The spring wind blew through the Kihara County in the morning. Cotton clouds floated in the sky. From a distance, one could see the sunshine of the small county through the gaps in the clouds. The boundary of the sunshine spread from the county town as the clouds wandered.
After breakfast, Ning Yi and Tan'Er strolled toward the riverbank. There were not many people following them. This was also a private time for the couple to get along.
The knot in their hearts caused by Yunzhu seemed to have been solved at this time. After that, the couple would return to Jiangning to pay their respects to the family members who died in the Liangshan incident. But in fact, there would not be much time to get along this time. On the one hand, it was because of Ning Yi's favor this time. There might be some troubles, so the couple would not go south together. On the other hand, there had been some changes in the situation of the Seven Buddhas in the south in the past two days, which made it difficult for them to decide how to react.
However, as long as the couple cared about each other, these problems were not too troublesome after all.
"… This time, I thought that the two chief detectives would take action after a period of time. Who knew that it would be so much earlier. I'm afraid that several big clans have already dispatched a lot of people … The situation is so chaotic. Husband, do you really plan to intervene?"
Walking on the riverbank, the one who spoke softly was Su Tan'er, who was a little worried. She had been in charge of the family for a few years. Although she was a woman, she had enough decisiveness. It was just that, after all, she had never set foot on a higher level. When this incident involved Junior Master Wang Chi, and the Cai, Han, Zuo, and Qi clans in the vicinity of the capital, she trusted Ning Yi and at the same time, had her reasons for being worried.
Ning Yi naturally understood this. In fact, if it weren't for the favor he owed to Chen Fan, Liu Guihua, and others in this incident, even if it involved other family members, Su Tan'er would probably choose to stay away from it. It was better not to touch it at all.
"That's why I'm thinking about it." Ning Yi nodded. "Before the situation is clear, I'm not sure what I should do. Although the Office of Secret Investigations has a certain degree of oversight over these matters, this time, the implications are too deep. They don't have any weapons of mass destruction yet, so I'm afraid we might incur public wrath if we intervene rashly …"
At this time, Ning Yi was holding Tan'Er's hand as they walked forward. She frowned and said, "Weapons of mass destruction?"
"Heh, I'm just joking."
Tan'Er pursed her lips and then rolled her eyes at Ning Yi. She laughed and said, "Look at the situation. Husband is still joking. That Watermelon Lady is probably being chased …"
"There's nothing I can do …"
The news about the incident of the Seven Buddhas in the south actually came this morning.
Since the restoration of Qin Siyuan, the once stagnant functions of the Office of Secret Investigations had gradually recovered. However, the business within the borders of the Wu dynasty was actually very complicated. Rather than saying that it was an investigative system under the control of the royal power, it was better to say that it was a private army placed under the Right Minister to coordinate with the Northern Expedition.
After all, at this time, there were still many people with real power in the political arena of the Wu dynasty. In addition, the economy was developed, and several large families colluded with the bureaucracy. The current Emperor Zhou Zheshan weighed the pros and cons. Under the premise that everything would make way for the Northern Expedition, he used a die-hard faction like Li Gang. Then, he appointed the famous and powerful Qin Siyuan as the assistant minister. He also tacitly approved the existence of the Office of Secret Investigations. If not for this, just those large merchants who did business with Liao in the past and had interests entangled with them would be enough to keep the Minister from leaving the capital. Even if Tong Guan and the others could lead the troops on the Northern Expedition, the logistics would certainly be a mess.
For this reason, after the reestablishment of the Office of Secret Investigations, most of the things they did were not to maintain regional peace and stability. The first thing they did was to attack the various political enemies of the two Ministers in the imperial court and at the local level. Although Ning Yi had participated in the Hangzhou and Liangshan incidents, in reality, that wasn't the main business of the Office of Secret Investigations.
The troubles caused by heroes of the Underworld, bandits, and bandits were actually not as great as the impact of an official in the capital secretly opposing the Northern Expedition and secretly disobeying the Minister's orders. Although the so-called "great heroes for the country and the people" of later generations seemed interesting, in reality, when considering the difficulty of commanding and training them, and the cost of using them, those unruly Underworld characters were in fact not as useful as ordinary farmers. Qin Siyuan's indifference towards Zhou Dong wasn't because he didn't have a unique vision. In fact, there was indeed a reason for it.
Therefore, in the Office of Secret Investigations, there weren't many people involved in supervising the Underworld. In principle, the imperial court didn't care about the life and death of these people. At first, Ji Kun casually looked at them when he was dealing with other matters. After Ning Yi joined, although he didn't explicitly say it, in fact, most of the matters were handed over to Ning Yi — this had always been considered Ning Yi's eccentricity — Qin Siyuan and the others felt that it was a pity that Ning Yi didn't do proper work, especially after Ning Yi got involved in some other details related to overall planning and operations.
Of course, they were friends of gentlemen after all, and there was no master-disciple relationship between them. After saying it a few times, Qin Siyuan didn't talk about it anymore. When it came to the Underworld, he basically said, "If you want to play, then play." From then on, most of the information related to the Underworld would be filed by Ning Yi.
However, this wasn't the future after all, and the transmission of information was limited. After Ning Yi came to Woodland, a lot of information would first reach the capital before being sent to Woodland. Ning Yi specially asked people to intercept them on the way. That morning, he learned that Tie Tianying, Zong Feixiao, and the others had moved ahead of time and led their subordinates to destroy the remnants of Fang Baihua. Fang Baihua's side suffered heavy casualties, but they didn't show the advantage of having a large number of martial arts masters. This proved that at least the same level of strength had been mobilized.
The Office of Secret Investigations didn't have enough manpower in this area, and the information they received was only rough. It was difficult for Ning Yi to understand the whole situation. He could only speculate that Wang Ci, or a certain family, had finally launched a thunderous attack. When these people attacked together, the Office of Secret Investigations said that they had the right to supervise, but in reality, they couldn't afford to provoke them.
After seeing the situation in the morning, he was silent for a while, then ate, exercised, and played with the child. His expression was normal, but Su Tan 'er naturally knew what her husband was thinking. What he said at this time was also what he might be worried about. The two of them walked along the riverbank for a while. Ning Yi didn't shy away from this topic.
"… I do hope that some people can live, but … the wind comes and goes, and clouds gather and disperse. If things don't go according to one's wishes, then it's all fate. But it's okay, Chen Fan and the others are very powerful …"
These words could be said simply, but in reality, the meaning was quite heavy. The two of them stood on the riverbank. Tan 'er squeezed his hand with both hands and didn't say anything. After a while, a gentle smile appeared on her face. Sighing, Ning Yi squeezed the back of her hand as well.
The two of them sat down by the riverbank and then chatted about the time they would take to go south to Jiangning. After returning to the county, near the rented courtyard, the people inside and outside the courtyard were still doing their work in an orderly manner. Not far away, the construction site of the warehouse was bustling with activity. The manager in charge of reporting to this side of the courtyard would occasionally go in and out of the courtyard. The cook who bought the food would carry the goods in from the side door. Xiao Chan pushed Ning Xi's small wooden cart in the courtyard to play. The few "salesmen" that Ning Yi brought with him had already been sent out to investigate the situation nearby.
Occasionally, Ning Yi would go out to check on the situation at the construction site. Occasionally, he would come back to do the accounts for his wife, or he would walk under the eaves or in the courtyard. The sun shone down and the air was warm and pleasant. But perhaps it was because he had something on his mind, the spring afternoon felt a bit like a dull summer day.
Not long after midnight, a new message was sent over. After reading it, Ning Yi frowned for a long time. When Su Tan 'er walked over with a plate of round and sticky pastries, Ning Yi was standing under the eaves, staring at the flower pot in a daze. The flower pot was planted by Xing' er, and now there were only two buds.
"Husband, what's wrong?" Tan 'er hugged the plate and asked in confusion.
Ning Yi turned his head to look at her and then smiled. But the smile was rather complicated. He thought for a moment before taking out a piece of paper behind him and said, "Nothing … Weapons of mass destruction … I think we have it."
"Huh?"
Tan 'er's expression was slightly stunned. She subconsciously placed a finger stained with sugar to her lips and licked it. Then, she passed the plate to Ning Yi and took the information from him. With one look, she frowned.
"I didn't think it would be this kind of news." Ning Yi held the plate. "The Office of Secret Investigations doesn't have enough manpower in this area, but it's obvious that the person they arranged in the area is an experienced one. Once he got the news, he felt that he could make a big deal out of it and immediately sent it over. 'Mad Tiger' Wang Nantuo. I've heard of this name once before. According to the rumors, I thought he was already dead. "
"Husband plans to make a big deal out of this?"
"I'm still considering how to intervene … After all, there's too little information."
Ning Yi stuffed a pastry into his mouth and said in a low voice. The news that came in the afternoon was a supplement to the situation in the south. In this attack on Fang Baihua, there was a person suspected to be the 'Mad Tiger' Wang Nantuo. And among the people involved, there seemed to be quite a number of old people from the Manichaeism Sect.
"If this is true …" Tan'Er thought for a moment. "This matter might even involve the person Husband mentioned in the past … Sikong Nan?"
Intelligence from the Green Forest was usually based on groundless rumors. It was hard to believe that Fang La's trouble could be related to the internal strife of the Manichaeism Sect more than ten years ago. Thus, Ning Yi shook his head.
"This news is a little ambiguous and can't be trusted completely. But if it really involves the Manichaeism Sect, it's not impossible. More than ten years ago, the Manichaeism Sect was a large religion among the people. After Fang La chased Sikong Nan away, he also carried out an internal purge. It's not hard to imagine that some people with power and influence would seize the opportunity to give these people protection. "With this excuse, the Office of Secret Investigations has a reason to get involved. But as for how to do it and to what extent, I'm not sure at the moment."
Tan'Er held the piece of paper and hesitated for a moment. "When we get there … we'll be able to see more clearly …"
"…"
"… Then let's get going earlier." After saying this, her eyes became clear. Then, she sighed and sniffed. She looked at him and smiled. "Is it good?"
"This?" Ning Yi held the soft pastry in his hand. "It's not bad."
"I just made it. You can eat it on the way." She walked over and took the plate from Ning Yi's hand. Then, she bumped her head against Ning Yi's shoulder. "It's just a small matter. Go home when there's progress. I'll wait for you in Jiangning." Ning Yi smiled and patted the back of her hand.
The reason was one thing. When it came to this kind of thing, it wasn't something that could be easily decided. After Tan'Er left, Ning Yi stood under the eaves for a while. Then, he sighed and called for Zhu Biao.
"Inform everyone to prepare their weapons and get ready to set off. We have a project … We also have the martial arts master that you've been thinking about."
"Ah? Who is it? "Zhu Biao's eyes lit up. Ning Yi smiled as he showed him the piece of paper.
"'Mad Tiger' Wang Nantuo. He was a great master more than ten years ago. This time, even more powerful people might be involved. In any case … go and get ready."
"Yes." Zhu Biao received the order and happily went to gather everyone. Ning Yi then called for another manager from the Office of Secret Investigations.
"Inform everyone in Chongping County, including the contact person who sent this piece of news, that we can use. This is an important matter, we have to make a trip. "
That person left with the order. Ning Yi packed his bag in the room. Guns, crossbows, lime powder, and other things. When he went out, he saw Xiaochan carrying Ning Xi standing in the corridor outside the door and looking at him. Xiaoning Xi was heartlessly opening her arms for him to carry, but Xiaochan blinked. She wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Ning Yi went over to carry the child and then Xiaochan. "It's okay. This time, it'll be quick. Let's meet in Jiangning."
"Husband, don't get hurt …" Xiaochan said softly.
Ning Yi thought about it and nodded with a smile.
*****
In the afternoon, it was raining in the hills hundreds of miles to the south. The oily spring rain soaked the entire world, and the rustling sound made it seem like there was nowhere to go. Not long ago, battles between martial artists, big and small, had still been raging in the mountains. Now, it had gradually quieted down. The heavy rain washed away the blood and soaked the corpses. It also began to blur the traces on the ground that could be traced, allowing the disadvantaged side to take a breather.
In a nunnery located in the rolling hills and wilderness, groans of pain occasionally came from under the eaves of the dripping rain. A figure with a straw raincoat on her back passed through the courtyard. When she opened the straw raincoat, Watermelon's slightly pale and haggard face was revealed. She looked at Fang Baihua, who looked even more haggard because of her injuries, and shook her head.
"It's fine nearby for now. No one is chasing us …"
Fang Baihua nodded, and Watermelon turned and walked elsewhere. There were not many people gathered here, and more than half of them were injured. Watermelon walked to the side where Fang Shuchang and the others were gathered. Their injuries were light and serious, but the most serious was Du Sha. During the battle, his arm was poisoned. In order to save his life, his entire left arm was cut off by Fang Shuchang on the spot. At this moment, the man with only his right arm was lying on the ground, and blood was still seeping out from the bandage on his left arm. No one knew if he could survive this ordeal.
In the mountains dozens of miles away from the nunnery, there was another figure walking through the vegetation. Chen Fan carried the "Mandarin Duck Blade" Ji Qian 'er on his back, and the two of them wore a hastily woven cloak to block the rain. Because Ji Qian 'er's injuries were not light, Chen Fan practically tied her to his back, which caused a lot of protests.
"… Put me down, I can walk by myself."
"… Now that you're down, you want to drag me down. We haven't gotten rid of those bastards yet, save your strength. "
"Put me down, and you'll know who's dragging who down!"
"… I'm not a twelve-year-old child, do you think I'll be fooled by you? Stop arguing. "
Although he was carrying a person, Chen Fan's breathing was steady, and his steps were agile. He passed through the mountains at an extremely fast speed. In fact, martial artists would usually learn medicine, at least in terms of internal and external injuries, no one could hide from the other.
"… Hmph! I don't want to argue with you, but … We're not out of danger yet. It's good that you can save me, but if you can't save me and I drag you down with me, I won't die willingly … "
"… Don't worry, I, Chen Fan, will soon be invincible, you … Be careful …"
"Be careful!"
The two of them spoke at almost the same time. Chen Fan suddenly leaned to the side, and Ji Qian 'er swung her blade, breaking a flying locust stone. In the next moment, Chen Fan's body broke through the curtain of rain, and like a ferocious tiger, he dashed towards the thicket in front of him.
In the thicket, a person had not yet raised his spear, but Chen Fan had already rushed over, and with a bang, he swung his arm, and in the midst of the rain, water splashed everywhere. The person's spear was broken, and he was directly smashed into the grass and mud behind him, blood splattering everywhere. In an instant, another person came over with a blade, but was blocked by Chen Fan with one hand. Sprinting, leaping, and rolling, Ji Qian 'er's dual blades drew a line of blood in the air. When Chen Fan rolled on the ground with Ji Qian' er on his back, Ji Qian 'er's single blade swept across the grass on the ground, and followed by a stone thrown by Chen Fan. The blade and the stone almost hit an enemy hiding a few feet away at the same time.
When Chen Fan regained his balance, in a short moment, the four people lying in ambush were all dead.
"… Cough …" Ji Qian 'er took a few deep breaths on Chen Fan's back, "Your reaction is a bit slow."
"Although Sister Qian 'er taught me how to use a blade, but now that our realms are different, I feel that it is a bit difficult to accommodate you."
Ji Qian 'er raised her left hand with difficulty, and then with a smack, she hit Chen Fan on the head. Chen Fan tilted his head and smiled. When he felt that the person behind him had calmed down, he walked forward and pulled out the blade that Ji Qian 'er had thrown from the corpse.
"If you don't want to be a burden to me, then take the blade."
"As if I need you to tell me! The blade never leaves my body. "
After she said this, her body suddenly trembled. Chen Fan felt a hot, sticky liquid spit on the back of his neck, it was a mouthful of blood. But he held up Ji Qian 'er's legs, as if he didn't feel it.
"Let's go."
"You better hurry up, don't be so slow like a girl."
Slightly narrowing his eyes, Chen Fan continued to walk forward with steady steps, as if he was completely unaware of the terrible fact that he had been caught in the enemy's pursuit.
"I just need to go a little further and meet up with Watermelon and the others. At that time, I can let go of you, this burden, and come back to kill that guy called Wang Nantuo. He is very strong, and it is quite easy for me to fight. It has been many years since I have fought so smoothly … You better be more energetic, Sister Qian 'er. I let you ride on my back because I want you to be taller and be able to see people. If you fall asleep and get shot in the head because it is too conspicuous, I will die of laughter … "
"… Cough, Lil 'Fan, do you know … you are becoming more and more noisy …"
*****
It was raining. In the camp that was also soaked in the rain, Fang Qinfo raised his head slightly and looked at the rain falling from the sky.
At the same time, in the south, on the official road that was still over a hundred miles away, there was a trace of hope that he had set up. At this moment, it was galloping over from the official road. It was a group of nine riders consisting of merchants and young masters from wealthy families. They were currently galloping through the curtain of rain. With their status, they shouldn't have been in such a hurry, but after considering some things, they could only do so.
If there were people with especially good memories who had stayed in some places in Fang La's army, they might be able to recognize them. The nine riders in front of them basically belonged to a unit that had a rather special status in Fang La's army. This unit was nominally under Fang Baihua's command, and they were called the Black Feather Guards.
The most elite military law team under Fang Baihua's command, which consisted of several hundred people, was now only able to gather these people. After receiving the news, the few people who had been secretly operating in the south quickly headed north, hoping to catch up with Fang Baihua and the others in time to give them some hope. At this moment, the few of them were galloping in the rain. No one knew if they could catch up or if they had already missed this golden opportunity. Just as they turned around a muddy bend in front of them, a few travelers wearing straw raincoats suddenly came up to them.
Among the nine people, the young master in the lead suddenly pulled on the reins of his horse, and at that instant, the traveler at the very front spread out his straw raincoat.
The saber light shot out and seeped into the heavy rain like snowflakes.
After a few swishes, blood spurted out of the galloping horse's body into the air, like large patches of scarlet blood clouds. The young master brandished his saber in the air and exchanged two blows with the man. Then, he was abruptly knocked away. Also because the galloping horse was too fast, the man did not keep brandishing his saber after brandishing his saber. Instead, he used a seemingly light but extremely fierce Mountain Lean, which knocked away half of the horse's body and the young master. In this collision, the leaves of the straw raincoat straightened up like swords and then retracted with a whoosh.
The galloping horse's body scattered everywhere, and the blood soaked in the rain. The young master was knocked into the mud thirty feet away and struggled to get up. Both sides of the road were at daggers drawn. Then, in the heavy rain, the man in the straw raincoat said emotionlessly, "An Xifu."
The young master was stained with mud. After he stood up, his body swayed a few times. After a long while, he nodded and said, "Wang Yin … Minister Wang … Why?"
The other side was silent for a moment and sighed. "I didn't want to … But you should know that there's no chance of getting away with it …"
Under Fang La's command, Minister Wang Yin was proficient in both literature and martial arts. Although he did not fight many times, in the eyes of many experts, he was even more terrifying than Shi Bao, Si Xingfang, Li Tianrun, and Deng Yuanjue. After Fang La's death, he had disappeared in front of everyone for a long time. But at this time, he appeared again and blocked the road. No matter what the inside story was, perhaps it really meant that there was no chance of getting away with it. An Xifu nodded. After a moment, he nodded again and laughed. "Hahahaha … hahahaha …"
In the heavy rain, his face was pale, and his laughter was particularly sorrowful. Then, he suddenly pulled out his sword and rushed toward Wang Yin!
*****
Kiyuan.
When he went to find Zhu Biao, more than 20 people there were checking the weapons and crossbows in their hands. In this era, the crossbows that were loaded with machine wheels were taboo like guns in the future. Ordinary troops could not get their hands on them. They were the most lethal weapons in their hands. Ning Yi roughly told them the destination of this trip to the south.
"… As for the specific situation, we can't know until we go to Dachong Ping. But this time, it may be related to the remnants of the Mani Cult. It will be a tough battle. You have been training for a long time. Although your martial arts have improved, no one should take it lightly. Including Zhu Biao. I know you have long wanted to find a master to fight with. There will be a chance … "
Hearing him mention Zhu Biao, everyone laughed. Ning Yi stretched out his hand and pressed it in the air.
"I'm not joking. In addition, the demons of the Devil Cult are ruthless, insidious, and cunning. Everyone has the right to punish them. Once it is confirmed that they are really involved in this, I also have to remind you that when dealing with these evil villains, there is no need to talk about Jianghu morality with them. We are officials, and they are thieves. Remember clearly! "
"Yes —" Everyone said in unison with a strong sense of righteousness.
"Okay, as long as you remember." Ning Yi's tone became gentle, and he also shook the crossbow in his hand. Then, as if he suddenly thought of something, he said, "By the way, in order not to alert the enemy, I will not be called Ning Yi."
He thought for a moment. "No matter who asks … I will be called Cheng Zhouhai."
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