people on the opposite side, but the leader was tall and big. He wore a grayish-blue monk robe and held a Buddhist staff in his hand. It was his sworn brother, Lu Zhishen. After the two of them went to Liangshan, because Lin Chong was the elder who fought against Wang Lun, and Lu Zhishen was the leader of the Twin Dragon Mount, they didn't get too close to each other in public. However, they were brothers. Now that they suddenly met, Lu Zhishen couldn't help but feel warmth in his heart. He immediately led his horse over. Lu Zhishen patted him on the shoulder.
"I know you're not with Leader Song and the others, Brother Lin. Looking for you everywhere. Why? Where are the brothers that you protected when we went down the mountain? "
"I've already separated from them." Lin Chong replied with a smile. He then greeted the people around Lu Zhishen one by one. They were "Golden-eyed Tiger" Shi En, "Devil Incarnate" Fan Rui, "Eight-armed Nezha" Xiang Tong, and a few other gang leaders he was familiar with. Before, when Lu Zhishen was on the Twin Dragon Mount, he was led by Yang Zhi, Wu Song, Cao Zheng, Zhang Qing, and Sun Erniang. However, Yang Zhi and Cao Zheng were killed in the Battle of Lone Dragon Mount. It was said that Wu Song and Zhang Qing had gone with Song Jiang this time. As for Fan Rui and Xiang Tong, they had quarreled with Li Kui several times because of Li Gun's death, so they found it boring to go with him. They ran into Lu Zhishen during their escape, so they came over together.
Lu Zhishen roughly knew Lin Chong's personality. He patted him on the shoulder with a hearty smile and invited him to go with him, but he didn't say anything else. The nine of them walked for a while and saw a shabby restaurant at the intersection up ahead. They were hungry, so they went over, tied a few horses, and entered the restaurant to check out the situation.
In the past, although this area was barren, there were still merchants on the road. It was not easy to rest in the mountains, so there were always a lot of people gathered in this kind of restaurant. However, this time, many people could only hide in the town and watch. When they came in, there were only three customers in the restaurant. They seemed to be Jianghu people. Two of the men were carrying iron knives and goods and eating. They looked like bandits, and their eyes were fierce. They seemed to be experienced Jianghu people, which was why they dared to walk around at this time.
The other customer in the restaurant was a woman. She was sitting at a table in the inner side. She was wearing a red dress, but she looked travel-worn. The woman was eating brown rice with a small plate of salted vegetables. Judging from the bag and sword on her back, she was also a Jianghu woman, but she didn't have the fierce aura of a Jianghu veteran. When they came in, she glanced at them and then continued to eat with her head down.
Seeing Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen come in, the two men, who were experienced Jianghu people, were looking at the woman and whispering to each other. But now, they showed vigilance and kept a low profile. Lu Zhishen and the others naturally didn't care about them. But the woman's clothes and temperament were a bit strange, which made them take a few more glances.
A Jianghu woman should not wear such an eye-catching red dress. Although she looked travel-worn, her figure and appearance were not bad. If a woman like her stayed in Jianghu, she would sooner or later be defiled by someone. It seemed that this woman was either inexperienced in Jianghu and had some difficulties appearing in Shandong at this time, or she was visiting friends and relatives and had no choice but to bring a sword to protect herself. Of course, she could not be a young lady from a rich family.
After a moment's consideration, the nine people sat down at two wooden tables and called for the waiter to bring them wine and meat. Lu Zhishen asked Lin Chong about his future plans. Lin Chong smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"... For now... I don't have any plans. I personally went to the Su family in Jiangning. That person came to kill me. At this point, I have nothing to say. He probably won't let me go either. But these two days, I've been thinking about the last few days on the mountain... "
Speaking of the last few days of Liangshan, the collapse of 60,000 people, and the helplessness of everyone, even Lu Zhishen could only drink a bowl of wine, unable to say anything. But "Golden-eyed Biao" Shi En raised his bowl and said, "He can't let us go, but do you think we will let him go? It's convenient for Brother Lin to go far away, but will he really chase after us one by one?"
Lin Chong smiled bitterly and shook his head. He clinked his bowl with Shi En's and drained it in one gulp. "I... I don't want to go. We are all Jianghu people. We fight one-on-one, seek revenge, and fight openly. But this person is scheming and doesn't care about people. Look at the last situation on the mountain. In his eyes, people are like pigs and dogs. He manipulates people's hearts, but he doesn't care about their humanity. He makes brothers kill each other and family turn against each other. Even if he planned to take revenge, he wouldn't go to this extent... "
Lin Chong paused. "This time, I know what happened to Brother Song and the others. Although they didn't call me, even if they did, I might not go. But it's understandable... Since I came up the mountain, my brothers have treated me well. I'm incompetent, but I don't want to betray my brothers. This time... I want to kill that person. If I succeed, I will go back to the capital to seek revenge. "
As he said so, he smiled. Shi En and the others were stunned, but Lu Zhishen understood. He drank a bowl of wine and said, "I'll go with you." Many people on Liangshan knew about Lin Chong's blood feud. The reason why he gathered in Liangshan was that he hoped to fight his way into the capital one day. But now that Liangshan had collapsed, he could only choose to seek revenge himself. But in fact, it would be difficult for him to assassinate Ning Liheng here, let alone Gao Qiu.
But speaking of this, Lu Zhishen also laughed and lowered his voice. "In fact, that person's trouble is not over yet. Leader Song and the others are also doing this."
"Huh?"
"Brother Lin, don't you know? A few days ago, Chief Song had sent people to spread the news of what had happened in Liangshan … This person had used a vicious scheme and violated the harmony of the world. He had come to seek revenge. Originally, he had killed people, but he had used the will of the people as bait, causing tens of thousands of people to kill each other and turn against each other. Naturally, there would be people who could not bear to see such a thing happen. Before, when we gathered in Liangshan, some big shots in the underworld might not want to come. But after this, they may kill people to get rid of this evil. No matter what happens in this battle, that person's trouble will come in the future. "
They ate and drank quickly. After talking for a while, they asked the waiter to pack some wine and meat. During this period, the woman in the red dress at the side ate several bowls of brown rice and a plate of pickled vegetables. The two Jianghu men outside did not rush to pay the bill. Perhaps they were a little afraid of the nine people in Liangshan. If they left first, they would be in trouble if they followed behind. However, Liangshan and the rest did not have such fear. They paid the bill and left. When they left, they glared at the two men coldly, meaning to say, "I'll remember you."
After leaving the restaurant, they walked along the river in front of them. Shi En expressed his willingness to assassinate Ning Liheng with Lu and Lin. Fan Rui and Xiang Tong were a little hesitant. While they were talking, a figure on a bamboo raft caught up from the river behind them. They looked back and saw that it was the woman in the red dress. She had already eaten and seemed to be setting off.
Lu Zhishen and the rest did not walk fast. They did not pay much attention to the woman. They believed that she would reach them soon. However, after walking for a while, the bamboo raft gradually slowed down and remained behind them. They were all experienced Jianghu people. They knew that it was inappropriate. After exchanging glances, they walked to the grassy beach by the river and waited there.
The bamboo raft gradually came to a stop in front of them. The woman on the raft had already put on her bamboo hat and looked at them. Shi En said, "Miss, may I know why you are following us?"
The woman tilted her head and did not hesitate. She cupped her fists and said, "I do have some questions that I'd like to ask you."
"Oh?" The woman was calm and easygoing. She did not seem to be very hostile, so they had a good impression of her. Shi En said, "What questions do you have, miss? Please ask."
"Are you the heroes of Liangshan?"
"We are from Liangshan. However, in this situation, are you here to meet your kin or to seek revenge?"
"We'll have to ask to know."
She had spoken calmly earlier, so they had a good impression of her. However, when she said that, they frowned for real. Fan Rui said in a low voice, "Oh, what else do you want to ask?"
"I want to ask, are you really going to seek revenge on that bloody-handed butcher?" The woman looked at them seriously. "I heard that you people from Liangshan went to the Su family and killed more than a hundred people in his family. That's why he's here. You were in the wrong first, but now you want to seek revenge on him. Why is that? "
"... Do you know that bloody-handed butcher?"
"It doesn't matter if I don't know him or not. Just now, I heard this Brother Lin say, 'I personally went to the Su family's house. For this kind of thing, that person killed his way here. At this point, I have nothing to say.' I felt that you guys might be reasonable people, but then he said that people in the Jianghu are honest and upright. Why is it that you guys are honest and upright when you guys killed his entire family, but that person killed his way here is vicious? I don't quite understand, so I want to clarify something.
The woman's question was stern and serious. They looked at each other, and someone sneered, "I thought it was someone else. Turns out it's a crazy woman."
"We don't kill women. If you really know that Ning Liheng, get out of here."
Shi En cupped his hands and smiled. "Miss, you're obviously here to pick a fight. Why don't you clarify this? So what if I don't? We're all in Jianghu. What kind of stupid question are you asking?! "
"I know it's stupid. I shouldn't have said it. I'll just kill you. I heard what you said, so I thought maybe I could ask. If you are really reasonable people, turn around and leave today, no longer holding a grudge, and I'll let you go. If you don't want to say it, or can't explain it clearly, I'll kill you … "
"Today, I met a crazy woman!" They were all famous people in Northern Jianghu. Top experts like Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong were respected wherever they went. Seeing the woman say crazy words with a straight face, Lu Zhishen glanced at her and turned to leave. Lin Chong cupped his hands and the group of nine walked towards the road. Shi En and the others who were behind them might have been tempted by the woman. He smiled. "Miss, don't joke around. Come back to the Jianghu after seeing the corpse. We're in a good mood. If you meet someone else today, you won't be able to live well! "
The group turned to leave. The woman shook her head and got off the raft. After taking a few steps, the two leaders at the back stopped. One of them pulled out his sword and frowned. "You really don't know what's good for you. Leave quickly, or else …" The woman was not bad looking. Perhaps it was with this kind of mentality that he turned around to talk to her. However, the woman had already walked over to where the sword was pointing. The blade was about to touch the woman's chest, but she still took that step forward without stopping.
Suddenly, a cold air surged and a murderous aura came from behind them. Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, and the others felt the hair on the back of their heads stand on end. They quickly turned their heads. In the afternoon sun, the dragonflies on the grass and the fish in the water scattered in that instant! On the shore, the woman stepped into the range of the blade. With this step, her palms became blades and she chopped down from above.
Bang!
It was like the sound of two fists pounding on a cowhide drum. The leader only drew his saber and stretched it forward without any reaction. In the eyes of Lu Zhishen and the others, the man's body seemed to float in the air for a moment, and his entire body swelled up. Although they had descended the mountain, they were still wearing armor. The leader wore leather armor under his outer clothes. Under this pair of palm blades, countless crisp sounds rang out. It was the sound of the ropes on the armor snapping and the wood pieces turning to powder.
The leader's body flew eight to nine meters away on the riverbank before he fell and rolled on the ground. Blood seeped out of his mouth and clothes. His entire chest had probably been smashed.
"The number of people my subordinates have killed is probably more than all of you combined." The woman in the red dress only paused for a moment before continuing to walk forward. "So when I kill you now, don't let your guard down."
Her tone was calm. It was just a simple statement. Lin Chong pulled out his spear and prepared to charge forward. The leader closest to the woman wanted to retreat, but even though it was only a few meters, it was still a little too far.
"Who are you!?"
At this moment, the group finally asked this question. However, other than the blood that instantly bloomed, there was only a sigh.
"… It doesn't matter."
*****
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