In the night, the Aye-mei Cudgel slammed into the ground, making a loud noise and showing its amazing power. At the same time, not only were Takeshi's men shocked, but also a few henchmen from the Greenwood Gang who came with him.
As one of the most skilled martial artists in Liangshan, the "Nine-patterned Dragon" Shi Jin's skills with spears and sticks were only slightly inferior to Lu Junyi's, but comparable to Lin Chong's. However, Lin Chong was a professional and had a solid foundation in martial arts. Shi Jin, on the other hand, was a young chivalrous man with a fiery temperament. His skills with spears and sticks were also very bold and unconstrained. Compared to Lin Chong, he had a more domineering momentum.
However, Liangshan was destroyed. After witnessing Lin Chong being forced to fall off the cliff, Shi Jin flew into a rage and killed a group of Liangshan traitors who wanted to take Lin Chong's head for a reward. Then, he could only wander in Jianghu and return to the wilderness.
Ning Yi's destruction of Liangshan had caused a great stir. He had originally thought about whether to go south to the capital to avenge his brothers. However, he was a straightforward man and his thoughts were relatively straightforward. He had killed half of the people in the other party's family, and the other party had come and flattened Liangshan. Sometimes, the Greenwood Gang was like this. You kill me, I kill you. Therefore, although he wanted to take revenge, he was not obsessed. In his opinion, since the other party had destroyed the entire Liangshan, there must be all kinds of wanted posters in the south for the remaining members of Liangshan. Therefore, after searching for Lin Chong, he simply turned around and headed north, relying on his martial arts along the way to earn some food and drink.
The world in the north was not good, but for an expert like him, it was like a fish in water. Along the way, he met some people and fought a few times. Thus, he became famous in a small area. With his loyal and loyal personality, he treated his brothers extremely well. Afterwards, he settled down in the small town and collected protection fees from some of the merchants in the town. He could be considered to have become the leader of a small gang of ruffians.
North of the Yellow River, especially in the area near Taiyuan, there had always been a mixture of good and bad people, and it was difficult to distinguish between good and bad. This kind of small gang often had a hidden relationship with the government, and the people were willing to accept it. Therefore, it was not a shameful job. However, the big scene in Liangshan had already passed, and so many of his brothers had died in front of him. Shi Jin was more or less disheartened, and from then on, he no longer fought too much.
With his martial arts, he was already among the top in Jianghu. Even in a big city like Taiyuan, he could make a name for himself. In this kind of small place, if one encountered a few hoodlums, they would usually just need to stretch their muscles and bones, and the fight would be over. The lackeys around him knew that this big brother had some background, but they didn't have a clear understanding of his martial arts. But at this moment, the sudden burst of killing intent almost startled them. In that instant, the cudgel struck out without a trace, but it whistled through the air. After the figure flew out, the cudgel smashed into the ground, and the road seemed to move. The lackeys also knew that their big brother had met a great enemy.
Over at the Bamboo Shop, there were usually only two guards following the carriage. After one of them was sent flying, the other slightly younger man suddenly pulled out his sword and rushed forward. His appearance was young and inexperienced, yet fierce. However, when he rushed forward, the guard on the ground reached out and pulled him back.
"Cough cough … Don't hit me."
"But … Master, you …"
"Chief Shi … has already held back. Come, this is one of the leaders with the most powerful spear and stick skills in Liangshan that I once told you about, the Nine-patterned Dragon Shi Jin … Greet Chief Shi. "
The man who was beaten to the ground spat out blood and his teeth were knocked out. Then, he struggled to get up from the ground. The blow to his face was the main reason why his teeth were knocked out. The reason why he spat out blood was because he had been pushed on his chest, causing internal injuries. But at this moment, it seemed that he didn't care at all. He even asked the young man beside him to greet Shi Jin. Shi Jin snorted coldly and raised his hand.
"You and I are enemies, not friends. There's no need to be polite. Hmph, don't think that I won't kill you just because you didn't block or dodge. I was just greeting you just now. I, Shi Jin, have to make things clear when I kill someone! "
Shi Jin's rod technique was powerful, and his personality was straightforward. Just now, when he attacked in anger, his first strike was aimed at the other party's face. This kind of fierce killing move at the beginning usually required the other party to dodge. Who knew that the other party didn't seem to be an ordinary person who had no martial arts skills, but he didn't dodge at all. He used 70% of his strength and sent the person flying with the second strike. He was full of anger, but he smashed the ground.
Hearing his words, the guard from the Bamboo Shop, whose face was covered in blood, cupped his hands and said, "Leader Shi's chivalrous spirit has always been famous in Liangshan, and I have always admired it …"
The young guard next to him said, "What chivalry? Killing people with all your might … I think it's normal."
The guard with blood on his face glared at his disciple beside him and then said, "… I'm really happy to see that Chief Shi is safe and sound this afternoon. Oh, my name is Tian Keshan. I was originally a personal guard under Chief Liu Tang. Chief Shi should have never heard of my name. "
"Okay." Shi Jin was so angry that he laughed, "After reporting your name, have you thought about your future? Do you know who killed Brother Liu Tang! "
Tian Keshan's face was calm, "Chief Liu died in the hands of Yan Qing. Yan Qing is now working for the imperial court with Lu Junyi. As for me, if you want to talk about my future. I raised a few children in the east of Bianliang City. They were all child beggars who lost their families during the food shortage last year. After Chief Shi kills me, if it's really possible, you might as well take care of them on my behalf. If not, I also understand. "
Shi Jin's expression froze slightly. After a moment, he gritted his teeth, "… Did you take the wrong medicine? Was your head broken? Do you think I won't kill you if you say this kind of thing? Or do you feel that you have done wrong in the past, so you want to atone for your sins!? What's wrong with you guys? "
"If it's about atonement, I do have it." Tian Keshan said indifferently, "In my life, I have done many wrong things since I was a child. When I went to Liangshan, I did even more wrong things. After Chief Liu Tang died, I finally turned to Takeshi. In the eyes of Chief Shi, of course, I was not loyal and it was a wrong thing. When the soldiers attacked Liangshan, in order to survive, I even killed the brothers around me and cut off their heads to protect myself. This was also a big mistake. I feel that I have sinned deeply. Now doing this kind of thing can make my heart at peace, and it is indeed an indisputable thing. "
"Okay." Shi Jin nodded and sneered, "You know that you have sinned deeply. Do you think you can write it off by doing this kind of thing?"
"It's impossible to write it off." Tian Keshan said, "The past mistakes have been done. No matter how much I regret and atone for my sins, the dead can't come back to life. Before I went to Liangshan, I was a robber. After I went to Liangshan, I was still a robber and killed. In the past, I thought that as long as I had loyalty to my brothers, I would not care about other things, so my heart was at peace. Now, my heart is no longer at peace, so doing good things is all selfish thoughts. "
In the night wind, the flames flickered. Shi Jin's aura was awe-inspiring. The man named Tian Keshan stood there with blood on his face, and half of his cheek was swollen. He said these pedantic words, but it seemed that he was not at a disadvantage at all. Shi Jin picked up the stick and slowly walked to the side. The young guard kept pointing his saber at him.
"Is this a good person?" Shi Jin said, "The world is desolate, and the corrupt officials of the imperial court are in power. If you want to be a good person who takes care of everything, the wicked will bully you. How did my brother Lin Chong go up the mountain? He was chased by his own people and fell off the cliff without a corpse left! We martial artists can't care too much. Since I, Shi Jin, started practicing martial arts, I have always been loyal to the brothers around me. Even if I die, I will never change! You are a bastard who killed your own brother. How dare you pretend to be righteous in front of me today? "
"It is also because of this that Chief Shi keeps his brotherhood, so he can wield his saber to kill other innocent people with a clear conscience. I used to be like this. If it weren't for this, I probably wouldn't have lived until now. Therefore, I understand Chief Shi's loyalty. Because of this … I understand why Chief Shi wants to kill me today, so I don't have any resentment in my heart. "
The young guard said, "It's not that I don't have any resentment. We, the Takeshi, are united. Whoever wants to kill will have to go through me first!" As soon as he finished speaking, he was suddenly pushed away by Tian Keshan. "Don't make trouble. You and I are not a match for Chief Shi!"
"If you kill us, there will naturally be others who will come!" The young guard said stubbornly. Then, the steel saber was pointed at Shi Jin.
Shi Jin walked around the two of them. At this time, he also stopped. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. He was both mocking and confused about what was happening in front of him. However, the mockery at the beginning was gradually replaced by more confusion.
"Let me ask you one last time," he said. "You can't write it off, and you are not a good person. What's the point of doing all this? You are just a hypocrite. "
Tian Keshan shook his head. "A hypocrite is better than a real villain. It's better than a little bit bad. I don't want to say that as long as I repent, I can become a good person. It's just that when I think about this, my heart can more or less be at peace. Chief Shi, your heart is unfettered. If you want to kill me, I can't do anything about it. It's just that Takeshi will not leave from here. We walk around and say those good things everywhere, saying that the great heroes serve the country and the people. You beat us away. Next, not only will the people of Takeshi come, but the government and the army will also come to intervene. Our boss is very powerful and has a lot of connections. Chief Shi also knows that. "
Shi Jin tilted his head and took a breath. Looking at Tian Keshan's eyes, he was shocked by the dead calmness in them. People who practiced martial arts paid attention to clarity and understanding of their thoughts. In other words, they had a complete explanation for what they had done, which could make their views of the world clear. However, before this, he had heard of heroes who walked upright all their lives, but he had never seen such a "hypocrite" like the one in front of him. But after all, he was a straightforward person. He was confused. After a while, he actually put away the rod.
"I will think about what you said and then come to kill you," he said word by word, then turned around. When he was about to walk away, he remembered something and tilted his head. "Hey."
This time, his voice was much lower. "My brother Lin Chong … Did you find out about his situation later?"
"The people of Liangshan escaped. Later, the government investigated some of them, but they found out that they had done evil deeds. Maybe it was the boss's idea," Tian Keshan said. Tian Keshan said, "But with regards to Leader Lin Chong and Leader Shi, we didn't pursue them anymore. I once heard that Grandmaster Zhou Dong had interceded on Chief Lin's behalf. Chief Lin's martial arts skills were so high that I thought he might still be alive somewhere. "
Did you know that he had fallen off the cliff …
Shi Jin thought about this in his heart, but in the end, he did not say it out loud. Those who tried to kill Lin Chong were later chased by him all the way, and none of them survived. Therefore, except for him, no one else knew about this matter. Brother Lin … might be alive somewhere, or he might have fallen off the cliff and died without a corpse.
He clenched his fists and walked away. A group of subordinates also followed him. After walking for a while, he heard footsteps behind him. It was Tian Keshan who had caught up with him. "Chief Shi, I have something to say."
Shi Jin suddenly turned around. "I'll let you go this time. Do you really think I'm a wishy-washy woman? If you keep nagging, I'll really kill you! "
Tian Keshan stopped, cupped his fists, and said very quickly, "When I left the capital, there was a rumor from the owner's side that the Jins might really send troops south."
"Didn't they say that in the past?" Thinking of the threat of the Jins that had always been mentioned in the past, and the recruitment edict last year, Shi Jin suddenly waved his hand, and then felt that this matter was too far away. "Besides, even if there is such a thing, what's the use of telling me!"
"Uh …" Tian Keshan was stunned. "It's just that Chief Shi is here now, near Yanmen Pass. Uh … please take care."
After Tian Keshan finished speaking, he stepped back. Shi Jin also suddenly turned around and cursed, "F * ck!" He stepped forward. Thinking of what Tian Keshan said, it was true that many people had said this in the past, but if he really took it as a fact, it was indeed too far away. If there was really a war, it was hard to say whether he could reach here or not. If he really reached here, he could only fight to the death or leave.
And once such a serious thought came to him, he always felt … as if something was suddenly stuck in his heart. He shook his head and threw the matter out of his mind.
*****
Ning Yi led Jin 'er out for a short period of time to deal with some matters in the south, and returned to Bianliang in a few days. At this time, Xiaochan was nearly nine months pregnant. The little servant girl who had been around him when he first came to the Wu dynasty suddenly became a pregnant woman who ran around with a ball. It really gave people the impression that time had passed.
Of course, more of the impression came from the dullness of the summer. At this time, it was already summer, and the sun was shining brightly. The cicadas chirped endlessly in the trees every day, and Ning Yi organized his family to capture and drive away many of them. In the morning, he dealt with all kinds of trivial matters at home, or went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to meet with all kinds of people and chat with them. At noon, he went home. After lunch, he drank a bowl of iced dessert with his family, fanned himself, gathered together, and took a nap on the cool bed.
Recently, the discussion about the Golden Men heading south had magically decreased a lot. Maybe it was because the dullness of the summer made people talk less. Of course, there were always scholars who peddled the theory of crisis, but more people began to restrain themselves. They preferred to analyze the reason why the Golden Men couldn't possibly go south, as if they were afraid of triggering some prophecy and alarming the evil gods.
Invitations to poetry meetings were often sent home. Ning Yi occasionally participated, bringing Tan 'er, Yunzhu, Jin' er, and the others. When the poetry meeting was over, or when they lost interest, they would go home in the night of Bianliang City.
He had a lot of contact with Shishi. Although she was already past the age of being a top courtesan, Shishi's popularity in the capital had not completely declined. There were still many people who wanted to marry her and meet her, but they were of a private nature. As for large-scale poetry meetings and banquets, the hosts were more inclined to younger courtesans. Although her popularity had not decreased, she had a lot of private social engagements. Shishi became more casual about this matter. She declined invitations when she had nothing to do and wandered around the capital. She often came to chat with Ning Yi, probably because Ning Yi's words could often inspire her. She had been a courtesan for so many years, but still had not found a home, so Mama Lee did not stop her.
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