Everybody poured wine for themselves and drank. Cao Daren gave them several more instructions, saying that they would meet in front of Jianye Escort Agency's gate at noon the next day. A short while later, several people stood up and took their leave. One of the Kunlun Shuang Xia raised his wine cup. He was trying to calm his mind, but his hands were shaking uncontrollably. In the end he threw the cup heavily to the ground, as if he had some deep enmity with it. The shattering sound was particularly crisp in the night. The other man said, "What's the use of venting your anger on this dead thing? The enemy is on the second floor right now. If you want revenge, let's go! "And then they heard footsteps, the Kunlun Shuang Xia had quickly walked upstairs.
Chu Menglin slowly stood up from behind the wine cabinet, and quietly followed them. First, the two men's cultivation was not high, second, they were eager to seek revenge, so unexpectedly they did not notice anything. Chu Menglin followed them into the room. He coldly looked at the two men as they walked toward the bed. Only then did his right hand pressed the hilt of his sword, while his left hand snapped his fingers. The two men did not expect that someone would be hiding behind them; they turned their heads in shock. Chu Menglin sneered slightly, his thumb flicked, his sword was unsheathed. While he was still in midair, he grabbed the sword with a backhand slash, cutting the two men's throats.
This move was executed in one breath, it was very neat and tidy. The Kunlun Shuang Xia did not even make a sound before they went limp and collapsed. Chu Menglin sighed and said, "If you were willing to behave yourself, nothing would have happened. But you insisted on getting involved in this muddy water, don't blame me." Finished speaking, he carried the two men on his back and leaped out of the window. He walked to the well behind the inn and threw the bodies into it. That night he did not have the heart to sleep peacefully. His heart was filled with thoughts about the escort mission, and he felt it was exceptionally strange.
By noon the next day, the knockout incense gradually dispersed. Chu Menglin busily told everybody about the previous night's events, only leaving out the part where he killed people to erase the evidence. Then he turned to Li Yijie and said, "This time their destination is also the Prince Regent's Mansion. It can be said that they are killing two birds with one stone. Not only they can seize the opportunity to obtain the Tear of Severing Soul, they also won't hinder you from being the Flower Escort Envoy."
She knew that if she didn't make this clear, Li Yijie would definitely refuse to give up that delicate beauty from Chenxiang Yuan. In order to calm him down, he asked Shen Shiyun, "What do you think, Miss Yun? You don't have any objections, right?" Although it was a question, the domineering tone in his voice made it impossible for anyone to answer with the word 'no'.
Shen Shiyun's pair of silhouettes had a faint smile in his eyes. He said softly, "That's good. Yun-er was now a homeless person with a bitter fate. She wandered about in the pugilistic world and almost lost her chastity. Many thanks to all the chivalrous heroes for your generosity in helping me, you have treated me like a close family member. From now on, everything will be decided by Benefactor. Yun-er was afraid that Li Dage was kind enough to help me, but in the end we have delayed your journey. Since we have received the Heaven's favor, it is indeed a rare blessing for everybody to travel in the same direction. "Hearing her consent, Li Yijie did not have any objection. Although Nangong Xue and Jiang Liechen did not express their opinion, it was clear that they had tacitly agreed. Thereupon everybody set off.
It was only when they arrived at the gate that they realized that the Jianye Escort Agency's reputation as the leading escort agency in the pugilistic world was not undeserved. Even though it was just a branch office in Jingxi Town, they were not careless at all. They saw that the mansion was built in an extraordinary style. In front of the gate stood two stone lions with their heads held high. The male lion on the left had an embroidered ball between his two front paws. The female lion on the right was stroking a lion cub with her left front paw. In front of the mansion there was a carriage carrying a large black lacquered gold chest. On both sides of the carriage stood several escorts. Looking at their attire, it was clear that they were the leaders of the escort agency; their martial art skills were not ordinary. On the other side was a small group of Qing soldiers; they were standing in neat formation.
Nangong Xue was focused on the chest. "Priest Lin Kong said that the Tear of Severing Soul is small and exquisite," she said, "Why are they using such a large chest to transport it? I wonder what is their intention?" Jiang Liechen said, "Perhaps they are using a smokescreen so that other people will not be suspicious." Shen Shiyun chimed in, "Or perhaps the chest is full of traps, that's why the other side is not afraid."
It was only this moment that Chu Menglin saw Cao Daren. He saw that the man's facial features were very regular; he was about twenty-five, twenty-six years old. Although he was a government official, he did not wear any fancy clothes, only a green gown; he looked like a Jianghu hero. The Old Dragon Escort was a middle-aged man, but his body was still robust. His every movement and movement gave off an imposing aura. The Kongtong Sect's Sect Leader was still wearing his coarse long robe; compared to the other two men, he did not stand out at all.
Cao Daren paced around the carriage and impatiently said, "Those Kunlun Shuang Xia don't know what time it is, why haven't they come yet?" But the Kongtong Sect's Sect Leader was calm and composed; he stroked his beard and said with a laugh, "I am afraid those two fellows have obtained some benefits, but they don't want to do anything; they have run away in the middle of the night." "How can there be such a beautiful thing?" Cao Daren angrily said. Cao Daren only made a 'go quickly and come back quickly' gesture. The Qing soldier received the order and immediately pulled a big horse and galloped away.
Chu Menglin was suspicious; he thought, "Looking at that Taoist priest's expression, it seems he knew those two would not show up. I killed them with my own hands, why is he covering for me? "
Suddenly he remembered the dispute between the Kunlun Shuang Xia and the Kongtong Sect's Sect Leader last night; the Sect Leader poured wine for them as an apology, but his smile was very strange. In a low voice he told the others about it. Jiang Liechen closed his eyes in deep thought; he understood what was going on. He said, "That Taoist priest called himself helping each other to protect the escorts, but in his mind he wanted to break the Tears of the Soul. It's not the first time he has played this trick. If the desert robbers stir up trouble along the way, he will be the fisherman who reaps the benefit. That's why he wants to take the first step to get rid of those people who get in his way. "
Chu Menglin thought, "That makes sense. Those two cups of wine were poisoned; whether I did it or not, those two people would die."
Nangong Xue said, "That being the case, if he wanted to steal the escorts, he would also want to kill the Old Dragon Escort." Li Yijie anxiously said, "The Old Dragon Escort is open and candid, his reputation is illustrious; I have always admired him. We must keep an eye out for the Tears of the Soul, but we must also protect him in secret. " Chu Menglin sneered and said, "We all know that you, Li Da Xia, love chivalry and help the weak; whether it is the flower-like, jade-like girl from the Agarwood Courtyard, or the world-famous Zongzhu of the Jianye Escort Agency, they are all under your protection." Shen Shiyun's face blushed. Right this moment, the sound of a horse's neigh was heard; the soldier from before had galloped back.
As he neared, he leaped down from his horse and knelt down on one knee, saying, "Daren, subordinate has been looking everywhere for the two Chivalrous Warriors, but I could not find them. So I thought of the Yue Lai Inn and hurriedly went there, but …" He was about to say something important when he suddenly stopped; his face was full of fear. Cao Daren anxiously said, "But what? Quickly tell me! " "Yes, Daren, please calm down," the soldier said, "But subordinate only saw a pool of blood on the guest room on the second floor, the two Chivalrous Warriors were nowhere to be seen."
The Kongtong Sect's leader asked, "Did you see the bodies of the two Huashan Pai thieves?" "I did not see them," the soldier replied. The Kongtong Sect's leader smiled and said, "Cao Daren, I already said that those two were useless; I think they failed to take revenge and were killed instead." His tone was full of schadenfreude. Cao Daren angrily said, "They can't even deal with a half-dead man, what a waste!" The soldier saw that Cao Daren's face was ashen and thought that he was angry because of his incompetence. Hastily he said, "Xiao Ren deserves to die."
Old Escort Long's expression was dignified; he took out a scroll from his bosom and unfolded it to look like a map. He sighed and said, "This is the map that Lao Fu was afraid that something might happen, so as soon as I returned to the Mansion I rushed out that very night. I did not expect that it would really come in handy. Although we have to take a big detour, it can be considered safe and we won't miss the deadline. " Thereupon he explained the map in detail to Cao Daren. Cao Daren's brows were knitted; when he finished, he flicked his sleeve and said, "We can't. The desert bandits will not let us go; they will certainly make things difficult for us along the way. The only thing we can do now is to take the risk and travel by water. "
Old Escort Long was startled, "Won't the water be even more dangerous?" "That's right," Cao Daren said, "But we can catch them off guard; I don't think the desert bandits will know." "Cao Daren is right," the Kongtong Sect's Leader said, "Old Escort Long, I heard that your honorable escort agency has a big boat that is not inferior to a dragon boat. I would like to ask you to lend it to us." Old Escort Long knew that this was a foregone conclusion; he shook his head and sighed, "Very well." He ordered the escorts to prepare a boat at the ferry, and then they left on their own.
When they arrived at the ferry, they saw a big boat moored by the shore. It was tall and spacious, majestic and luxurious; there were lofty pavilions on the boat, the boat's hull was exquisitely carved, painted with gold ornaments; the atmosphere was extraordinary. Cao Daren stared at the big boat for half a day, and then with a cold laugh he said, "Old Escort Long's family is wealthy; you are not lying. This boat is indeed comparable to the Emperor's dragon boat." "I don't dare," Old Escort Long said. He ordered the escorts to carry the boxes onto the boat. The boat was even more luxurious, it looked like a mansion. Li Yijie and the others watched the boat turn several times, but they did not know where the boxes were placed.
Seeing Cao Daren and the others slowly boarding the boat, Nangong Xue anxiously said, "We must think of a way to sneak onto the boat." While he was hesitating, suddenly he saw a small boat coming from the shore. Compared to the big boat, it was like the difference between heaven and earth, but it also had cabins and beds.
Chu Menglin suddenly had an idea, he said, "We'd better take the small boat and follow them from a distance, and then wait for an opportunity to act." As the boat got closer, he called the boatman to stop and rewarded him with a silver ingot, and told him to keep a distance from the big boat so that he could see the shadow of the sails.
Having received the reward, the boatman was very attentive; he invited them all into the cabin to rest. They were still worried that something might happen, so they decided to leave one person on the boat to keep an eye on the boat, while the rest of them would conserve their strength. They would change shifts every four hours. Li Yijie, however, suggested that the Tears of Severing Soul incident had nothing to do with Shen Shiyun, and he volunteered to take her shift. Nangong Xue was not happy, but Chu Menglin persuaded her, and her expression softened a little. And so the boat sailed for a long distance, but nothing happened.
When night fell, Li Yijie slowly walked out of the cabin and yawned. He saw a person sitting at the stern of the boat. That person's figure was slim and thin, but at that moment she looked lonely and desolate. It was Nangong Xue. Li Yijie could not bear to see her like this, he stepped forward and said, "Go back and rest, I'm here to change shifts!"
Nangong Xue raised her eyes and looked at him for a moment, then gently said, "I can't sleep. Shixiong, can you sit down and talk to me for a while?" In the past few days, because of the Shen Shiyun incident, Nangong Xue's words had been full of resentment, but at this moment her voice was very gentle. Li Yijie was really flattered, and quickly sat down next to her. He took off his jacket and put it on her, saying, "The wind is strong at night, be careful not to catch a cold."
Nangong Xue silently wrapped the jacket tighter around herself, and faintly said, "Recently I've been thinking, is there really such a clear distinction between good and evil? Then who can be called 'good' without a doubt? This time I went down the mountain and experienced many things, and it also overturned some of my previous views. Those famous' good 'sects, including us, went to Shadowless Mountain Villa for the Tears of Severing Soul, but they put it nicely, as if they place great importance on the principles of the Wulin. In comparison, I think Sacrifice Cult can be considered just and honorable. Good and evil have the same goal, isn't it ridiculous? In all fairness, they were so aggressive that day on Mount Wudang. If they didn't get the Tears of Severing Soul, it's not like they wouldn't be able to do such a thing! "
Hearing this, Li Yijie's heart was filled with fear. He had secretly thought about these things before, but in the end he felt that it was a rebellious thought, so every time he thought about it, he would be distracted by other things. However, Nangong Xue was able to analyze it so thoroughly, and sighed, saying, "Since we were young, Shifu has often taught us that good is good, evil is evil, and good and evil cannot coexist. When disciples of the good sects see people from the evil sects, they should not ask for the reason, just draw their swords and kill them. "
Nangong Xue said, "I don't want to completely deny the righteous sects, but this is a bit too overbearing. The reason why evil sects were called evil sects was naturally because their ancestors had done things that were despised by others. However, if one was born into an evil sect, what could be done? People from the evil sects who have never done anything bad are actually better than people from the good sects who pretend to be righteous! "
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