Under the sky

Chapter 173
Unknown, he rode his horse for a long time on the mountain. He didn't reach the viewing point, and then walked around the front of the mountain. The leaning and falling miscanthus caught his attention.He cleared the brush and found a path that wasn't really a road, barely wide enough for the horses to walk on.

It's convenient, but do people come and go often?It's not very reasonable, unless there is a village above, and it's a small village.

The road up the mountain is not difficult, just a little twisty.It is said that mountains have three dangers: one is steep, the other is deep, and the third is precipitous. This mountain is neither steep nor precipitous, but it is winding and winding, quite deep and secluded.

After passing through the grass and making a bend, there is a flat area, passing through a hundred-foot-wide grove. A small stream winds along the mountain wall, and there is a village in front of it.

It's really small. It's estimated that there are only thirty or forty households. Standing at the head of the village, you can see the end of the village. There is nothing in the distance. This village seems to be on the edge of a cliff?
Judging from the orientation, this was the place he wanted. Ming Xiang raised his head and saw that there was a high platform not far to the right. He looked at the surrounding area and saw it was flat.

"Who are you?" A delicate voice shouted. Ming looked down and saw a girl in her late teens, with two dirty braids and light black spots on her cheeks, frowning and pouting at him.When their eyes met, the girl's cheeks turned red and she shouted angrily: "Why are you the only one?"

"It's just me." Ming Wuxi heard her misunderstanding, "I don't have any companions, I'm just passing by and wanted to find a place to watch the fighting at the bottom of the mountain."

"Just passing by?" The girl still didn't believe it.Two farmers rushed up and covered the girl behind them. The taller one asked: "Who are you?"

"Passing by." Ming Wuxiang pointed to the front and asked, "I want to see a scene, can I enter the village?" Seeing two big men who seemed to be wary, Ming Wuxiang continued: "I don't mean any harm, I'm just taking a look. do not bother."

"What's there to see at the bottom of the mountain? There's a war!" said the taller man.

The girl lined up two big men and asked, "Are you just looking at the scenery?"

Ming nodded uncertainly: "Can I do anything bad?"

"Who knows!" shouted the taller man.

"If it's not convenient." Ming pointed to the high platform on the right, "How to get there?"

"You have to pass through our village to go up to the rooftop," the girl said.

"Viewing the rooftop? It turns out there is such an elegant name." Ming nodded uncertainly, "Then I still have to borrow a way from you."

"Let him enter the village." The girl said, "He doesn't look like a bad person."

The tall man was still a little hesitant, and the shorter man also said: "He is very polite, I guess he is not a bad person."

Ming Wei nodded and thanked him, then drove his horse along the road in front of the village, which was less than a mile away.The girl and two farmers followed behind. The taller one had some trouble walking, as if his sprained foot was not completely healed.

This is really a good place. It is clear from Lingling to Lengshuitan, but there are still some obstacles.

"You want to go up to the rooftop and walk along the cliff, but there is no road there, so you have to climb up." The girl pointed to the rooftop and said, "How about I take you there?"

The tall man asked hurriedly: "Why are you going with a stranger?" The short man said: "I will send the guests there."

Ming did not refuse, and the two walked along the cliff for about a mile, only to find that the high platform stood alone against the mountain wall, about three feet high, quite steep, and carved about two feet from the ground. A round mark.

"This is a mark. Stepping into this circle is the starting point. It is easier to climb up from here." said the short man.

Unknown Ming dismounted, put his left foot into the round hole, stepped up, grabbed a bulge with his right hand, and made several leaps. His white clothes were not even stained by mud before he climbed up to the rooftop.

The short man's eyes widened: "You...you know martial arts?"

Ming nodded uncertainly: "I have learned some." Then he looked down the mountain.

That's it. From Lingling to Lengshuitan, you have a panoramic view of the entire battlefield. Except for being too far away, there is almost no shortcoming.

Dian Cang has captured Lingling, which is only eighty miles away from Lengshuitan and there is a waterway. To describe Hengshan as being at a disadvantage may be a bit too polite.

Ming Ming looked in the direction of Lengshuitan, but saw camps dotted like a forest, and flags fluttering in the distance. Although he couldn't see clearly, he knew that there must be an armillary sphere embroidered on it, which was the flag of Hengshan.

■

"Isn't the leader back yet?" Ying Chenghu asked anxiously, his right hand and chest were still bandaged.

Lan Shengqing looked at the leader of the Lengshui Sect. Ying Chenghu was stationed in Lingling. After the Lingling city was broken, he led his troops to break out and escape. He happened to run into the men and horses he came to rescue. He collected the remaining soldiers and included them. jurisdiction.

Lingling has been lost, and Lengshuitan and Qiyang are both threatened. If they can't stop Dian Cang's army here, and wait for them to control these two places, they will really be forced to the foot of Hengshan Mountain.

It's not that the leader didn't tell him to be careful. If the sect's failure was due to Wu Daorong, the leader of the Qinglong Sect, he neglected to take precautions and was caught off guard. Lingling City indeed took strict precautions, but it fell in less than a month.It is said that the folk customs in Yunnan and Guangxi are fierce. In ancient times, the foreign lands were indeed a group of barbarians.

What's worse is that the leader of this group of barbarians is still a smart man, Lan Shengqing gritted his teeth.Li Xuanxuan had already prepared a plan. If there was a loss in the door, nearby sects would come to Lingling. The blame was on Wu Daorong for allowing Dian Cang to win without a fight. The news almost followed Dian Cang's army.The dwarf Zhuge Ran was cunning and did not rush to attack the city. Before the reinforcements from nearby sects arrived, he split up and defeated them one by one, and stopped the remaining sects that dared not move. Those sects were waiting for orders, but the leader had not returned yet.

Is this a miscalculation by the leader?Lan Shengqing thought, no, even if Dian Cang was prepared, Hengshan was not just waiting to die.The battlefield is changing rapidly and is unpredictable.But one thing is the key - Zhuge Yan died in Kunlun Palace. If not, maybe Dian Cang would have waited for Zhuge Yan to come back before sending troops, and the leader would have almost returned to Hengshan by then.

Then again, Zhuge Ran sent troops just after hearing the news of Zhuge Yan's death. Such a risky and rapid advance has indeed paid off. Is there anyone in the Jiu Da family who is more full of intrigues than this dwarf?

After hearing the news, the three deputy heads Lan Shengqing, Ruan Qifeng, and Mao Shengxue immediately reached an agreement. According to Li Xuanxuan's instructions before leaving, Lan Shengqing led the army to come to the rescue. It was only two days late that Lingling fell.However, Dian Cang did not continue to advance after capturing Lingling. Lan Shengqing guessed that Zhuge Ran planned to reorganize in Lingling and also let the urgent march rest.

This was a good opportunity. Lan Shengqing ordered to gather the remaining soldiers, and at the same time summoned nearby sects to come for reinforcements and gather troops.

"This is the top of Hengshan Mountain." Lan Shengqing thought.Perhaps Dian Cang could rely on surprise troops to advance forward, but the longer the delay, the more people gathered in Lengshuitan. As long as Lingling was recaptured, Dian Cang's efforts would be in vain.

Then he saw a large number of refugees pouring in, carrying just enough food to reach Lengshuitan.

This damn dwarf made Lan Shengqing grit his teeth.

■

Lengshuitan will be a key battlefield. If Dian Cang can be repelled here, Hengshan will be able to survive and at least have enough capital to fight Dian Cang.

But the winner will not be decided in one or two days, or even within ten days and a half.

"It's almost dark, how long are you going to watch up there?"

It's the tall farmer.

Ming unknown jumped down from the rooftop, and his light skill shocked the young man.

"You...you just jumped down like this? It's three feet high!"

"I have learned some martial arts." Ming asked unknownly, "Is there a place to stay in the village?"

"You still want to stay here?" The tall man's face was full of impatience, "Where did we get an inn in this crappy place!"

"One penny a day, just a place to sleep, and no one will be disturbed except morning and evening prayers." Ming was discussing it unknown.

"A penny a day?" The tall farmer was surprised. He didn't know how high the house prices were down the mountain, but a penny a day was definitely enough here.

"I have to ask the village chief." He said hurriedly.

■

The village chief's surname is Niu, and his name is Niu Changming. Hearing that an embarrassing man has come to the village and wants to live in a shabby place like Niushan Village, he can't help but be suspicious. When he sees that he is a fair and handsome young man, he can't help but be surprised.Hearing that this man was good at martial arts, he was worried that he was a spy, so he asked about his origins and took out the chivalrous certificate issued by Shaolin.

"I'm just concerned about the battle situation at the foot of the mountain, nothing else." Ming Wu said this.

But looking down from the mountain, although the two armies of Lengshuitan and Lingling City can be seen clearly, they are just a group of black ants, and nothing can be seen clearly.As for being a spy, it would take a whole day to leave this mountain and report the news to Lingling.

Village Chief Niu thought for a while and said: "There are many houses in the village. If they are not too shabby, they can accommodate you for a few days."

Ming thanked him unknownly, took off his luggage from the horse - a thin quilt and some clothes - and said: "I am a vegetarian. If it is inconvenient in the village, I can find food by myself. If someone prepares it, I will give you extra money for the food." Village Chief Niu said hurriedly: "There is not meat every day in the village. My sister-in-law of the Zhao family also eats the long fast. Just ask her to prepare a portion for you."

Ming unknown, so he lived in a shabby house in the corner of the village.

Village Chief Niu was worried and asked people to watch the movement quietly.This young man's life is quite regular. He gets up at midnight to chant sutras, and Zhao's sister-in-law brings him breakfast. After that, he does laundry. Several pieces of clothing are white clothes that have been washed to gray, with some traces of sewing, but when worn on him, they look pure and innocent. Feeling shabby.

He hung his clothes to dry outside the house, and the day before he borrowed an ax to cut wood outside the village. The village chief was confused at first, but later when he saw him on the roof, Village Chief Niu realized that the house would leak.This young man was so attentive that he patched up the roof before it rained, which showed that he really planned to stay there for a while.

After noon, he would go to the rooftop and sit, sometimes for the whole afternoon. He would come back before dusk, put away his clothes, have dinner, carry water to bathe and change clothes, chant sutras and do evening classes. His pious appearance was said by the Zhao family's sister-in-law. Like a Bodhisattva coming into the world.

Sometimes when it gets dark, I will walk to the rooftop viewing platform in the dark. The lights of Hengshan Camp and Lingling City are far away from each other. The villagers can see clearly even standing on the edge of the cliff, and they are a little frightened.

Village Chief Niu didn't even know why the two families were fighting. He only knew that Dian Cang had violated the law. At first, the villagers thought it was a show of excitement, but from a distance, they could only see that the darkness was full of people, and they couldn't see clearly what they were doing. , the fall of Lingling City was still a blind guess by everyone.

I hope that Head Li will drive away the villains quickly... Village Chief Niu has no time to worry about things so far away. Things in the village are already annoying enough, and those greedy evil spirits will come to cause trouble again...

There was nothing strange about Mingwu. The villagers were curious about him a few days ago, but after a few days, they treated him as normal. When they met and greeted him, Mingwu always returned the greeting politely, and he was quite close to him.

On the other hand, my daughter Yueji wanted to get close to him at first, but when she saw him chanting sutras morning and night, she knew he was a practitioner, so she stopped thinking about him.

The life in Niujia Village is as peaceful as in the past. It would have been peaceful if it hadn't been for a group of disasters that came more than a year ago.

Isn’t this?It came as it was said.

On the afternoon of the sixth day that Mingwu stayed in Niushan Village, those hungry ghosts crawled out again and took out their intestines.

A half-pole broken flag embroidered with the word "righteousness" was waved all the way from outside the woods at the entrance of the village. Seven horses, together with the twelve people behind them, made a total of nineteen hungry ghosts.The horses circled around the entrance of the village, making some noise. In fact, there was no need for such noise. As soon as these people walked out of the woods, Wang Shu, the stupid coward, was busy shouting: "Fourth Master Xue is here! Fourth Master Xue is here again!" Here it comes! Everyone, please be careful, if you have anything good, leave it at the door!"

Bao Erfu had a livid face, and the other villagers were also dejected. They opened the door and moved out the firewood, rice, oil and salt from their homes. Their clothes, pants and quilts were bundled neatly, and several feet of cloth and bundles of linen were left on the ground.

You Baijin, the pig butcher, drove a piglet, big and small, to the door and tied it up. Aunt Han, the chicken raiser, didn't have to panic. The chicken pen was in the backyard. Fourth Master Xue was not a stranger, so he had to take it as he pleased.

This is what Mayor Niu is worried about.More than a year ago, a group of horse bandits appeared out of nowhere. They were said to be horse bandits, only about a dozen of them. They were fierce and fierce. The leader was tall. I don’t know his name, but he was nicknamed the Green Faced Lion. Everyone called him Xue Si. Brother, if you hold up an iron meteor hammer, it might not weigh thirty or forty kilograms?

After this group of people ransacked the village, they left like a gust of wind.Village Chief Niu sent someone to inform the sect, but the whereabouts of small groups of bandits are often unpredictable. One day they are in the mountains, and they may be in the lake or sea tomorrow. Besides, are there less than 20 horse bandits worth the effort?This area is already desolate. There is only a small branch of Lengshui Gate in the area. The bandit was just wiped out a while ago, and many people were injured. They sent people to investigate twice and then nothing happened, leaving the villagers to consider themselves unlucky.There are only about a hundred people, twenty or thirty households, and they are in this deep mountain and old forest. How about moving the village and settling down at the foot of the mountain?
It is said that people love their hometown and it is impossible to move to the village.I didn't expect that this group of people would come again half a year later, plundered all the remaining grain stored in the village, and even took away a piglet, but I was heartbroken to death.A young man inside asked Yue Ji if she was married to someone else. Bao Erfu took it as a tease and became angry. He stepped forward and was beaten. The leg was broken like this. After resting for two months, he is still lame.

But what can be done?It was a long journey into the city, and today I reported to the sect, but tomorrow I would not see the gangsters. I could only pray to these starving yakshas to see through the bad feng shui of this poor place as soon as possible, and find a better place to go.

"Brothers from Juyi Banner are passing by your place and came to visit Niushan Village." Fourth Brother Xue followed the usual tradition, "My surname is Xue. I come from a family that wanders around the country and sleeps in the open. I beg for a few sips of water and a few bowls of rice from the villagers. , I won’t scratch the ground, I won’t hurt anyone, I won’t hurt my daughter, and I’ll ask the folks to help me!”

Bao Erfu said angrily: "No harm? Is it because a dog bites me when my legs are closed?"

Yueji hurriedly pulled Bao Erfu behind her. Village Chief Niu hurriedly held his hands in his hands and said, "Okay, Fourth Master Xue, please help yourself and don't hurt anyone!"

Fourth brother Xue didn't care about him and shouted: "Wang Shu, lead the way!"

When this group of horse bandits first arrived, they pointed at Wang Shu and asked him to check whether any valuables were hidden in each household.Wang Shu did not dare to disobey and helped search every house. He attracted a lot of looks, and privately called him a coward without a dick. Wang Shu just kept shouting about injustice. Whoever dares to take risks on the edge of the knife can still save some for himself. If it had been anyone else, they would have taken out all of Widow Zhao's menstrual cloths and put them on the market.

Xu was satisfied with Wang Shu's handling, so Brother Xue still asked Wang Shu to lead the way when he came back to collect grain and oil. Wang Shu had to lead the way obediently.In fact, there is nothing valuable in this shabby place. If there was any jewelry or silver, Fourth Brother Xue took it away a year ago.

Fourth Brother Xue shouted, and the horse bandits entered the village and picked in front of each house.Suddenly a voice asked: "Excuse me, what happened?" Everyone turned to look, wasn't it the guest?
Brother Xue saw that this man was dressed in gray white clothes and had a high ponytail. He looked like a jade sculpture.Can such a person come out of a remote place?He asked in a deep voice: "Who is your Excellency? I have never seen you."

Ming Wuji clasped his fists and bent down: "I'm Ming Wuji, and I'm temporarily living in the village." He then asked, "Are you horse bandits?"

Fourth Brother Xue frowned, squinted at Village Chief Niu and couldn't help but sneer: "Okay, Village Chief Niu, are you dissatisfied that I asked for less, so I left the remaining grain for you to hire a bodyguard?"

Village Chief Niu sensed something was wrong. Could it be that Fourth Brother Xue wanted to exploit the topic and search for more?He hurriedly explained: "He is really a guest. Look at this young man with tender skin and tender flesh. He is such a delicate person. If you want to hire a bodyguard, why hire just one person? Fourth Master Xue, if you want to plunder, please feel free to do it." The crime is not an act of heroism.”

Before Fourth Brother Xue opened his mouth, he heard Na Ming say something ominous: "You can't rob." He shook his head slightly, "This is illegal."

"You said you're not a bodyguard?" Fourth Brother Xue was furious, "Are you really fucking in charge?"

Brother Xue, the fourth brother, rode his horse and leaned forward, trying to force the unknown person to show up. The man seemed to be crazy and refused to dodge.This move was meant to be intimidating and had no intention of hurting anyone. When Brother Xue saw that he was not surprised, he raised his meteor hammer and hit him on the head.

Didn't this smash break a good piece of porcelain?Village Chief Niu covered his eyes and did not dare to look. He also felt sorry for the child, who had suffered such a misfortune... He only heard his daughter Yueji screaming at the top of her voice, followed by everyone's exclamations of "Eh", "Ah" and "Oh" Mixed with the sounds of surprise and admiration, he did not hear the screams. Village Chief Niu squinted and looked between his fingers, only to see Ming Wuxi standing there. Then he put down his hand and looked carefully, and also said "Eh". Come.

Ming Ming was seen raising his left palm, holding the meteor mallet with one hand as if it were holding up the sky, holding an unknown amount of hundreds of kilograms of force in his palm.

Fourth Brother Xue's expression changed drastically, he raised the meteor hammer again and shouted: "It turns out he is an expert!"

It was unclear and he didn't say anything. A white shadow stepped forward and without even having time to blink, he grabbed Brother Xue and threw him off his horse.Fourth brother Xue shouted to start, and the remaining twelve gangsters with six horses and swords, guns and sticks came forward.

Suddenly, a small silver-white snake-like thing sprang out from Ming's unknown hand, whirled in mid-air, bit a gangster, and tore him off his horse, causing him to scream repeatedly.

If the next thing were told to another person, Village Chief Niu would only snort and say: "My surname is Niu, and you are bragging in front of me?"

The small silver-white snake danced around Ming and Unknown like a large semi-transparent bell on its body. Whenever the weapon came into contact, the silver snake would wrap around the opponent and use some magical method. It would twitch its wrist. He threw the man onto his feet and turned his face upside down.Just grab one and throw another, catch one and throw another, and in the blink of an eye, four or five fell to the ground.

This was not enough, someone rushed at them with full power, ducking out of the way without knowing it, reaching out to grab them, catching them as soon as they hit them, and throwing them down as soon as they hit them. Even Widow Zhao couldn't pick the fruits in her yard so neatly.

There was also the horse trying to escape. The little silver snake bit the horse on the buttocks. The pain caused the horse to hoof up and scream, and the man stood up. At this time, two more fell to the ground - one fell down, One can't dodge and is suppressed.

Fourth Brother Xue endured the pain and stood up, wielding the meteor mallet to attack his weapon. He was pulled away by Ming unknown, and his left palm struck the back of his neck. He fell to the ground and could not move. He did not know whether he was fainted or not. died.

Not to mention those lying on the ground, those who saw that the situation was not going well and wanted to run, obviously caught up from behind. They looked like they were walking, no, or rather floating, like leaves blown by the wind, but they were worse than He was running very fast, with one palm on the left and one on the right, one fell down with each palm.

Could it be that I saw a goblin today?No, this is a Bodhisattva who comes to save suffering.

In just a quarter of an hour, nineteen horse bandits fell to the ground in a mess, still groaning. They were suddenly struck by a palm on the back of the head, and they suddenly became quiet.

Seeing the nineteen horse bandits lying on the ground, the villagers opened their mouths in shock. Village Chief Niu almost had saliva dripping from his mouth, and then he asked timidly: "Master Ming, are they not dead?"

Ming shook his head in confusion: "I don't kill people." He added, "Tie him up first."

Only then did Village Chief Niu come to his senses and hurriedly said: "Quick, quickly tie up all the horse bandits with ropes and put away all the weapons!"

No one in the village had ever tied up a living person, so You Baijin took a rope and tied people up using the method of tying pork. He couldn't see clearly, and gave instructions on how to tie the hands and feet. He worked for a long time and tied the nineteen horse bandits into a string.Bao Erfu looked for the boy who broke his leg and kicked him twice to vent his anger.

"Report to the sect," someone said, "There will be a reward for catching the horse bandits."

Village Chief Niu nodded and looked at the sun. It was already Shen Shi. It was a long way down the mountain and he was afraid it would be late at night, so he said, "Find a place to lock them up first."

Suddenly, I heard Fourth Brother Xue shouting: "Spare my life! Spare my life!" It turned out that he had woken up, but he woke up too quickly.

Bao Erfu scolded: "Why spare your life? If God opens your eyes, you will hit a dead end! If you didn't deserve your fate, how would this hero come to deal with you?"

Brother Xue shouted: "I have money and can redeem myself!"

Everyone was originally shouting to report to the sect, but after hearing what he said, they suddenly became quieter.Village Chief Niu frowned and said vaguely: "Village Chief, there are many empty houses in the village. Take them down and inform the sect tomorrow."

Village Chief Niu said: "Let's hear what they say first."

Just like a cool breeze suddenly blowing in the middle of summer, a faint smile appeared on the corners of the unknown mouth.

(End of this chapter)