Under the sky

Chapter 272 The disaster is hidden

For Xu Fangge, this year is indeed not a good year, or it can be said that he has had a bad year.First, his legs were broken in Kunlun Palace, and it took him several months to recover. After that, his legs would feel a little sore every time it rained, and Dian Cang lost his position as leader of the alliance. Later, he heard that Peng Qianqi was assassinated. Although he was seriously injured, he only had his legs broken. After one arm, his skills were not as good as before. However, Peng Zhenwen came to Jiangxi in person and had mixed feelings.

Peng Zhenwen is not easy to deal with, and it will be more difficult to pull out the stinky wolf later.

The battlefield in Changsha reached a stalemate. Li Xuanzhen's resistance in Changsha was more tenacious than in Qidong. In December, a group of bald donkeys came to help.Shaolin Temple... Juekong would actually flow into this muddy water, and Juejian could let him go?

When the Shaolin disciples arrived, Xu Fangge stopped his troops to reward the disciples and strengthen their vigilance.After New Year's Eve, he will launch an onslaught.Changsha is only a short distance away from Hengyang. Once Changsha is broken, Hengyang will be just around the corner.

As for Zhuge Ran...

"How far is it?" Zhuge Ran played with his cane.

"Sixty percent." Gu Dongcheng reported, "Thirty percent of it is old rice and is still infested with insects. It is not good rice."

King Mangxiang is not stupid. Friendship is friendship. The old rice was sold at [-]% of the price of new rice. Even if it is tax-free, he will not lose money.Zhuge Ran raised his eyebrows: "In the past few days during the New Year, we will use new rice, kill more livestock, and reward wine and meat so that the disciples can have a good New Year. Tell them that each household will be given two coins of silver in red envelopes."

"The teams in Qingcheng and Hengshan have been disrupting this. This is not the way to go," Gu Dongcheng said.

"Do you want to think of something or do I want to think of something?" Zhuge Ran tapped his stick on the ground gently.

Gu Dongcheng said awkwardly: "We can only increase the number of grain truck guards."

"Then we need to send more troops." Zhuge Ran said, "We haven't captured Qidong yet, how many disciples should we send to escort the food and grass?"

Shen Congfu and Yin Molan's troops were only a few thousand people. They came and went away suddenly, plundering food and grass along the way, looting or burning them, and immediately retreated once there was a fight.Shen Congfu marched like the wind, and Yin Molan ran the army rigorously. They caused chaos all the way from Guilin to Qidong, and there was really nothing they could do to stop them.

However, Zhuge Ran was not worried about the lack of food. Not to mention laying down Lingling to store food. Hongguo was rich in rice and sold it to Dian Cang at [-]%. Even though it was old rice, even if only [-]% arrived, he could handle it. .

But this was not Zhuge Ran's plan. Fighting was a daily expense, and even Dian Cang and the richest of the Beggar Clan couldn't afford such a toss.He originally thought that approaching Hengyang would allow Li Xuanxuan to retreat and sign an alliance under the city. It seemed that this old woman was more difficult to deal with than he thought.

What's even worse is that Huashan was defeated in just a few months. Almost the entire army was wiped out and its vitality was severely damaged.Attacking Hanzhong from the Han River, which elite has such wild thoughts?It must be Shen Yuqing's idea. Besides him, who else would dare to propose such a strategy and not be beaten with a stick?
Shen Yuqing... maybe he had made a mistake. His biggest opponent was not Juekong, Li Xuanxuan or Mrs. Lengmian, but this newborn calf.

If Huashan cannot contain Qingcheng, then Qingcheng will have plenty of energy to rush to Hengshan's aid.And what about the Tang Sect... They are cold-faced and don't fish in troubled waters, so they just wait blindly?

The spies sent word that a Qingcheng team had entered Hezhou along the waterway and seemed to want to rush to Hengshan's aid.

To win this battle, more combat power needs to be invested, Zhuge Ran thought.

■

Li Jingfeng hit a set of Qingcheng Cotton Palm over and over again for more than ten times. He was covered in sweat and sat down to rest.Shen Weichen pointed to his side: "What are you doing sitting so far away?"

Li Jingfeng said: "I smell like sweat."

Shen Weichen sat next to him and handed him a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. Suddenly he became playful and lowered his head and whispered in Li Jingfeng's ear: "Catch me and let you kiss me."

Li Jingfeng pretended not to hear clearly, turned around and asked, "What did the little sister say?" When Shen Weichen came closer, he suddenly reached out for a hug. Shen Weichen turned sideways and said with a smile, "Cunning." Li Jingfeng chased after him, and Shen Weichen pointed his toes and turned towards He retreated, turned around and flew up, really like a fairy taking small steps on the waves, leaping up and down in the martial arts room. Li Jingfeng's body skills were far inferior, and several pursuits were in vain.

While the two were having fun, the door suddenly opened, and they were startled, but it was Shen Yuqing standing at the door with a smile.

Shen Weichen forced himself to stay calm: "Jingfeng, you have been practicing this light skill for a long time, but your speed is not enough. You need to practice more."

Shen Yuqing smiled and said, "I heard you guys having fun outside. My little sister's lie is not as good as mine."

Shen Weichen blushed: "We agreed when we were young that eavesdropping would irritate our ears!"

Li Jingfeng was also embarrassed. Just as he was about to say something, Shen Yuqing said seriously: "Jingfeng, mother wants to see you."

Li Jingfeng felt a chill in his heart, knowing that Mrs. Chu could finally take the time to see him. He nodded and said, "I'm going to change into clean clothes. Please ask Mrs. Chu to wait a moment."

Shen Weichen said: "I'm leaving too. See you tomorrow, Jingfeng."

After the office work in the morning these days, Shen Weichen came to teach Li Jingfeng martial arts, mainly fist, foot and palm skills. He left as soon as Shen Shi arrived. Even Shen Yuqing didn't know where his little sister was.

Li Jingfeng returned to Taiping Pavilion, washed and changed his clothes, changed into a set of dry clothes, and went to Juntian Palace to meet Shen Yuqing.Shen Yuqing brought him to Qian Tang. When Mrs. Chu saw him arriving, she pointed to the seat and said, "Sit down."

It was the first time that Li Jingfeng was so close to Mrs. Chu. He felt that this elder was a bit more lively and lively than an ordinary lady, and he couldn't help but feel a little reserved.Mrs. Chu looked at Li Jingfeng carefully, nodded and said, "You and Brother Li do have a bit of a resemblance, especially the eyes."

Shen Yuqing said: "Mother is reminiscing with the son of an old friend. My son, please leave first."

Mrs. Chu shook her head: "Yu'er, please sit down too. There's nothing I can't let you know."

Shen Yuqing asked for a seat and sat down with Li Jingfeng. Mrs. Chu ordered someone to make a pot of tea. She stood back and thought for a long time before saying, "This matter has something to do with brothers Qi and Zhuge, and it also has something to do with me. "

"That happened in the 62nd year of Kunlun. I was still a disciple of Emei at that time. Emei was under the jurisdiction of the Tang Sect. That year, Master Xuanyu sent me as an envoy to the Tang Sect."

She said she was on an envoy, but in fact Mrs. Leng-face heard that Chu Jingtan was beautiful, upright and heroic, so she specially invited her to see him. She couldn't have a son, but at least she could find a decent daughter-in-law, so she could have some hope for a grandson.Unexpectedly, as soon as Tang Jinyang saw Chu Jingtan, he was full of ugliness after only a few words. Chu Jingtan saw that this idiot was a fool, and did not give face to the cold-faced lady. He ridiculed Tang Jinyang and made Tang Jinyang neither angry nor laughing. The daughter-in-law of the Tang family This road is considered a dead end.

Chu Jingtan lived in Tangmen for more than a month and was about to fall ill from boredom. Brother Zhuge happened to come to visit.That year, Zhuge Yan was twenty and Zhuge Ran was sixteen. When Zhuge Yan saw Chu Jingtan, his soul flew into the sky and he invited Chu Jingtan to travel to Diancang. Chu Jingtan was about to get rid of Tang Jinyang and said that as long as the cold-faced lady agreed, he would No excuses.

Zhuge Yan was also straight-tempered, so he immediately asked Leng Mian. Leng Mian knew that Chu Jingtan did not like his son, so he simply agreed to the matter as a favor. If the two families got married, she would also have the merit of the marriage.Chu Jingtan also put forward conditions. If he wanted to travel together, there were two requirements. One was that he was not allowed to bring bodyguards with him, and the other was that it was up to Chu Jingtan to decide which way to go to Diancang.

Before Zhuge Ran could stop him, Zhuge Yan hurriedly agreed.He relies on his strong martial arts skills and his younger brother is smart. Even if there is any accident, how can anyone dare to commit a minor crime with a little Cang Crown Prince's token?As for the second condition, there are only a few roads from the Tang Sect to Dian Cang, what other tricks can they come up with?

Who would have thought that Chu Jingtan's road would not go south, but to the east, first to Qingcheng, then to Wudang, then down the Yangtze River, passing through Hengshan, and even less likely to go to Jiangxi to visit the great hero Peng Laobei, and then turn around. To the north in Shaolin, if the solitary cemetery was not so dangerous, we would have to go to Fenyang.There are only eight words along the way: get rid of evil whenever it happens, and cause trouble.She is really high-spirited to have a well-known name as the chivalrous girl Chu Jingtan.

Her original intention was to get rid of the Zhuge brothers, make them impatient, and use the excuse that they broke their promise to go their separate ways. However, Zhuge Yan was really determined. He wrote a letter home saying that he would not return to Dian Cang, and accompanied Chu Jingtan in fights and troubles along the way, and then asked his brother to clean up the mess. , if you really cause any trouble, just throw down your identity as Crown Prince Dian Cang, and do whatever you want.From Shaolin to Huashan, it took more than nine months without realizing it. No matter how willful and absurd Chu Jingtan was, Zhuge Yan never complained and just laughed with him.

Just walking like this, some feelings came out, and the three of them became good friends. But if they want to go further, Zhuge Yan, although he looks brave and handsome, speaks vulgarly and does not know how to be careful and considerate. He often relies on his status to annoy Chu Jingtan. Poor infatuation, after all, it is difficult to capture the heart.

It happened when we arrived at Kongtong via Huashan.Their group had already alerted the Kongtong sect, and the head of the Kongtong sect sent his disciple Qi Zikang to receive them.

"Coming with the second master are his younger brother Qi Zigai and your father," Chu Jingtan said. "Let me talk about the second master first. He is young and promising. Not only is he directly related to Kongtong, his father is also the commander of the Changping Sect. In order of seniority, He is the younger brother of the head of Kongtong, and he is quite prestigious in Kongtong. The three brothers of the Qi family have all joined the head, and the second master is already the head of the Flying Cavalry Hall at a young age, and his future is limitless."

Li Jingfeng had been in the Iron Sword Silver Guard and knew the establishment. The commander of the Changping Gate was one of the sixteen seats in the assembly hall, with 4000 people directly under his command. The Feiqi Hall had an establishment of 500 people. It was an elite team directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Armed Forces. The second master was no more than He is in his twenties, and being promoted to this position shows that he is highly valued. It is no wonder that the head of the family sent him to receive Prince Dian Cang.

"Your father was in charge of the banner at the time. He grew up with the Qi family brothers. However, the Qi family brothers became members of the family leader, while your father became a member of the Qi family."

It is not uncommon for one to accept a disciple while having his son become a disciple. After all, even fellow apprentices have different learnings and abilities. In addition to learning martial arts, the other purpose is to establish a relationship.

"As for the third master, he was still an ordinary disciple at that time, just following his brother to join in the fun." Chu Jingtan couldn't help but smile as she remembered some interesting past events.

These people said they hit it off instantly, it would be better to say they are not enemies and don't get together.Qi Zigai is a young man, while Zhuge Ran is an old man. The two dislike each other and play tricks on each other. Although Zhuge Ran is cunning and wise, the third master is extremely talented and has been capable since he was a child. Even if he competes with Zhuge Yan, who is six years older than him, he will not fall behind. , when he got reckless, Zhuge Ran couldn't do anything about him. Zhuge Yan would only add fuel to the fire, while Qi Zikang smiled and watched the two of them messing around, relying on Li Muhai to mediate.

"Although your father is a follower of the second master, he grew up with the second master and the third master, and they are more like brothers. He is upright, steady and down-to-earth. The Qi family treats him like their own son, and the third master treats him like a brother, and they have a deep affection for him." Chu Jingtan wanted to go to Sanlong Pass to gain experience, so the group walked north.The relationship gradually grew louder and louder all the way. Qi Zikang remembered that his eldest brother was in Jincheng and had not seen him for several months, so he proposed to go to Jincheng.

The Jincheng Gang is in charge of the government affairs in Jincheng, and the Iron Sword Silver Guard stationed there is the Tianlei Hall. The leader of the hall is Qi Zihao, the eldest brother of the three brothers of the Qi family. Although he is transferred from outside, everyone knows that there will most likely be one of the sixteen seats in the future assembly hall. He has a seat.As a result, the Qi family's father and son occupied three of the sixteen seats in the assembly hall. With the attention and cultivation of the head, the Qi brothers had the capital and opportunity to take over as the head.

As soon as Chu Jingtan and his party arrived in Jincheng, they heard that a major case had occurred there and a girl had been insulted and died.This is a crime punishable by the whole world. How can Chu Jingtan sit idly by and watch?Immediately investigate the case with the Qi brothers, Zhuge brothers and Li Muhai.

"That was a very complicated case, and it would take several days to talk about it from the beginning." Chu Jingtan recalled the past, "The flower picker not only committed one case, but also victimized other girls one after another. It involves private matters, so I won't say more. . We were set up in circles and made many mistakes, which also affected innocent people. Fortunately, little monkey and the second master were there, and finally the murderer was found, and the murderer also confessed face to face. The third master fought with the murderer and killed him, and then conducted an autopsy. Only then did we find out that the murderer was terminally ill and would not die soon."

"Later, Brother Li felt that something was wrong. The case was too simple to solve. The murderer was just an ordinary Iron Sword Silver Guard. It was difficult to arrange such a meticulous plan. The little monkey also became suspicious, so he set up a trap to lead out the real murderer."

"That's Qi Zihao, the second master's eldest brother." Chu Jingtan said.

At that time, Qi Zihao was engaged to the daughter of the local Jincheng Gang leader, but he hooked up with another girl. The girl threatened that if Qi Zihao betrayed his heart, both of them would be destroyed. In a hurry, he accidentally killed the girl and arranged it like a flower picker forcing her to rape and kill her.It was originally an unsolved case, but Chu Jingtan and others came and pursued it all the way. In order to cover up the secret, Qi Zihao had to instruct his confidants to commit crimes on his behalf one after another.

The brothers of the Qi family were heartbroken when their eldest brother committed such a serious crime. They all joined forces to capture Qi Zihao, but Qi Zigai could not bring himself to kill his eldest brother.

There is another difficulty here.

"We found the main envoy, but there is no evidence, not at all." Mrs. Chu said, "Qi Zihao still has some skills. He destroyed all the evidence. Everyone knows that the second master is one of the candidates for the future leader. Once the matter is exposed, The second master is bound to be implicated, not to mention that there is no hope of becoming the leader, and even the Qi family’s three future seats in the assembly hall may not be able to be saved.”

Even if Qi Zikang and Qi Zigai jointly reported the case, there was no evidence. Despite this, Qi Zikang and Qi Zigai still escorted his eldest brother back to Sanlong Pass and reported the matter to his father.Qi's father was filled with grief and anger. One son made a mistake, and the futures of three sons were ruined. In order to save the second son's future, Qi's father was determined to cover up the matter. He only asked Qi Zihao to resign his position, resume his identity as Bai Ding, and stay in Sanlongguan as an aide.

"I'm really angry, but Zhuge Ran said it's best to end it here."

Zhuge Yan also said that there is no reason for a powerful person to pay for his death by killing a few people. He listened to Chu Jingtan on everything along the way, except for this matter.Chu Jingtan was furious, and regardless of her inferior martial arts skills, she secretly raised her sword to assassinate Qi Zihao.

Mrs. Chu asked Li Jingfeng, "What would you do if it were you?"

Li Jingfeng shook his head: "Even if he didn't do it himself, he killed these people."

Chu Jingtan nodded: "When I arrived, your father had already killed Qi Zihao."

Chu Jingtan said it in an understatement, but Shen Yuqing said "ah". Li Jingfeng was not surprised.By the end of the story, Li Jingfeng had already guessed what decision his father would make, because he had assassinated Qin Kunyang for the same reason.

The second master and the third master couldn't bring themselves to kill their brothers. As Zhuge Yan and Zhuge Ran were nobles, they couldn't risk the conflict between the two families to kill Qi Zihao. Chu Jingtan was no match for Qi Zihao, so the only one who could kill him was Li Muhai.

Qi's father was devastated. No matter how close his disciple was, he could not be as close as his son.For the sake of Qi Zikang's future, Li Muhai took all the blame in the execution hall, except that he had a dispute with Qi Zihao and accidentally beat him to death.Qi Zihao made good friends at the border, and with the Qi family's reputation in Kongtong, he immediately aroused public outrage and wanted to execute Li Muhai.

Qi Zikang and Qi Zi outline to save Li Muhai and prepare to tell the truth.Qi's father made a condition that no matter whether Qi Zihao was guilty or not, Li Muhai could not escape the crime of lynching and murder. Moreover, everyone only had witnesses and no evidence. As long as his two sons dared to tell the truth, he would definitely try his best to convict Li Muhai of the death penalty. , if his two sons could keep silent, he would send Li Muhai to death, so that Li Muhai would still have a way to live.

Zhuge Ran urged the Qi brothers to accept the conditions so that their futures and Li Muhai's life could be saved.

"Because of this, all of us owe your father a favor that we can't repay." Chu Jingtan said, "The most pitiful thing is your mother. She and your father were childhood sweethearts and had a small friendship. They were already engaged, but something unexpected happened. Such things. Your father died, and she was blamed by all. Fortunately, the second master took care of her and protected her from being bullied. Then your mother suddenly disappeared. The second master just thought that she couldn't bear the gossip and left Kongtong, etc. It took me 20 years to find out that I was picked up by your father and settled in Qingcheng."

Only now did Li Jingfeng know the whole story of what happened to his father. Shen Yuqing gently pressed his shoulder to comfort him.

After this incident, Chu Jingtan believed that the Zhuge brothers were selfish and cold-blooded, and had no chivalry, so she parted ways with Zhuge Yan.She had promised to go to Diancang, but in the end she visited all eight families, but Diancang was the only one she never stepped foot on.

Zhuge Yan returned to Diancang, and within a year he married Zhen, the daughter of the head of the Qitian Sect, with a lot of anger.Although Chu Jingtan might not have married Zhuge Yan even if this matter hadn't happened, she had been unhappy with Zhuge Yan for more than twenty years.

Chu Jingtan returned to Tangmen, and Shen Yongci returned to Qingcheng Mountain to worship his ancestors. On the way, he went to Tangmen to visit Mrs. Lengmian, and the two met each other.Shen Yongci was elegant and handsome, and his temperament was completely different from that of Zhuge Yan. The two fell in love at first sight. Soon after, Shen Yongci went to Tangmen to propose marriage, but Chu Jingtan returned to Emei early, and then there was a good story about the proposal.

Mrs. Chu said: "Actually, we didn't expect your father to take action at the beginning. He is good friends with the brothers of the Qi family. Although his friendship with Qi Zihao is not as deep as that with the second master, we are also people who have watched him grow up since childhood, but we did not expect... "

Li Jingfeng said: "My mother said that one thing my father always said was don't fight your own conscience. I think my father must have thought carefully about it. If he let the mastermind go, he would never sleep well again in this life."

Chu Jingtan looked at Li Jingfeng: "Will you do the same thing as your father?"

Li Jingfeng thought for a while, nodded, and asked after a while: "Does Mrs. Chu know how my father died?"

Shen Yuqing's heart skipped a beat.Li Muhai's whereabouts are unknown, and in all likelihood he was silenced by Lao Yan, all because Shen Yongci betrayed Li Muhai.

Chu Jingtan was silent for a long time and shook her head: "I don't know."

At that time, I was angry for Li Muhai, but more than twenty years later, I became a person like Qi's father.

The heroine Chu Jingtan has been married for a long time, and now she only has Mrs. Chu.

Li Jingfeng cupped his hands and said: "I have been worried about my father for a long time, and now I know the truth. The third master said that my father did something wrong, not a bad thing, but suffered for others. I only understand the reason today. Thank you Madam Chu. "

Chu Jingtan said: "We have been hiding it because of the Second Master, and it also involves the Zhuge brothers. Now that the Second Master is not here, the Third Master said that we can talk, and the deputy commander has no grudges, so it doesn't matter if we talk, you You can blame us for tainting your father’s innocence.”

Li Jingfeng shook his head: "Both the third master and the deputy master have difficulties, I understand. Dad did this and shouldered the responsibility. Presumably he also hopes that the second master can become the master. If he doesn't blame you, I have no reason to blame you. "

Chu Jingtan asked: "Is there anything else you want to know?"

Li Jingfeng asked some more questions about his father's life and past events, and Chu Jingtan answered them one by one, saying that Li Muhai was resolute and upright. Although he was not as cunning as Zhuge Ran, nor as rough as the second master, he could adapt to the situation and be capable in doing things. , quick wit and ingenuity. The third master and Zhuge Ran were both young and vigorous at the time. He can be a peacemaker, which shows his intelligence.Chu Jingtan asked about Li's mother again. Li Jingfeng talked about her mother's hard work in her later years, and Chu Jingtan couldn't help but sigh.

After chatting for a long time, Chu Jingtan got up and went back to the Changsheng Palace, asking Li Jingfeng to talk to him later. Li Jingfeng and Shen Yuqing left together.

■

When Chu Jingtan returned to Beichen Pavilion, she saw Shen Qingge waiting outside the pavilion. When asked what he wanted, Shen Qingge said, "I didn't even say a few words to my third brother during the New Year's Eve dinner, so I came here specifically to see him."

Chu Jingtan said: "Yongci is not in good health, so I'm afraid of any inconvenience."

Shen Yuqing ordered that no one could enter Beichen Pavilion to meet with the Grand Master. Even elders such as Aunt Xu and Shen Qingge had to be accompanied by Mrs. Chu before they could see Shen Yongci.

Shen Qingge said: "Brothers and sisters, the last time I saw my third brother and my eldest brother at the funeral, we didn't have a good time to reminisce about the past, and Mrs. Ya was too talkative." She sighed, "How did this family become like this? I heard that people are sick. If a person is suffering from madness, his family members should always talk to him. This is called calling his soul. If he calls his soul back, he may not go crazy."

Chu Jingtan wanted to shirk it, but after all, they were siblings, so they would always refuse and would be suspicious, so she said: "Second aunt, please come in."

When Shen Qingge saw Shen Yongci, he only talked about casual things. Chu Jingtan never left, and Shen Qingge chatted for more than an hour without a break, so he said: "I'm going back. My brothers and sisters can help me prepare the sedan chair."

Chu Jingtan got up and went to the door to order someone to prepare the sedan. At that moment, Shen Qingge dipped her finger in tea and wrote four words on the table: "Yu'er is rebelling?"

Shen Yongci nodded and saw that Chu Jingtan had turned his head, pretending to knock over the tea cup to cover up the water stains, and said, "Look at me, my hands are slippery even with a cup. I'm really old."

Chu Jingtan did not comment and called Shen Qingge: "The sedan is here, it's time for Second Aunt to go back."

Shen Qingge stood up and left, his steps trembling.

(End of this chapter)