The fierce battle finally came to an end. If it didn't end soon, those guys who were hired to warm up the scene with a dozen copper coins would clap until their palms were red and swollen. Their voices were hoarse. It wasn't that they were dedicated to their job, but that the battle was really wonderful. The Zhanmadao in the tanned man's hand was so powerful that it could move mountains and rivers. It was admirable that he could swing the saber hundreds of times. What was more amazing was the white-clothed swordsman. With a sword in hand, his sleeves fluttered like a flying dragon, dazzling everyone.
The brawny man with the Zhanmadao was sincerely convinced of his defeat. He cupped his hands and admitted defeat. He sincerely praised the swordsman. His magnanimity made the onlookers give him a thumbs up. Several brilliant swordsmen, who were infatuated with him, put their swords back into their sheaths and left. They said, "I'll go to Jiangnan Road for thousands, but I won't give you a penny when I come back." They were so confident and unrestrained that they looked like swordsmen.
It was a happy scene. Before the brawny man with the Zhanmadao left the stage, an old man from a well-to-do family went up to him and tried to win him over. Liu Nerong was thinking about how to get close to the brawny man with the Zhanmadao. A middle-aged manager of the Fish-dragon Gang came up to her with a worried look and whispered to her. Liu Nerong frowned. She didn't know why the lieutenant of Taoma Pass stopped them. He said that there was something wrong with the official plate. Xiao Qiang even mentioned his identity as a general, but it was useless. It seems that they are destined to stay in the pass tonight, which makes Liu Nerong a little uneasy. Taoma Pass is just a small pass, and the highest ranking deputy captain here is only Level Six. The one who works for the Fish-dragon Gang is Level Four, and his official title is several levels higher. Although he is a military officer and is not in charge of military power, the Northern Liang Army has its own system. If they follow the vine to find the melon, they can always find all kinds of relatives and friends. A Level Six in a small pass can make a deputy captain, and under the premise that they have a lot of money, there is no reason for them not to give face. Liu Nerong didn't care about the brawny man with the Zhanmadao. She quickly walked to the top of the city wall and met the sullen Xiao Qiang. Obviously, he was angry. When he saw Liu Nerong, he walked to the side of the official road and whispered with a bitter smile, "Something's wrong. We can't sleep peacefully tonight. Let's find a shop in the downtown area to stay. It's expensive, but we can't save this money. Each shift has ten people, and we take turns. We'll be fine after tonight. "
Liu Nerong was not a petty woman. She nodded and said, "Yes, it should be so."
While they were talking, Liu Nerong caught a glimpse of the horse dealers walking toward them. They were surrounded by an extremely arrogant and plump woman. The woman was quite old. She wore a beautiful mink fur headband. This kind of decoration was very popular in the border of Liangzhou. It could be used to keep out the cold in autumn and winter. It was also beautiful. It was known as the mink headband or the sleeping rabbit. It was first spread in Beiliang Palace. It seemed that the First Commandery Princess Xu Zhihu was the first to wear such an ingenious outfit. The lively Beiliang noblewomen also hurriedly followed the trend.
The graceful woman with the mink headband was surrounded by old Taoist practitioners. She was calm and steady, and her breathing was much longer than that of ordinary people. Especially the old man next to the woman. His eyes were as malicious as an old goshawk's, and his fingers were like hooks. She didn't know what kind of martial art he practiced, but his hands had an unusual pale gold color. It was probably the Dragon Claw Hand or some other kind of overbearing and vicious external martial art.
Number seven or eight valiant martial artists surrounded the arrogant woman like stars surrounding the moon. Apart from her, the most redundant one was a man who wore a thick layer of makeup. He was handsome, but too feminine, without the slightest bit of masculinity. He stuck close to the woman like a little bird, looking at Liu Nerong's group with a sinister and playful gaze.
Hsu Fengnian slowly walked over. Seeing that the situation was about to turn hostile, he stopped and planned to watch from afar. Unfortunately, this detail was not only seen by the observant Liu Nerong, but also by the plump and plump woman. Her eyes lit up and the corners of her mouth curled up. She didn't even care about Liu Nerong. She directly hooked her finger at Hsu Fengnian, her expression showing that she wanted to pamper Hsu Fengnian.
The woman was able to look at someone so lecherously on the street. She could be considered to be thick-skinned and capable.
Hsu Fengnian took a step back. In Liu Nerong's eyes, this was almost a death sentence that deserved to be beheaded. She thought that this young man with a saber was really annoying. Why didn't he have the backbone of a Jianghu man? Thinking about it, Liu Nerong sneered, full of ridicule and disdain. This guy surnamed Xu was not a Jianghu man. He was just a dog in the general's house, wagging its tail and begging for mercy. She thought too highly of him to put her hopes on him.
The handsome man wearing makeup saw that the woman beside him was moved and his eyes turned red with jealousy. He whispered like a spoiled child, "Miss, that pretty boy is carrying a saber. These barbarians are so vulgar."
The woman raised her hand and slapped the man's face. The latter held his face, his eyes full of resentment and he was about to cry. Seeing Liu Nerong and the others from the Fish-dragon Gang, they all felt their hair stand on end and only felt nauseous. As a result, their disgust for the guy surnamed Xu was reduced a lot.
The rich woman, who raised pretty boys like she raised cats and dogs, faced Xu Fengnian. Her face was hot as if the sun had risen from the west. She had fallen in love with this slender young man at first glance. She was tired of eating the pretty boys beside her who were full of makeup and powder. She needed a change of taste to make her stomach feel better. She was just about to tease him when the sound of horse hooves came from the street. Four riders disregarded the noise of the busy streets and galloped over. Fortunately, they did not trample or knock down any pedestrians. Although these four riders were domineering, their horsemanship was also superb. A young master in brocade jumped off his horse, but the three armored retainers behind him did not move.
Liu Nerong saw all of this and had already guessed the identity of this young man. He was Zhou Ziru, the eldest son of the deputy commander of the Toppling Horse Pass. Liu Nerong had already memorized the places and people along the way to the north with her master, Xiao Qiang. She remembered Zhou Ziru's name because even Xiao Qiang mentioned him. It was said that Zhou Ziru was not only brilliant in literary talent, but also had many excellent works passed down in Beiliang. He could also draw a three-stone bow and shoot a willow leaf from a hundred paces away. His archery skills were outstanding. It should be known that thirty jin was a jun, and four jun was a stone. To be able to draw a three-stone bow was already a shocking amount of arm strength. If he could also ensure that the arrow was accurate, then he could directly enter Beiliang's army and become a crossbowman. Jianghu and the military were two sides of the same coin, but in the world, there was no ignorant brute who dared to look down on Beiliang. Liu Nerong looked at Zhou Ziru. She didn't expect that after he got off the horse, he didn't talk to the woman first. Instead, he smiled at her. Liu Nerong, who was caught off guard, subconsciously turned her head away. When she came back to her senses, she felt ashamed and her eyes returned to their usual coldness.
In Beiliang, Zhou Ziru, who could barely be considered a seed, was happily chatting with the plump woman. Perhaps it was because this mink had a real handsome man like Zhou Ziru that she had lost interest in Hsu Fengnian. She just winked at him and walked through the city gate with Zhou Ziru. When they passed by the people of the Fish-dragon Gang who were on guard, she didn't forget to make a show of force at Liu Nerong. Zhou Ziru, on the other hand, paused his steps. Xiao Qiang let out a sigh of relief. When they were outside, as long as they weren't a lone wild crane who looked down on the world with disdain, how could everything go according to their wishes? It was inevitable that they would have to face all kinds of forces several times. Afraid that Liu Nerong would take a liking to him, he found a light topic and said, "This Young Master Zhou is skilled in both literature and martial arts. He is a good match for our Nerong."
Liu Nerong said bitterly, "Master, you know that I dislike this kind of official's son the most. They look amiable and refined, but in reality, they eat people up without spitting out the bones."
Xiao Qiang smiled and no longer teased this arrogant disciple of his. Together, they went to find a suitable inn to stay in. Generally speaking, not entering a new inn or a new inn was an old rule in Jianghu. The reason was also simple. However, they were right under the eyes of the soldiers stationed at the Tumbling Horse Pass, so they didn't need to care too much about it. Finally, they found an old inn in the downtown area. More than 30 people spent nearly 20 taels of silver a night. Even Liu Nerong, who had never worried about food and clothing since childhood, was a little distressed. She knew that the local regulars would only ask for less than 10 taels of silver, but to be safe, even if they were treated as fat sheep and ruthlessly slaughtered, the Fish-dragon Gang could only pinch their noses and endure it.
During this period, Hsu Fengnian quietly followed behind. The scene on the street made the Fish-dragon Gang despise this young man who originally didn't belong to the same gang with a sword. They thought to themselves, Boy, are you wearing a sword for show? You were almost snatched away by a woman to be her gigolo. Even if you can't beat those evil servants, you should at least put on an angry face. You are a coward who doesn't say anything and takes a step back. Aren't you implicating the Fish-dragon Gang and making a fool of themselves with you?!
Bah!
A young man from the Fish-dragon Gang spat at Hsu Fengnian's feet.
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