"Why did you guys only arrive at this hour? If you pass the checkpoint at this hour, you'll miss your lodging! "
The tax collector said lazily and collected the tax according to the number of people. Because Zhang Xitong had privately given him two copper coins, his attitude was much more polite.
The tax collector had already checked their "checkpoints". These people were not businessmen, so they rejoiced for nothing. They could only collect the tax according to the number of people.
When Yang Fan and his group came out this time, they brought a few sets of blank "pass stations", which could be filled in at any time with their starting point and destination. The guard seals on them were all real, so naturally there were no flaws. Therefore, the tax collectors and guards did not make things difficult for them, and smoothly let them pass through the checkpoint.
"Ascending Luyang Pass in the morning, the gorge road is steep and deep. The stream is more than ten thousand zhang, and the surrounding trees are thousands of fathoms. The roar of the tiger resounds in the poor mountain, and the cry of the cranes in the empty forest. "
Traveling in the gorge, they did not hear the roar of the tiger, but a few mournful cries of the apes. There were no cranes in the sky, but there were hundreds of crows flying in the sky.
Although this pass was dangerous, the road in the gorge was extremely wide and flat. This was naturally formed and could be used by carriages and horses since ancient times.
Although the mountain wall was steep and it was not easy to hide on it, their carriages and horses still walked to the edge of the gorge. The concave part at the edge was nearly two feet wide. Even if someone threw a stone from above, they would not be able to hurt the people below. Because people often passed in the summer and snow, this was also a common road, so it was flat and not even a blade of grass grew.
Huang Xuchang looked back and saw the door slowly closing, cutting off the last trace of sunset outside the gorge. He could not help but sigh leisurely: "We've finally made it!"
But Yang Fan looked at the line of heaven and earth in front of him and said solemnly: "We've finally entered Duji Province!"
After passing Luyang Pass, there was a few miles of gorge in front of them before they could walk out. As they were moving forward, Yang Fan suddenly reined in his horse and listened attentively. Huang Xuchang saw his abnormality and quickly reined in his horse, asking: "What's wrong?"
Yang Fan slightly frowned and said in a deep voice: "There's the sound of horse hooves, behind!"
Just as he finished speaking, everyone heard the sound of horse hooves. The sound was like thunder, and it was not just one person.
They were already the last batch of people to come out of the pass, so where did the sound of horse hooves come from? What would it mean if there were hooves behind us? Everyone immediately thought of those assassins that the Wu Clan sent out. Only they would have the token that could command the pass to open up.
Yang Fan made a prompt decision and shouted sternly, "We can't stay here for long. Let's speed up and get out of the valley!"
…
Shen Hongyi was one of Wu Chengsi's men. When he was young, he was a Wanderer in Chang 'an. He practiced swordsmanship and had some literary talent. Later, he was recruited by Wu Chengsi and became a guest of the Prince of Wei's Mansion.
Shen Hongyi was inquiring about the whereabouts of Yang Fan's group in Fengshan Town when Yang Fan's group suddenly appeared in Xiang Cheng. Not only that, they didn't ask for the price, but they also quickly purchased a batch of mules and horses to head north. The news was quickly delivered to Shen Hongyi. Fengshan Town was not far from Xiang Cheng, so Shen Hongyi didn't have much time to think. He immediately led his men and chased after them.
His scarlet cloak fluttered behind his shoulders like a cloud of fire as he moved slowly down the gorge. In fact, there was no need to wear a cloak in this season, and it was not comfortable to ride on a horse. But this was a habit he had developed when he was a young Wanderer in Chang 'an.
When he used the token of the Prince of Wei's Mansion to open the Luyang Pass, he had already asked about the people who had similar characteristics to Yang Fan's group. Not long after, Shen Hongyi urged his horse and whipped it like rain. As they were moving forward, they suddenly saw a man standing in front of them on horseback. The sun had set, and the valley was quiet.
A man and a horse. The horse was bending its head to pick up a few straws left by others. The rider was sitting very loosely, his waist slightly bent. As the horse rose and fell slightly, the rider also rose and fell slightly. He was looking at the people who had suddenly caught up with him with a tranquil expression on his face.
"Neigh ~"
Shen Hongyi suddenly pulled the reins and forcibly reined in his horse when it was still five or six feet away from the rider. The dozens of fast horses behind him also stopped. The sound of hooves was still echoing in the valley, but they were already standing still as if they were made of iron.
Yang Fan stroked the horse's mane and asked him in a clear voice, "Are you passing by?"
Shen Hongyi's assistant, Li Dayong, was startled. He shouted, "Is Li Xian in your hands?"
Yang Fan laughed and said, "As expected, you're here for the Prince of Luling!"
The sound of the scabbard rubbing against his body could be heard. Yang Fan had already slowly pulled out the saber in his hand.
Li Dayong impatiently waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone, let's go together and chop him up for me!"
"Wait!"
Shen Hongyi's eyes shone with a blazing light. Ever since he entered the Prince of Wei's Mansion, he had not tasted the feeling of being a Wanderer for a long time.
Wanderer, riding fast and singing, drinking wine and beautiful women, drawing his sword in anger, splattering blood in ten steps! He was already middle-aged, and there were already faint strands of silver at his temples. Wanderers were already declining, and even places like Chang 'an and Luoyang were mostly legends left behind by them. Shen Hongyi very much wanted to have a taste of his hot-blooded youth.
Shen Hongyi tore off his cloak and gripped the longsword in his hand. His gaze tightly locked onto Yang Fan, a dangerous smile on his face as he said, "I'll deal with him!"
Li Dayong rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, "Here we go again. It's not like two gangs of ruffians are fighting, so why are you trying to show off!"
Shen Hongyi kicked the horse's abdomen and urged it forward alone. He shouted, "Tell me your name and fight me!"
"Who sent you? What a load of nonsense! "
When Yang Fan said this, the first half of the sentence was still spoken at a normal speed, and his body was still riding lazily on the horse. When he said the second half, his voice tightened and his body suddenly left the saddle. Man and blade became one, and like a roaring wind, he pounced towards Shen Hongyi who was lightly galloping towards him.
At the same time, there was a series of shouts in mid-air. The internal guards and hundreds of cavalrymen who were climbing the rock wall and hiding on the uneven rock wall flew down at the same time. In mid-air, they raised their swords and sabers and slashed at their respective opponents. Those who were good at using concealed weapons even had sharp blades in their mouths. In mid-air, they waved their hands and threw concealed weapons like darts, flying needles, and iron caltrops at them.
Shen Hongyi suddenly saw Yang Fan abandoning his horse and pouncing towards him with an imposing manner. He was shocked at first, but then there were many screams behind him. It was his own men who had fallen into the ambush. He could not help but be shocked and angry, "You are not following the rules of Jianghu …"
"Keng!"
Yang Fan's saber arrived. Shen Hongyi was riding on the horse, and his movements were not much more agile than Yang Fan's. However, Yang Fan's saber borrowed the weight of his entire body, and Shen Hongyi could not do it. The sword was light and agile, and should not collide head-on with the enemy. However, he did not choose to do so, so he could only abandon his horse.
However, because of the screams coming from behind him, his movements were slowed. It was too late to abandon his horse now. Shen Hongyi gritted his teeth, and could only grit his teeth and wave the sword in his hand to meet Yang Fan's saber.
Yang Fan used a horizontal saber, not his long and narrow sword, and incomparably sharp scabbard. He did not feel the pain of the damage caused by the collision. This saber's momentum was vigorous, like a strong wind. Shen Hongyi met it with his sword, and with a "keng" sound, half of the broken sword flew into the air.
The saber's momentum did not slow down, and followed the momentum to cut down. With a flash of blood, Shen Hongyi's right arm was separated from his body like the broken sword.
"Bang!"
Falling down, Yang Fan elbowed him below the left rib, breaking four of his ribs and sending him flying. Yang Fan pressed one hand on the saddle, curled his body that was about to hit the ground, and nimbly leaped onto the horse's back. Only then did he neatly land on the ground and spit out four words, "What an idiot!"
The battle in the valley ended very quickly. In order to end the battle quickly, Yang Fan had no desire to continue fighting. Catching the enemy by surprise, he had instantly killed a quarter of the enemy's troops. Wu Chengsi's group was caught unprepared and simply could not form an effective counterattack.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Li Dayong hastily led the remaining troops to retreat in the direction of Luyang Pass. Yang Fan did not give chase, either. Retreating after a small harvest, he led his men to the back of a winding road in front of him, where they all mounted their mounts and chased after the inner guards who were escorting the 'Prince of Luling' to the entrance of the valley.
… …
The next morning, a strange group arrived in Lushan County. Some of them were riding carriages, some were riding horses, and some were riding mules. The horses included handsome and strong army horses with a brand on their buttocks, and there were also ordinary horses used by farmers to pull carts. As for mules, they were rarely used as mounts.
Their people were also very strange. There were men, women, and even people who were neither male nor female. Traveling in a hurry, they often rested at night. In addition, Gu Zhuting's pouch had already used up all the medicine used to disguise themselves, so she had no time to help the inner guard girls fix their appearances. As a result, everyone gradually revealed their true appearances.
Fortunately, Yang Fan had the intention of using this group to attract the attention of the assassins, so he did not care much about them restoring their appearances. As soon as the ban was lifted, the girls who had just checked into the inn immediately washed off the ointment on their faces and restored their female appearances.
The innkeeper was dumbfounded to see many men and mediocre looking women suddenly turning into a young lady with bright eyes and white teeth.
Immediately afterward, the class leader of Lushan County, Wen Tiantian, led a group of bailiffs and bailiffs to surround the inn. Such a strange group of people had come to Lushan County, and they even had army horses. Being responsible for the security of this area, how could Wen Tiantian dare to be careless?
The innkeeper secretly complained, afraid that he would be implicated. Who would have thought that in less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Wen Tiantian would crawl out in terror and hurriedly withdraw the bailiffs and bailiffs who had surrounded the inn, leaving the common people watching in bewilderment.
After Wei Yong scared Wen Tiantian away, he had just put away the turtle talismans when he suddenly heard a cry of alarm coming from the room. It was Li Guo 'er's voice. The hearts of the people standing in the corridor immediately tightened. If the young princess was in danger, although they did not deserve to die, the credit they had earned by risking their lives would inevitably be greatly reduced.
Everyone hurriedly rushed into the room and saw Li Guo 'er standing there, perfectly fine. She was only pointing at the face of the' Prince of Luling 'and said in panic, "Oh no, oh no, Sister Gu … Ah no! Father's face is damaged. This time we can't hide it anymore. What should we do? "
Everyone looked over and saw the 'Prince of Luling' standing there. The wrinkled old skin on his face had fallen off, revealing a patch of tender and fair skin. Anyone would find it hard to believe that this was a new skin on a man's face. It was clearly the smooth skin of a woman!
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