The rain was still pouring, and the sky was plunged into darkness. In the past, at this time, the sky should have started to brighten, but it seemed like the last thunderstorm of summer had continued. At this time, the entire world was still in darkness. Ning Yi sat by the railing on the second floor, watching the people who had woken up busily preparing breakfast. When Zhu Hu came over, Ning Yi asked, "Second Brother Zhu, how far is it?"
"If it's the area between Anping County and Black Bull Mound, it'll take about half a day's journey if we ride at full speed. But with the weather like this, the journey won't be easy. There are mountain roads over there, and the roads are old. If we get stuck in the middle of the road in this heavy rain, I'm afraid it'll take even more time. " Zhu Hu roughly knew what he was thinking, and said, "And if there are only a dozen or twenty people riding ahead, even if we get there now, I'm afraid there won't be much meaning."
"So powerful?"
"This area has always been a gathering place for the powerful. People from the Greenwood Forest and people who travel alone. The area between Bamboo Creek and Anping County is quite dangerous, and the people who travel with goods usually don't pass through here unless they have a strong background. The name of Dulong Gang can be used here, but if there's any big conflict … "
Ning Yi frowned, "More powerful than Liangshan?"
"Uh, this …"
There was a natural power in Ning Yi's words, and it came with his mood. Zhu Hu was a little embarrassed, but then he saw Ning Yi shake his head and laugh, "Heh, I was just joking. I was thinking too much …" He was worried about Lu Hongti's situation, and after all, he was already at the highest level of anxiety, but then he turned around.
Zhu Hu also laughed, "Of course it can't be compared to Liangshan, but now the army is a mess, and the situation is even more chaotic. If we go there rashly, I'm afraid there'll be accidents."
"Is two hundred people enough?"
"It's hard to say." Zhu Hu shook his head and said, "It's not a big problem. But when we get there, it's the Greenwood Forest. We can use the name of Lone Dragon Mound, Liheng breaking up Liangshan, and the name of the government. There are those who are afraid and those who are not afraid, but it's hard to say whether there are people who want to be famous but don't care about their lives. That Swallowing Cloud Monk with the nickname 'Solitary Wanderer for Ten Thousand Miles' is wanted by the government, but in this area, he's still an expert who is feared by everyone … "
Ning Yi nodded. After crossing the border of Yunzhou, Zhuxi, Anping, and a few other counties had many barren mountains to begin with. They were also places where people from the underworld gathered. However, these people were different from Liangshan. They came in small groups. It was not that the army could not suppress them, but once they were suppressed, they would disperse. Once the army left, they would return. If the short-term goal was to disperse these people, it would not be meaningful at all. On the contrary, it would only arouse the resentment of the people. This was also the special ecology of the two roads in Shandong. Even if Ning Yi led two hundred people in, he couldn't act like a tyrant. Moreover, because of the heavy rain, the two hundred people couldn't gather.
It was just that in this heavy rain, Shandong was not rich. His group could temporarily take shelter from the rain, but in this dilapidated relay station, where could the injured Lu Hongti go to take shelter from the rain? She had stirred up such a huge storm in the underworld all by herself. When she chased after the crowd earlier, she could pick off those who were alone and kill them. It looked awe-inspiring, but she was alone after all. In order to avoid being found, how much vigilance did she have to be on guard at all times? As Ning Yi thought about this, he couldn't help but feel anxious about the heavy rain in front of him.
After a while, the sky behind the clouds began to brighten slightly. The porridge and steamed buns in the relay station were already cooked. Ning Yi and the others ate in the hall of the relay station. Then, he told Zhu Hu, Zhu Biao, and the others about the situation in Anping County.
"Among these people, the most skilled in martial arts are probably Sun Li, Lin Chong, Shi Jin, Chen Jinxia, Lu Wenhu, and Monk Swallow Cloud. Let's not talk about Sun Li, Lin Chong, and the others first. Chen Jinxia, Lu Wenhu, and the others are originally the big shots of the Shandong Province, and they are also famous in the Daming Prefecture. Chen Jinxia's nickname is' Iron Fist '. I heard that he is famous for his martial arts, but he is also good at using a broadsword. Don't be fooled by his feminine name. In fact, he is tall and burly, and his martial arts are both hard and soft. To be so famous in this area, he might not be any worse than Instructor Luan. "
Zhu Hu told them about his understanding of Anping County. "As for Lu Wenhu, I heard that he knows all kinds of martial arts, and is very good at using any weapon. Back in Shandong, he met his friends in martial arts and made a name for himself. Many people died at his hands, but there are also many who admire him. He and Chen Jinxia are mainly famous in this area because they are skilled in martial arts and have not been offended by the government. This time, they probably want to use the destruction of Liangshan to do something. To be honest, that Lu … Senior Lu was able to repeatedly escape from these people's encirclement, which is already very impressive. "
"As for Swallowing Cloud Monk, he can be considered to be infamous in this region. This person is skilled in martial arts, and his attacks are vicious. He has made countless enemies in Shandong. Other than the lives of his subordinates, he often defiled the chastity of women. Many of the daughters of the rich merchants and officials in the Daming Prefecture have been kidnapped and raped by him. Countless wanted posters have been issued, but his subordinates alone have killed no less than twenty of them. He has been doing evil for so many years, but he is still not caught. Not many people dare to provoke him anymore … "
Ning Yi nodded. "Because of these people's arrival, the rest of the people from the Greenwood Forest have also gathered here …"
Zhu Hu said, "That 'Quick Sword' Lin Qi has many disciples, and there are also many people who know him. For example, the Green Forest Bandits from Qiyun Camp, the people from Wuhua Camp, Tie Pai Lou and Fire Fist Gang in Anping are probably here to join in the fun. It's not that they are not afraid of the officials, but it's not easy to suppress them directly. Oh, Tie Pai Lou has a boss called Yao Wuliu. He practices the Iron Thread Fist and is very skilled in martial arts. The people in the Green Forest call him 'Mister Wu Liu'. He is the most powerful person in Anping. Killing people in Anping is equivalent to not giving him face. After this person joins, it will be a big problem. "
Ning Yi finished his mixed grain porridge as he listened. He put his hand on his forehead and thought for a while. "That's fine. We'll deal with it when it comes. No matter what, she must be fine …"
"Should we send someone back to inform the others, and … the generals of the Wu Rui Camp?" Qi Xinhan asked.
"That's fine." Ning Yi nodded, then looked at the heavy rain outside. "But no matter what, I don't want to wait any longer. After a while, if the rain doesn't let up, we'll ride first. We should be able to reach Anping by night. Let's just treat it as a trip to Jianghu. How about it? "
Hearing his question, everyone laughed. In reality, among this group of people, the one with the least experience in Jianghu was probably Ning Yi. Everyone's worries were reasonable, but when it came to taking risks, how could they say no? Zhu Biao didn't care. "Brother Ning, don't worry. I, Zhu Biao, am not afraid of those people. With everyone here, we will definitely protect you. Not to mention that there might not be a fight, even if there is, we are not afraid of that motley crew. "
Ning Yi smiled and cupped his hands. "Then I'll have to trouble everyone to take the risk for me."
Just like that, after a while, the rain did not slow down, but the sky was already bright. Everyone put on their straw raincoats, rode their horses, and went all the way to Anping. At noon, they crossed a rising river on the official road, turned onto a fork, and entered the rugged mountain range that led to Anping.
The mountain range was winding, stretching out in the heavy rain. Anping was located in the mountains, a small and barren county. It did not receive as much attention as a few of the wealthier counties in the Ji Province. It had always been ungoverned, but because of the gathering of the Green Forest and the bandit gangs, it was somewhat lively. Leaving the county, the mountain range became more desolate. In the dusky sky, in a half-collapsed mud-brick building halfway up the mountain, a hand was quietly reaching out, feeling the falling raindrops.
This was an old and small house, mostly made of mud. Without anyone taking care of it, half of it had collapsed, and the other half was not very big. The rainwater poured in from one end and flowed out from the gap on the other side. In the small, gray space of the dilapidated house, Lu Hongti curled up, hugging her ancient sword and bag. She sat on a pile of junk, but in reality, the small number of junk and mud were also somewhat wet from the water. Water dripped from the roof, landing on the cloak above her head, and then down the edge of the cloak …
She sighed. Even if she was a martial arts master, she could not resist the power of heaven and earth at this time. Hunger came from her stomach, and she took out the last half of the hard biscuit and took a bite. It actually did not taste good.
Her gaze passed through the curtain of rain and landed on the forest not far away. She thought for a moment, tightened her straw cape, and jogged out with the cloak. She plucked a few leaves from the tree, broke the half of the hard biscuit in half, and put the leaves in her mouth to take a bite.
The taste was a little better. These few days, she had been focused on escaping and killing, but she had forgotten to grab some food. It was also because she did not have many requirements for the quality of the food, but who knew that this heavy rain would make it inconvenient for her to move around? Although the straw cape could block most of the raindrops, there would always be water seeping in. In fact, moving outside would not make people feel good. Just as she finished the half of the flatbread in her hand, her gaze suddenly sharpened. Not far in front of her, two men, who were also wearing straw raincoats and wielding weapons, froze there. They looked at her, and then almost subconsciously drew their swords.
With a bang, the figure passed through the curtain of rain and broke through the water. Her footsteps were like lotus flowers that suddenly bloomed. In the air, there was a boom. When the figure flew out, the water was forced to scatter, and the other person was sent flying into the tree trunk, causing water to fall down. However, after the figure used two moves, the figure hurriedly ran back. She had rushed too fast and used too much strength, and the bamboo hat and straw cape had already fallen to the ground behind her. The heavy rain poured down on her. She ran two steps, then hurriedly ran back, took the bamboo hat and cloak off the dead person, and put it on herself. At this time, she was already in a rather sorry state. Then, she searched the two corpses, and found some copper coins and silver fragments, but there was no food. She stood there and sighed.
When she turned back, the dilapidated mud house that only had half of it left had also collapsed in the heavy rain.
"God …" Hong Ti murmured dejectedly. She looked down the mountain in the direction of the distant county. There was actually some weakness in her gaze, but it also contained an unchangeable determination. She tightened the small bundle tied to her chest, then tidied up the straw cape. She crossed her arms and walked into the forest and the mountains, looking for a new place to hide from the rain. In fact, the heavy rain was nothing. She remembered many miserable days like this, and even more miserable ones. In fact, she was already used to it. No matter how skilled she was in martial arts, when she was hungry, when she was alone, she would also cry. She was much better now.
Moreover, she still remembered that rainy day, and the time she spent with that man in the dilapidated mountain god temple. That dilapidated temple was slightly larger than the mud house from before, and it did not collapse. They used a broken pot in the temple to cook. Actually, to him, those were simple and crude days, but to her, those days were one of the rare days where she could relax. Without the burden of the mountain stronghold, after taking revenge, she would not starve, and could … listen to stories.
The people at the foot of the mountain were already terrified by her killing, but the few newcomers were still very arrogant. She had to kill them again and completely destroy their spirit. Only by leaving her name, would it be enough … to protect his safety in the future.
With this thought in mind, she walked in the rain, and her gaze calmed down.
While she was thinking about this, Ning Yi and his group of twenty people were leading their horses and carefully walking through a rugged bend in the mountains in the distance. That night, when the heavy rain was a little weaker, the group finally arrived at Anping and entered the largest inn in the county.
For Ning Yi, rushing here at high speed was also a risk. However, since Lu Hongti was already injured, this risk had to be taken. Previously, he had also thought of keeping a low profile, and when he arrived, they would meet again on foot. However, this time, not long after they entered Anping County, everything changed because of his arrival …
*****
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