In the distance, the setting sun shone on a winding path through the mountains. A shabby inn was located on the edge of a forested mountain.
The man who had changed his name to Mu Yi was standing in an open space not far from the inn's entrance, chopping firewood into a small hill. He was tall and did his work in silence. There was no sign of sweat on his body. There was originally a tattoo on his face, but later on, it was covered with scars. His handsome face became ferocious and fierce. At first glance, he often looked scary.
This small mountain ridge was called the Nine Wood Ridge. There was a small inn and three to five families in the surrounding area. When the Woman Zhenren had gone south, this area had been affected by the battle. The surrounding people had scattered. The Nine Wood Ridge was remote, so the original inhabitants did not leave, thinking that they could escape under the nose of the Woman Zhenren. A small Woman Zhenren scout team had visited this place, and all of them had died. Later, some foreign refugees came to live here. Mu Yi and his wife, Xu Jinhua, were the first to arrive and tidy up the inn.
The barren mountain was a dangerous place. Occasionally, there would be people walking around. Adventurous merchants and Jianghu travelers would come here and leave a few copper coins. Mu Yi was tall and strong. Beneath the scars on his face, one could vaguely see the tattoos. Those who wished for safety did not cause any trouble.
The days passed. When the Woman Zhenren had gone north, she had not chosen this road. Living on this small mountain, she could occasionally hear news from the outside world. Now, in the heat of the summer, she could still live a peaceful life. He had chopped some firewood and was about to enter when he heard the sound of hooves approaching from the other side of the road.
There were five of them, all dressed in the attire of the Green Forest. They carried sticks, knives and spears, and looked travel-worn. As the sun set, one of the men on horseback said, "Brother Xu, it's getting late. There's an inn up ahead. Let's rest here!"
Then someone else responded. The five men had been running for a day and were tired. One of them was breathing heavily, but the leader's breath was steady. His martial arts skills could be considered to have reached a higher level. Mu Yi glanced at them. When the five men looked back, he carried the firewood and entered the inn in silence.
It had only been a short time since the war had ended. Travelers were afraid of encountering illegal inns, and innkeepers were afraid of encountering strong men. Mu Yi's physique and his scars made it clear that he was not a benevolent man. The five of them had a brief discussion outside the Laughing Tavern. After a while, they entered. Mu Yi came out again to fetch some firewood. His wife, Xu Jinhua, greeted him with a smile. "Ah, my five guests, would you like to have a meal or stay in the tavern?" On such a barren mountain, they could not rely on a tavern to make a living.
Mu Yi ordered Xu Jinhua to prepare some food, wine, and meat. They also asked for two rooms. During this time, the man surnamed Xu had been staring at Mu Yi. After a while, he turned to his companions and said, "He's just an ordinary man with a bit of strength. He doesn't know any martial arts." Only then did the other four relax.
Without the worries in their hearts, they went upstairs to put down their luggage. When they came back down, their voices had already become louder, and the small space of the inn had also become a little more lively. Mu Yi's wife, Xu Jinhua, was a cheerful and bold woman. While they were serving wine and meat, she inquired about the origins of these people. These people of the Greenwood Forest did not try to hide it. They were all from Jingzhou, and had come together to participate in the Greenwood Forest's grand event. Judging from their manner of speaking, it was not a shameful matter.
At this time, the country was in trouble. Although there were many mediocre people, there was no lack of hot-blooded people who wanted to do something. Xu Jinhua was more or less relieved to see that they were people from the Underworld. At this time, it was already late. The stars and moon had risen outside, and the faint howls of animals could be heard in the forest. The five of them chatted as they ate. At a certain moment, the sound of hooves could be heard outside the door again. The few of them frowned as they heard the sound of hooves stop outside the inn.
The newcomers dismounted and pushed the door open. Xu Jinhua, who was sitting behind the counter, turned her head to look. This time, it was three people from the Greenwood Forest. Their clothes were somewhat old, but they were clearly not easy to deal with. The leader was tall and straight, and somewhat resembled Mu Yi. His eyebrows were bright, and his eyes were sharp and dignified. There were several small scars on his face, and he carried a long copper staff on his back. At a glance, one could tell that he was a warrior who had experienced many battles.
When the three of them came in, they looked at the five Xu brothers. The man with the long stick on his back turned towards Xu Jin Hua and said, "Lady boss, two rooms for the night. Also, help me feed the horses." He placed a piece of silver on the table.
Looking at the silver, Xu Jinhua nodded repeatedly and said, "Mistress, mistress, go and help feed the horses!"
"Yes," a low voice replied, and a figure left through a side door. The woman frowned, then quickly arranged rooms for the three people. One of the three men carried their luggage upstairs. The two of them found a square table and sat down. Xu Jinhua ran to the kitchen and brought out some rice wine. When she went in to prepare the meal, she saw that her husband was already inside.
"Husband, three more people have arrived. Don't you want to go out and take a look?"
In the past, whenever people from the Greenwood Forest came to the mountain, Mu Yi would often go out for a walk in order to intimidate them. Even if the other party couldn't see through him, with such a tall man with tattoos and scars on his back, they wouldn't do anything rash. But this time, Xu Jinhua saw that her husband was sitting on a stool by the door. She shook her head wearily. After a moment, she said in a low voice, "Go, it'll be fine."
Xu Jinhua paused for a moment, then nodded.
Lin Chong had been picked up by Xu Jinhua after he was seriously injured on Liangshan. He had been away from the martial arts world for many years, but now he recognized that the man carrying the long copper staff was his old brother, the "Nine-tattooed Dragon", Shi Jin.
Xu Jinhua naturally didn't know about this. She then prepared food and sent it to the people outside. The inn became quiet at this time. The five people with the surname Xu looked over and whispered to each other about a few things. The three did not speak. After the food was served, they buried themselves in eating and drinking. After a while, the middle-aged man surnamed Xu stood up and walked over. He cupped his hands and said, "May I ask if you are the Eight-Armed Dragon King of Red Peak, Brother Shi?"
Shi Jin frowned and stood up. "Yes, I am. May I ask who you are?"
"I am Xu Qiang, from Jingzhou with a few brothers. I have long heard of the Eight-Armed Dragon King. When the golden dogs were around, the Shi brothers had always been at odds with the golden dogs. Not long ago, when the golden dogs retreated, it was said that it was also the Shi brothers who led people straight into the golden dogs' barracks and killed dozens of golden dogs with their own hands. Then, bathed in blood, they killed their way out, causing the golden people to be terrified. After I heard this, I wanted to get to know Brother Shi. I didn't expect to meet you here in the wilderness. "
Some news in the Green Forest may never be known by people, but some news, because of the spread of information, could quickly spread hundreds of miles away. He talked about this heroic thing, but Shi Jin was not happy. He waved his hand and said, "Brother Xu, please sit down."
Xu Qiang sat down generously. "I wonder where Brother Shi and these two good brothers are going."
"I'm just going back to the mountain to meet people." Shi Jin said, "What's the matter, Brother Xu?"
Seeing that he went straight to the point, Xu Qiang's face was slightly stagnant, but then he smiled. "Several brothers and I want to go to the northwest to do something big." As he spoke, he made a few gestures with his hands. This was a gesture in the Jianghu, hinting that this was a grand event convened by a certain big shot. Those who understood would more or less understand.
Shi Jin nodded and did not speak. The other party waited for a moment and said loudly, "Now that the Female Immortal has gone south, our dynasty is in turmoil, Bianliang City has been lost, and the emperor has been taken to the north. This is an unprecedented shame and humiliation. But the reason for such a great shame and humiliation is because of one of the culprits. Do you know? "
"I don't know what Brother Xu is talking about …"
"It's the shocking rebel, the devil known as the Heart Demon, Ning Yi, Ning Liheng!" Xu Qiang said this name through gritted teeth. "This person is not only the public enemy of the Underworld, but he also worked under the treacherous minister Qin Siyuan. In order to seek merit, when the Female Immortal first came south, the traitorous minister transferred all the good weapons and armaments to his son, Qin Shaoqian. At that time, the situation in Bianliang was critical, but the millions of people of the Wu dynasty in the city were united and repelled the Female Immortal. After this battle, the late emperor saw through the treacherous minister and dismissed him. But he did not expect that the traitor had already grasped the only fighting army in the court. After the Western Army was dispersed, no one could control him. In the end, he committed the treacherous act of killing the emperor in the Golden Palace. If it weren't for this, even if the Female Immortal came south for the second time and the late emperor cleared up the government, Bianliang would still be defended! It can be said that hundreds of years of our dynasty and hundreds of thousands of people in Bianliang were all lost in the hands of this traitor who should be killed and cut into pieces! "
His speech was impassioned and powerful. At the end of his speech, he rapped his fingers on the wooden table twice. The four men at the nearby table nodded repeatedly. If it weren't for this traitor, how could Bianliang be easily conquered by the Female Immortal? Shi Jin nodded, already clear: "You are going to kill him."
"The hundreds of millions of people of the Wu dynasty all have an irreconcilable hatred with him! This devil is now hiding in the barren mountains in the northwest. When the Xixia people come south, he is faced with a dilemma and can't deal with it. When we go there, we can act according to the situation. At that time, we can either kill this devil or capture his family and send them to Jiangning to be cut into pieces as a celebration for the new emperor's ascension to the throne! "
Zhang Bangchang, who was forced to be a fake emperor by the Female Immortal, didn't dare to act recklessly. Now that the Wu dynasty court had moved to Jiangning, the news that the new emperor was going to succeed the throne had spread. Xu Qiang said this and cupped his hands: "It is said that the Eight-Arm Dragon King, Brother Shi, is highly skilled in martial arts and abhors evil. Today, we happened to meet such a grand event. If you can go with us, with Brother Shi's skills, the possibility of this devil being killed will increase greatly. If Brother Shi and the other two brothers are interested, we might as well go together. "
Xu Qiang looked at Shi Jin. He was good at martial arts and could be considered a master in Jingzhou, but he was not famous. But if he could find the Eight-Arm Dragon King who attacked the Golden Camp to go with him, or even become friends or brothers after learning from each other, his reputation would naturally rise. However, Shi Jin also looked over, looked at him for a moment, and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I still have important matters to attend to. I can't go to kill the inner demon. I can only congratulate Brother Xu on your success in killing the traitor. " After saying this, after a while, he said, "It's just that the inner demon is cunning. Brother Xu, and the other brothers, you have to be careful."
Xu Qiang was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed and said, "Of course, of course, I won't force it, I won't force it. However, no matter how cunning the inner demon is, he is not a god. We have already disregarded life and death when we go there. This person is perverse, and we are enforcing justice on behalf of heaven, so we are not afraid of him! "
When he said the words "enforcing justice on behalf of heaven", Shi Jin frowned, and then Xu Qiang and the other four also laughed and said some impassioned words. Not long after, the dinner was over, and everyone returned to their rooms. Xu Qiang and the others still had some doubts about the attitude of the Eight-Arm Dragon King. Before dawn the next day, everyone got up and set off. Xu Qiang invited Shi Jin again, and then left a meeting place. When both sides left the small inn, someone next to Xu Qiang would look at this side and spit.
"Bah, what Eight-Arm Dragon King, I think he is also fishing for fame!"
On the other side, Shi Jin's horse turned around the mountain road. He frowned and looked back. His brothers beside him could not stand the attitude of Xu Qiang and the other four, and said, "This group of people doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth! Brother Shi, do you want me to catch up and teach them a lesson? "
Shi Jin shook his head and said, "I have some grudges with the inner demon, but I can't tell whether he is good or bad." He let out a long breath and said, "These people are not bad people. I am just afraid that they will not come back …"
Everyone's horses galloped away to the sides. In front of the small inn, Lin Chong walked out of the darkness. He looked into the distance, and the sky in the east had already turned slightly white. After a while, he also let out a long sigh.
Behind the distant mountain, there were still countless distant mountains …
When Xu Qiang and the others, as well as more people from the Greenwood Forest, quietly came to the northwest, to the north of Lüliang, the Jin General Ci Buxiu had completely cut off several smuggling routes to Lüliang. The current Jin Emperor, Wu Qimai, was very afraid of this kind of private collusion between the Jin and the Han. Now that the wind was blowing, it was not difficult to cut off this difficult route with a high-pressure policy in a short time.
In the southwest, the Xixia General Juleseler also adopted a high-pressure policy against the refugees and merchants coming and going in the mountains. Once they were caught, they would definitely be beheaded in public. It was already June. Li Qianshun had conquered Yuanzhou, and at the same time, he was cleaning up Huanzhou, preparing to block the base of the Xixia General Lie's activities and cut off all his escape routes. In the Xixia Country, more troops were being sent here. In the entire northwest, the Xixia army had reached 130,000 people, excluding the battle losses. In addition to the Han troops that had been taken in after the situation was stabilized, the size of the whole army could already go up to more than 200,000.
This was a number that even the Golden Men would not be able to easily shake.
In the Little Cang River, the Green Wood Stronghold, and other places, the grain reserves had almost reached the bottom. Although the wheat on the riverbank was gradually maturing, everyone knew that these things could not make up for much. The Green Wood Stronghold also planted wheat, but there was still a long way to go before it could feed the people in the stronghold. With the reduction of everyone's food quota, coupled with the cut off of the trade routes, both sides were actually under great pressure.
In the morning, in the courtyard halfway up the mountain, Ning Yi brought porridge and flatbread into the room. Then, he and Su Tan'er, who was lying on the bed, had breakfast together with some pickled vegetables. Su Tan'er had fallen ill. In the past six months, she, who was responsible for the supplies of the entire valley, had lost 20 kilograms of weight. In particular, as the grain reserves gradually reached the bottom, she found it difficult to eat anything. Every day, if it were not for Ning Yi coming to accompany her, she would find it extremely difficult to swallow food.
As for Su Tan'er's inability to eat, Ning Yi couldn't say too much about it. The husband and wife had to bear many burdens together. The enormous pressure was not something that ordinary people could understand. If it was only psychological pressure, she did not fall. It was only because of her menstrual period that her immune system was weak, so she fell ill and had a fever. During breakfast, Ning Yi suggested that she hand over the things in her hands to him. After all, there were not many supplies left in the valley, and the uses had already been allocated. However, Su Tan'er shook her head and refused.
She smiled and said, "I remember when I was in Jiangning, my family wanted to take over the imperial merchant."
At that time, she had to bear the burden of the entire Su family. She was mentally and physically exhausted, and in the end, she fell ill. Ning Yi took care of everything for her. This time, she also fell ill, but she was unwilling to let go of the things in her hands.
In the distance outside the window, the Little Cang River meandered by. On the riverbank, large tracts of wheat were gradually turning yellow.
In the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the wheat was about to be harvested.
A high-pressure atmosphere and unbearable heat were shrouding the northwest region.
"It's almost time." After taking a small sip of porridge, she looked out the window. Ning Yi also looked out.
"… Yes, it's almost time."
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