Winter had come and the water was dry. Both sides of the river were filled with workers repairing the embankments. They were laboriously carrying stones and sand like ants. It was said that the silver on top had not been completely pulled out, so other than the contractors, the rest of the workers were somewhat dispirited. After a busy day with no money in their pockets, no one would put much effort into it. Only then did the idling workers have the extra time to look at the river that they had long grown tired of looking at, and learn from the high and mighty scholarly officials.
At first glance, everyone was quite shocked. They saw that on the river that flowed into Jiangnan Road, there were suddenly many more boats, patrolling up and down. Shipping in winter was not as good as in the other three seasons, and it was rare for it to be so lively. It was as if someone had cast some magic overnight, and many boats had landed on the river.
The boats were of various sizes, shapes, and speeds. There were even a few tri-winged boats that had been slightly modified. The tri-winged boats were used by the Jiangnan navy. They were extremely fast and had never been allowed to be used by the common people. What was similar was that the men standing on the boats all had bulging waists, presumably hiding weapons. Other than the obvious rust on their dark cheeks, there was a silent murderous intent and vigilance.
To be able to gather so many boats on this waterway that flowed into Jiangnan Road in two days without alerting the government, the only one who could do this was the famous Jiangnan water bandits. In terms of the ability to control the river, even the famous families in Jiangnan were far inferior to the Jiangnan water bandits.
The full name of the Jiangnan water bandits was Jiangnan and Related Waters Twelve Linked Docks (this was a cute name). They specialized in making a living on Jiangnan's waterways that were as dense as a spider's web. Whether it was transporting goods, passengers, or related industries, they all had to look at their faces. In particular, the secret salt, tea, and horse trading business allowed them to grasp great power. After Lady Ming, the person who changed his name to Xia Qifei became the head of the water bandits. He put even more effort into forming a good relationship with the government. It was even rumored that this Master Xia could be brothers with the admiral of the Sha Lake Navy.
When hoodlums joined the government, no one could stop them. Thus, these years, although the Jiangnan water bandits had ostensibly reduced their business on the underworld, they gradually began to walk out of the lake water plants and openly came to the common people. Their reputation was even greater than before.
Only such a powerful force could move unhindered on the great river and sail boats along the river without fear of criticism.
The person who gave the order was the leader of the Jiangnan water bandits, Xia Qifei. Although he did not care much about the life and death of his subordinates, the suddenly missing Guan Wumei had some relationship with his mother. What made him even more wary was who could take such a big bite out of him without anyone knowing and suffer such a huge loss!
In March, the palace treasury would reopen. Usually, it would not be two small dishes for the Cui and Ming families. However, this year, because the Cui family had fallen and everyone under heaven knew that the jurisdiction of the palace treasury had moved from the Eldest Princess to Commissioner Fan of the Overwatch Council, Xia Qifei decided to try and see if, in the new situation, he could take advantage of an opening and openly take back what had originally belonged to him.
However, the business of the palace treasury was too big. The amount of silver was in the hundreds of thousands. In March, even if he wanted to enter the door of the God of Wealth to sit and drink tea, the amount of silver he would have to take out would be frightening.
The fallen Cui family and the still thriving Ming family all had this kind of power, but Xia Qifei definitely did not. Even if he controlled the largest gang on the waterways, the silver in his hands, compared to the Ming family, was like a beggar's. Thus, he was in a rush to gather silver everywhere and even secretly ordered Guan Wumei to start the river pirate business again.
He was not even willing to let go of such a small amount of silver. It was clear that he had been forced to the point of going crazy. It was said that a single copper coin could not stump a hero. The heroes who lived on the river wanted to learn how to do business. The first problem they encountered was money.
At this critical moment, Xia Qifei became increasingly careful. He did not lose his rationality. He was guessing whether or not the incident on the shore of Yingzhou was targeted at him.
When it happened, he was in Shazhou inviting the Jiangnan Navy garrison commander, Sir Xu Shoushan, to drink. The rumors on the jianghu were always exaggerated. The highest-ranking naval officer he could come into contact with was a garrison commander. After this Sir Xu learned of this matter, he maintained his silence and allowed Xia Qifei to search the boat. However, he still gave the people of the water bandits a warning: everything had to be done before the beginning of March. After it was done, they had to wash themselves clean and wash away the smell of blood on their bodies.
The commissioner was coming to Jiangnan from Danzhou in March.
— — —
The dozens of Jiangnan water bandits' boats searched for a long time on the river but still did not find the obviously large boat. They couldn't help but be surprised. Xia Qifei listened to his subordinate's report and coldly narrowed his eyes. "Looks like those people did not come down … that chest is not so easy to move off the boat. It should still be near Yangzhou. Have you checked?"
The man with the white cloth wrapped around his head to block the river wind paused and said with embarrassment, "We calculated the time. In two days, the boat should have reached near Shazhou … who would have thought that the other party would cling on and not leave."
Xia Qifei was incomparably angry and almost kicked him. He scolded, "Are you a pig?" Pausing slightly, he shouted darkly, "Search upwards. If alive, I want to see the person. If dead, I want to see the corpse. At the very least, drag that boat back for me!"
The man accepted the order and left. He didn't notice that the chief's words showed that he was beginning to lose confidence.
Xia Qifei sat by the table and could not calm his anger for a long time. This half year was the most important half year of his life. He would not allow anyone or anything to disturb him. Otherwise, he would have to start planning the revenge he had planned for so long again.
Downing the cold tea in his bowl in one gulp, it actually made him feel a little hot. Two ruthless expressions appeared in his eyes. He simply walked to the middle courtyard and waited for the good news from his brothers. He undid the buttons on his chest, revealing the many scars on his fierce flesh. These scars were a bit strange. They were neatly lined up side by side. They did not look like the scars of knives and axes from fighting on the jianghu. Rather, they looked like they had been tied up and viciously whipped.
…
…
At noon, a large boat slowly left the bustling docks of Yangzhou and moved down.
At the same time, dozens of Jiangnan water bandits' boats aggressively moved upstream, braving the dangers of traveling at night and searching for traces of the enemy.
The heavens did not purposely arrange for a time of hide-and-seek. Before the sun had sunk behind the mountains, the two sides finally met at Jingbo Bend, the slowest part of the river.
Dozens of boats swiftly moved up. The water bandits' natural ability to control boats was now put to full use. With a few changes in formation, they surrounded the large boat in the middle of the river.
The Jiangnan water bandits' boats carefully surrounded the boat from Jingdou. The three-winged flying boat in the lead moved closer to the large boat. The large boat had already stopped, as if it had given up resistance.
The head of the water bandits on the three-winged flying boat yelled toward the large boat, "People on the boat, listen up. You have been surrounded. Immediately put down the weapons in your hands and accept inspection." (Please forgive my laziness)
There was still silence on the large boat.
The head of the water bandits' expression was slightly stern. He made a hand signal. At the same time, six boats moved closer. They stretched out their long bamboo poles and, with some difficulty, hooked onto the bulkhead of the large boat. They took out their short knives and prepared to force their way onto the boat.
It was at this moment that the large boat suddenly moved.
It moved with full speed. With a speed that left the water bandits dumbfounded, it charged toward the outside of the encirclement. In an instant, the large boat's enormous driving force completely tore apart the long bamboo hooks that had just been hooked to the side of the boat. A dozen or so water bandits who had been climbing up fell miserably into the water, kicking up countless waves. The surface of the river was a mess.
The large water bandit boat blocking the way collided with the boat from Jingdou without any fancy moves. Then, without any fancy moves, it turned its head, bent its waist, and gracefully slid away.
Of course, this beautiful movement was accompanied by the unpleasant accompaniment of the deck cracking and the startled cries of sailors.
…
…
Leaving behind a white wave, the boat from Jingdou sped downstream. Only the mirror-like surface of the river was left with countless wood shavings and water bandits bobbing up and down.
The head of the water bandits grabbed the edge of the boat and steadied himself in the large waves. He stared dumbfoundedly at the back of the large boat. His heart was abnormally shocked. This boat … was too sturdy! Furthermore, from a complete standstill to such a fast speed, how did the sailor manage to do it? Why did it seem to be of a higher level than him?
The sailors on the boat from Jingdou were all the officers of the Quanzhou Navy who had been taken away. What they studied all year round was the art of water battles. Naturally, their ability to control large boats in water battles was much better than these Jiangnan water bandits who played like ants eating elephants.
However, because the boats were afraid of underwater reefs, they did not dare to move recklessly on the surface of the river. Thus, the boat from Jingdou did not have full sails. Compared to the three-winged flying boats used by the navy, it did not have much of an advantage in speed. The boat from Jingdou charged through a line of defense and was immediately followed by a dozen or so flying boats.
At this moment, half of the river was red. The boat from Jingdou was in front, and the boats of the Jiangnan water bandits were behind. They rushed downstream at high speed, leaving behind countless faint scars on the surface of the water. They scratched at the yellow river water, creating a beautiful scene of hundreds of boats racing against the current.
"Use the hooks!"
The head of the Jiangnan water bandits yelled loudly and made a few hand gestures at the same time. Although the wind on the river was strong and blew his words to the horizon in the blink of an eye, seeing his hand gestures, the water bandits surrounding the large boat took out a pile of ropes and threw them toward the large boat.
A dozen ropes flew through the air, drawing beautiful arcs and landing accurately on the deck of the large boat. The water bandits were very skilled. Indeed, they were used to this kind of skilled work. Everyone then tightened their grip, and the hooks at the ends of the ropes firmly latched onto the deck of the boat. At this moment, the speed of the two sides was similar, and the ropes were not as hard as bamboo. The water bandits were no longer worried. Their hands and feet nimbly began to climb up the ropes onto the large boat.
…
…
When they had climbed halfway, a pitiful halfway, a dozen or so partitioned windows opened up on the side of the large boat. From each window, a long spear or axe stretched out and viciously chopped down at the people on the ropes. There was only the sound of wind from the knives and wretched cries. Blood sprayed in all directions with the river wind, and broken limbs floated down with the turbid waves. In a moment, the water bandits had suffered heavy casualties.
Some people had luckily fallen into the river, but the ropes and hooks had been chopped off. Then, from the windows of the boats from Jingdou, a dozen arrows, nocked and ready to be fired, coldly aimed at the surrounding boats. Although they had not been fired, they were full of intimidation. It was as if they were saying, if anyone dared to come closer, they would kill without question.
The head of the water bandits in the back watched with wide eyes. He revealed his abnormality, but he also felt a chill in his heart. He had spent many years on the river and experienced countless times suppressing bandits. Of course, he knew that the longbow, spear, and axe were the standard weapons of the court's navy.
"Is there some conspiracy?"
…
…
The boat lowered its sails and moved very quickly. It immediately left Jingbo Bay and arrived in the waters of Shazhou.
The head of the water bandits stared fiercely at the large boat that was still surrounded. He knew that although the other party was unexpectedly well prepared and powerful, even an elephant was afraid of an ant. As long as they were still walking on the surface of the river, he, who had grown up by the river, would always have a way to make them sink to the bottom of the river. All he needed was time.
As if responding to his request, four large boats suddenly appeared on the surface of the river in front of them. They lined up horizontally on the surface of the river and just happened to block the way down. These four large boats had three stories in total and were extremely tall. The shadows they cast in the river were lengthened and looked very powerful.
The head of the water bandits narrowed his eyes and saw that it was the ship of the navy that had often secretly cooperated with them in recent years. He couldn't help but be overjoyed and yelled, "We have brothers to help. Everyone, don't worry!"
The boats from Jingdou continued to silently and determinedly charge downstream. It was as if the four ships of the Sha Lake navy did not exist. It was as if they were going to commit suicide tragically.
…
…
Seeing the scene under the setting sun, the head of the Jiangnan water bandits was immediately dumbfounded and fell to the ground on his butt.
Seeing that the boats from Jingdou were about to be pincered to death and fall into a tight encirclement, the four ships of the Sha Lake navy downstream tilted their rudders at the same time as if they had discussed it. They opened up a path for the boats from Jingdou, allowing them to leisurely and unhurriedly follow the water.
What was going on?
The head of the water bandits didn't dare believe his eyes. The remnants of reason in his mind told him that the boat he and his group had been chasing for a long time was very similar to the four large ships of the navy.
He didn't have much time to think. The four navy ships were like four giant beasts lying in front of the Jiangnan water bandits' boats. The feeling of oppression was very oppressive.
The head of the Jiangnan water bandits also recognized the official standing at the bow of the navy. It was Master Xia's close friend, the commander of the Sha Lake navy garrison, Sir Xu Shoushan.
Xu Shoushan stood coldly at the bow of the ship. However, the clothes on his body seemed to have been put on in a hurry. The straps weren't even fastened properly. It looked a bit comical. He looked at the "old acquaintance" below and furrowed his brows slightly. He used his eyes to indicate to the other party that it was best for him to quickly surrender. He didn't care if the other party understood or not. Using an authoritative voice, he said,
"People on the boat, listen up. You have been surrounded. Immediately put down the weapons in your hands and accept inspection."
(Please forgive my laziness once again.)
— — — — —
The city of Shazhou was right where Sha Lake entered the river. The waters clashed with each other. After tens of thousands of years, it had accumulated countless fertile soil. Adding to the hard work of the common people, it had always been one of the famous food-producing areas along the river. Following the withdrawal of the Quanzhou navy a dozen years ago, after the Sha Lake navy accepted a portion of the manpower, it became the largest naval base in the Qing Kingdom. Tens of thousands of navy soldiers' daily lives depended on this city that held the throat of Jiangnan.
The navy soldiers, who reeked of sweat and water, brought endless worry to the people of Shazhou, endless danger to the women of Shazhou, and countless problems of public safety to the officials of Shazhou. At the same time, they brought endless amounts of money and business opportunities to Shazhou. Most of the salaries that the court gave those single men every year were used on the brothels, gambling houses, and restaurants in Shazhou. Thus, Shazhou's entertainment industry, or more accurately, the third industry, was very developed. All kinds of restaurants stood in great numbers. The west side was filled with red sleeves. The east side was filled with dice from dawn to dusk. It was very lively.
On this day, a few people walked out of Shazhou's most famous inn. This group of people was a bit strange. There was a young master, a girl, a scholar, and a child. Behind them followed a few solemn-looking guards. The group of people directly hired a large carriage and drove directly to the south of the city.
This group of people was Fan Xian, Sisi, the Third Prince, Shi Chanli, and those seemingly normal Tiger Guards. They stopped in Yangzhou for a night and discussed their following itinerary. The local people of the Fourth Bureau went to mobilize the Sha Lake navy. As for what procedures were used, it was unknown. Presumably, the military had to protect the Overwatch Council no matter what. Looking at Fan Xian's appearance, it seemed that he was not going to hide his identity anymore. This confused Su Wenmao, who was still on the boat.
He let the large boat deal with the water bandits on the river while Fan Xian took the people beside him and got off the boat early in the night in Yangzhou. Sitting in the carriage, they comfortably followed the official road to Shazhou. He did it so secretly that no one noticed.
The atmosphere in the south of Shazhou was a bit tense. In this place, all sorts of people mixed together. Everyone knew that the tyrant of the Jiangnan water bandits, Master Xia, was doing something. They didn't know the specific details, but from the endless flow of water bandits coming in and out of the little courtyard, they knew that this matter was troublesome.
The little courtyard looked unremarkable, but everyone knew that it was the Shazhou branch of the Jiangnan water bandits' 72 docks.
Thus, when the carriage Fan Xian was in came within a few dozen feet of the little courtyard, people had long noticed, particularly the spies the water bandits had scattered on the street. They stared closely, as if trying to determine the purpose of this group of people. No one noticed that in the dusky twilight, the seemingly normal Sixth Bureau assassins had already taken over a few of the most advantageous spots on the street.
As the carriage came closer and closer to the branch, some people gradually came closer, intentionally or unintentionally glancing at the carriage. The atmosphere was a bit tense. The people in the carriage didn't seem to notice anything. They drove straight to the door of the courtyard before stopping. A scholar lifted the curtain and came down. Walking up the stone steps, he raised his hands to the thugs at the door and said a few words with a calm expression.
In a moment, a person with upside-down eyebrows and soybean-like eyes walked out of the branch. He looked at him with a cautious expression and narrowed his eyes. "Who are you people? Why do you want to see Master Xia? "
The scholar was Shi Chanli. He had never been in the so-called jianghu. Looking at the advisor's sinister expression and the thugs coming up from all around, it was clear that they all had weapons on them. The scholar's heart was truly flustered. He couldn't help but silently curse his teacher for making him do this kind of thing was too inhumane. He still forcefully suppressed his nervousness and said, "We have come from Jingdou to see Master Xia. We have important matters to discuss."
The advisor of the branch looked at him with disdain. He was rather dissatisfied with the other party's attitude. Slanting his eyes, he looked at the carriage and said, "Is it you, or is it the person in the carriage? If it is the person in the carriage, why don't you get out when you are in front of the door? Being so sneaky, how can you be a guest? "
…
…
The three people in the carriage did not hear what was said outside. Fan Xian had thrown Shi Chanli out with the intention of training the scholar's state of mind. At this moment, he was focused on talking to the Third Prince. Warmly, he said, "Your Highness, from Yangzhou to Shazhou, the people's lives we have seen along the way are very different from Jingdou. Please remember this."
They traveled through the night. Along the way, Fan Xian purposely had the Third Prince come into contact with the common people along the way. He wanted him to see the most realistic life of the common people. Regardless of whether it was the old man carrying salaries by the side of the road or the second mother selling herbal tea in the shop, they would all specially stop to say a few words.
Fan Xian had no experience with the so-called education of a prince, and he didn't have any methods. He could only feel the stones to cross the river and try to see if this method would work.
As for Fan Xian's arrangements, Shi Chanli seemed to have smelled something and couldn't help but worry for his teacher. The Third Prince accepted it calmly. With a maturity far beyond his age, he maintained his silence and did not speak carelessly.
"The people's lives are difficult," the Third Prince replied respectfully. The Third Prince replied respectfully, "Although the taxes of the Qing Kingdom are not heavy, the lives of the common people are still not easy. However, looking at the peaceful expressions on the faces of the common people along the way, it is clear that the common people's demands are not high. The crux of government is to first satisfy the common people's most basic needs for food and clothing. "
Fan Xian was purely a blind person giving directions. How would he know how to govern the world? He nodded his head noncommittally and said, "The common people are easy to appease, but all the needs of the Palace and the salaries of court officials come from the common people. In the future, when you help the Crown Prince govern the world, you have to pay attention to the limits of what you take. As long as it doesn't exceed the limits, it will be fine."
The Third Prince glanced at Fan Xian and suddenly smiled innocently. "Teacher, the customs of the people of Yangzhou are far more valiant than those of Shazhou. The people there all have resentment on their faces. Presumably, the court has taken too much."
On the boat, this young Third Prince had very intimately requested to call Fan Xian teacher instead of Sir Siye. He purposely wanted to get closer to Fan Xian. Fan Xian had tried to stop him a few times, but to no avail, so he let him be. Hearing these words, he unconsciously thought of the Yangzhou Zhizhou that had been killed by him and didn't want to continue this topic. Changing the subject, he asked, "Regarding … the Jiangnan water bandits, what does Your Highness think?"
"Teacher has said that chivalrous people use martial arts to break the law. Furthermore, the so-called water bandits are just a group of gangsters on the water and hoodlums on the boat. They murder for money and use violence to obtain wealth. They do not have the chivalrous spirit you speak of." A glimmer of ruthlessness flashed across the Third Prince's youthful face. "In my opinion, we should move the army and capture them all in one fell swoop. The leaders should all be beheaded, and the accomplices should be exiled to the northern frontier."
Fan Xian paused and said, "As I said earlier, the customs of the people are created by the terrain and living environment. Blindly exterminating them is like a wildfire burning out. Perhaps the weeds can be cleared out for a while, but if the people's livelihood is not taken into consideration, the people will not be able to survive and will still fall into the path of bandits. It is like after the spring breeze, the weeds grow again.
When will such a cycle end? "The Third Prince thought for a bit and then shook his head." Teacher, what you say is wrong. The court must use heavy punishment against these troublemakers. You also said that the Jiangnan water bandits must have connections with the Sha Lake Navy to be able to survive until now. If these troublemakers are allowed to secretly destroy the laws of the court, how will they be cleaned up in the future? "
He continued coldly and ruthlessly, "Pacifying the people's livelihood and letting them live well is naturally a must to rid the world of bandits. However, for those bandits who dare to show their heads, we cannot be lenient. Those who should be killed must be killed!"
Fan Xian looked at the Third Prince with a not-quite-there smile. He found that this child was indeed much more direct and efficient than he was. However, his ability to hide it was far worse than his own. For him to dare to raise an opposing opinion in front of him, presumably he wanted to show his openness and sincerity. By proposing to use the word "exterminate" to deal with the Jiangnan water bandits, he wanted to show his decisive and undisguised side in front of him and let him feel his sincerity. Fan Xian wanted to purposely influence and change the Third Prince on the Jiangnan trip, and the Third Prince also wanted to influence him. Although the little guy did not do it smoothly enough, to have such scheming at such a young age was truly impressive.
"Then why did Your Highness not oppose me coming to the Jiangnan water bandits today?"
"Teacher has his own clever plans. It is not something I can make wild guesses about." The Third Prince recovered his calm and giggled.
Fan Xian raised his eyebrows. He knew that although the Third Prince did not know the details, he should be able to guess his general direction. He smiled self-mockingly and thought to himself that he was indeed a somewhat hypocritical person. At this time, the conversation outside the carriage was also halfway through. No one knew what Shi Chanli said, but the advisor's expression finally became flustered. The thugs surrounding the carriage also moved closer.
The curtain of the carriage lifted, and Fan Xian walked down first. He looked around at the scenery in the dusk, as if he did not care much about the approaching water bandits.
He then turned around and pulled the Third Prince and Sisi down.
The Third Prince stood by his side and pulled him up to his armpits. He looked at the thugs around with great interest and quietly asked, "Teacher, are these the so-called jianghu people?"
Fan Xian replied, "I think they are."
The Third Prince was a bit excited, but he was not afraid. After all, he was a prince. How could he know the dangers of the jianghu? Following at Commissioner Fan's side, he never considered the problem of his own safety. Ever since the Hanging Temple incident, the Third Prince had decided that with Commissioner Fan present, no one would be able to harm him. Furthermore, now that everyone under heaven knew of Fan Xian's past … the Son of Heaven was by nature heartless, but the Third Prince thought Fan Xian was an exception.
Fan Xian glanced at him from the side and asked curiously in a quiet voice, "Young master, why aren't you worried at all?"
The Third Prince giggled and said, "With teacher here, what is there to be afraid of?"
In everyone's hearts, Fan Xian was still a martial genius who could be mentioned in the same breath as Haitang of Northern Qi, but no one knew his true situation. They just didn't understand why Fan Xian dared to go so deep into the tiger's den without any regard for his own safety.
The conversation between the two fell into the ears of the Jiangnan water bandits. It seemed to explain each other's identities. That child was probably the son of some large clan, and Fan Xian, this beautiful scholar, was a teacher. However, he seemed a bit too young.
"Young master, let's go in."
Ignoring the vigilant and nervous gazes of the people around him, Fan Xian was calm and unruffled. With one hand holding the child and the other holding the woman, he walked toward the gate of the courtyard.
Shi Chanli lowered his head and followed, sweating profusely. This examination could be considered a failure. His teacher had told him not to reveal his identity, but he had to enter openly. The scholar had no other choice.
The advisor's expression changed continuously. Looking at the composition of the other party, he guessed that the other party was the enemy that the master of the stronghold had been painstakingly searching for. But … why did the other party dare to come to their door? When did the other party get off that ship?
At this moment, the countless brothers of the Jiangnan water bandits were painstakingly searching for traces of Fan Xian and the others on the surface of the river. They were engaged in a desperate struggle with that large ship. Who would have thought that the enemy they were searching for would so boldly come to Shazhou, so arrogantly come to the door of the branch, and directly charge in?
"Take them down!" The advisor's face alternated between green and white. It seemed that he had never seen such an arrogant enemy before. In the depths of his heart, he was also a bit flustered. But Master Xia was currently in the courtyard. If he reacted slowly, he was afraid that there would be a big problem.
Following this shout, the thugs pulled out their short knives, let out a roar, and charged toward Fan Xian and the others!
…
…
Fan Xian felt his right hand tighten slightly. He turned his head and saw that the Third Prince still maintained an innocent smile on his face, but his hand had unconsciously clenched. Presumably, other than pretending, he was still a bit scared.
"Confidence." At this juncture, Fan Xian still did not forget to explain. "The people of the royal family must have confidence that can overwhelm everything."
Dang, dang, dang, dang. Just like that absurd song, the brothers of the Shazhou branch of the Jiangnan water bandits also saw a very absurd scene. They saw countless short knives fly up from the door of the little courtyard like it was raining, mysteriously breaking away from the control of their hands.
Immediately after, there were countless muffled grunts. All the thugs who blocked Fan Xian's path were sent flying!
…
…
Gao Da led the six Tiger Guards like a gust of wind and floated to the side of Fan Xian and the others. Silently, they pulled out the long knives on their backs and sent the thugs flying. Their aura shot up into the sky. It could truly be said that those who blocked them would be forced to retreat!
Fan Xian's face remained calm as he held the two of them and walked toward the little courtyard. Accompanied by the wretched cries and knife flashes, his footsteps were very steady.
"Although there are millions of people, I will go forward." He explained to the Third Prince beside him. "The court does not need to deal with the jianghu people. We only need to arrange for them to do things, so when we first meet, don't talk about anything."
The Third Prince nodded. His eyes darted around the fighting beside him. He thought that this kind of feeling was very satisfying. He was very excited. His little palms began to sweat and become slightly wet.
"Why is it that the martial arts of these jianghu people are so weak?" The Third Prince was a bit confused about the reality in front of him.
At this time, some of the people of the Jiangnan water bandits were already lying on the ground and could not get up for a long time. Those who could still stand looked at Fan Xian and his group with fear in their eyes, particularly when they looked at the silent long knife hands. They were incomparably shocked. The advisor, covered in cold sweat, stared fixedly at the steady hands holding the hilts of the knives. He howled in his heart, When did the jianghu suddenly have so many seventh and eighth-level aces? And they were even guards for someone!
…
…
At this time, everyone had already walked to the bottom of the stone steps in the main hall. Fan Xian stopped and smiled at the Third Prince. "What is the purpose of practicing martial arts? Just like studying, it is for power, profit, and fame. What the jianghu can give to martial artists, the court can give even more. Thus, the truly famous scholars are all officials in the court, and the truly powerful aces are all working for the court. Young master, don't be fooled by those stories. The jianghu is a poor place. How can a job with no future like collecting protection money attract true aces … "
In front of the main hall, the head of the Jiangnan water bandits, Xia Qifei, finally stood out. He looked coldly at the gradually approaching group of people and opened his mouth to say, "Everyone leave, don't make a fool of yourself. I will meet these honored guests from Jingdou."
At this time, his expression was calm, but in the depths of his heart, he was incomparably shocked. He had long guessed that the other party was from the ship from Jingdou. How could he have guessed that they would not avoid him and instead come so tyrannically to his door?
Without waiting for him to extend his hand in invitation, Fan Xian and his group entered the main hall as if they were returning home.
Fan Xian invited the Third Prince to sit in the main seat, and then he sat down next to him. Sisi and Shi Chanli stood quietly behind him. The seven Tiger Guards had their hands on the hilts of their knives and were spread out around the main hall.
Seeing the other party's actions, Xia Qifei was so angry that his anger almost rushed to his heart. Was this still his territory? He forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart and raised his hands toward Fan Xian. "Qifei greets you, sir … however, there are heroes in the wilderness of the jianghu. Your words earlier were a bit excessive."
At this time, if he still couldn't see that Fan Xian was a powerful figure from Jingdou, then he really was an idiot. Thus, he had to suppress his anger. Within the borders of the Qing Kingdom, the court was a terrifying existence that could not be broken through like an iron plate. Any power that tried in vain to oppose the officialdom would, in the end, meet a tragic fate of being turned to dust and smoke.
"Xia Qifei?" Fan Xian looked at the sinister-looking figure in front of him and confirmed his identity. He smiled warmly and said, "For now, I do not wish for anyone to know that I have come to your manor as a guest. Earlier, many people saw. Go and handle it. It is a bit difficult. Consider it my first test of Master Xia."
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