Under the sky

Chapter 347 Side Story: Boating on Land

Thin snow dyed the mountain steps white, and the dead branches growing on the cliff were dotted. A figure walked vaguely in the lingering fog.

Weeds are overgrown on the mountainside, and there are tombstones standing here and there in an uneven manner, with crude inscriptions and most of them decayed. Xing Zhouzi stood in front of a tombstone, took out three sticks of incense from his sleeve, lit it with a fire, prayed silently, and then placed the incense on the tombstone.

The withered grass beside the grave is taller than the incense.

No one remembers you? Xing Zhouzi thought. How long has it been since this cemetery was tidied up? He bent down and pulled up the dead grass, and soon he made a small pile of grass.

There was the sound of rustling grass from behind. It was a farmer in his twenties, holding a small hoe and looking at him. This man should be here to sweep the grave. Xing Zhouzi said in a deep voice: "Young man, bring me a hoe." He unconsciously used a commanding tone.

"I owe you something? My hoe has just been sharpened, so I can't use it in vain." The young man curled up his hoe, as if protecting a treasure, looked Xing Zhouzi up and down, and said, "Taoist Master, you are not in a good position to do such a rough job. You have such a bad body." The clothes are beautiful, but it’s a pity that they are stained. Give me some effort and money, and I can help you sort them out and make sure they are neat.”

It is true that Xing Zhouzi was not good at farming and would rather spend some money to make the tomb more beautiful. He took out a bunch of copper coins from his sleeves and weighed about a hundred coins.

"that's it."

"If you add more, it won't be easy if you have enough strength." The young man complained, "It would be unlucky to leave my ancestral graves alone and do this dead work for you first."

"I only have these bits and pieces with me, so forget it if I don't do it."

Of course Xing Zhouzi was not short of money. A piece of silver between his fingernails was enough to send the young man away. He even asked the young man to clean for him without spending any money. However, he did not want to be taken advantage of, nor did he want to take advantage of others. He felt that the other party I wanted to rip it off because I fell in love with this fancy dress, so I won't pay a penny more.

The young man couldn't help mumbling, but he still accepted the copper coins, bent down to dig grass with a small hoe, and asked: "Does the motorcade at the entrance of the village belong to you? How impressive. You must be a noble person. Which family does this tomb belong to?" Are there any relatives like you?"

"I'm not her relative." Xing Zhouzi said impatiently, "Work and don't talk too much."

"Why would you visit her grave if you're not a relative? Do you know her?"

Xing Zhouzi remained silent.

■

Kunlun fifty-four years, summer and May

The two disciples shouted and worked together to move the big box onto the donkey cart.

"Hurry up, cover the outside with a layer of linen cloth!" Xing Zhouzi shouted, "Tie the suitcase with hemp rope, not straw rope, which will break easily when it gets wet!"

"The hemp rope hurts my hands. Anyway, the box is waterproof. It's raining so hard outside..."

"Lian Jiazi is still afraid of hitting his hands?" Xing Zhouzi shouted, "Are you afraid of hurting your hands when you hit someone?"

These disciples are just lazy...

The wheels rolled over the disrepaired muddy road, splashing muddy water. The wheeled cart bumped along the wheel marks and footprints of its predecessors. The goods on the cart were covered with waterproof leather. Sixteen large boxes were loaded in batches on four donkey carts. The boxes were also wrapped with leather bags to prevent moisture.

The annoying heavy rain has not stopped for several days. The rainwater seeped into Xing Zhouzi's coir raincoat and soaked through his Taoist robe, making him feel hot and humid.

"Damn, the rain is getting heavier and heavier..." The disciple behind him complained.

"I heard from people from An Qing that it has been raining for several days upstream. The river has risen and may burst. People living there are also afraid."

"Brother Xingzhou, where should we rest?" the disciple asked.

"Let's go to Qiupu first to take shelter from the rain."

"That's still forty miles away..." The disciple's curses penetrated the sound of rain, and he couldn't hear them carefully.

This team was new to the team, and Xing Zhouzi knew that he could not convince the crowd yet. He could not allow his disciples to be lazy like other captains.

When he passed the river bank, he saw rolling water filling the river bank. He didn't know how long it would rain for.

The collapse of the river mouth is a major disaster, and I hope the local sects are well prepared. However, in the Wudi community, I hope that the local sects will not be as safe as going to the Dragon King Temple to ask the Dragon King to withdraw the water.

Zhou Wen, the elder among the disciples, followed Xing Zhouzi. It was raining heavily and he had to raise his voice and said: "Brother, I see there is a broken house in front of me. Why don't you take a break? The weather is not going to change soon. It is better to wait until the rain subsides before leaving." "

Xing Zhouzi looked up and saw that it was a small, half-old dilapidated house located in the middle of the road. There were no other houses nearby.

"Take a break." Xing Zhouzi ordered, "Take shelter from the rain. We must go to Qiupu tonight."

It turned out that this shabby house was an inn, with four shabby tables and chairs furnished in the house. Maybe they couldn't find enough open space to arrange the tables and chairs, so they let the raindrops from the leakage of the roof splash onto the table. After all, the table always suffers. Better than people suffering.

The donkey cart stopped in front of the inn, and several disciples tied the donkey cart to the horse hitching post under the shed. Xing Zhouzi took off his raincoat and found that he was already soaked. He believed that other disciples were the same.

"Shopkeeper, start a fire."

"Don't you need to pay for firewood? Who will light the brazier on May Day?" The shopkeeper who responded was a young woman in her twenties wearing a coarse blue shirt. She was broad-shouldered, with dry hair tied up, and a collar wrapped around her neck, revealing only a pair of full-length cloths. Calloused, dark palms and a pitted face.

"Will the boss lady speak? Didn't you see that we are using the Wudang banner?" a disciple asked.

Xing Zhouzi looked up and saw that Wudang's flag was hanging on the flagpole because of the heavy rain, dying.

"I'll add some silver." Xing Zhouzi took out a coin and put it on the table. "Let me light a fire and let the disciples get rid of the moisture."

The landlady took the silver coins and scratched her right arm with her left hand.

"There isn't much firewood left, so I'll make do by the stove."

"Build a brazier." Xing Zhouzi insisted, "We are all soaked."

"Wouldn't it be raining after it's dried?"

"Light the brazier!" Xing Zhouzi raised his voice.

"Why are you so angry? The sect's disciples are amazing?" Seeing Xing Zhouzi's unkind expression, the proprietress yelled at the top of her voice, "Bring some firewood and make a brazier for the master!"

Two guys walked in from the back hall carrying firewood. There wasn't much, just a few sticks. They piled the firewood in a charcoal basin and started a fire.

"What's there to eat?"

"Meat buns and vegetable lard soup, that's all."

"Is that all you need to open an inn?" a disciple yelled.

"Look at this roof. If there weren't any customers, how could it be leaking like this?" The proprietress pointed at the ceiling with her hands on her hips, just barely breathing out of her nostrils. "When I opened the store, I never thought that there would be so many ghosts passing by. Now there are only a few ghosts passing by." Who doesn’t want meat buns and mixed vegetable soup?”

She actually didn't ask who wanted it, but asked who didn't want it.

At this time, we can only make do.

"Give the poor Taoist two buns and a bowl of soup." Xing Zhouzi turned around and told his disciple, "No drinking."

"We don't have any wine in the store." The proprietress muttered and went away. After a while, she came back with a few steamed buns. The aroma was fragrant, but the pork was fishy. I didn't know what kind of mountain vegetables were used in the mixed vegetable soup, which had a faint bitter taste.

All the disciples ate steamed buns and drank soup, and gathered around the brazier to warm themselves up. Xing Zhouzi sat alone at the table and did not get close to the brazier to dry himself off. There were many people there, and the conversation was difficult to talk about.

"My master said that one furnace protects ten pills, and Taoist Master Fengdu's Zhengqi pills are on the pill furnace. They all say that the cauldron furnace is a wonderful recipe, can it be achieved if the pill furnace doesn't work?"

"I think it's still the Marquis of Fire. Fire, elixir, and cauldron. The most difficult thing to control is the fire. The cauldron furnace. How come the Flying Immortal Pill made by Master Taisang only turned out once and then couldn't be refined at all? The furnace is the same The furnace and the prescriptions are the same. Didn’t they all fail? The only problem is the Marquis of Fire."

"My master said that merit is lacking due to insufficient cultivation and insufficient blessings." Another disciple said, "Elixir, tripod, fire, and virtue are the four images. Fire is the sun, tripod is Shaoyang, and pill is Shaoyang." Yin, the virtue belongs to Taiyin, the blending of the four images is Taiji, returning to the original origin, approaching the Nascent Soul, the Tao."

"Where did you get this statement? I've never heard of it."

"The truth that my master realized."

"Your master is nothing!"

"Let's talk about elixirs. The price of medicinal materials in Kongtong and Huashan has increased again. Have you heard? Realgar, yes, the realgar in this box of goods we pledged has increased by another 30%!"

"Alchemy is becoming more and more expensive." A disciple sighed, "Especially realgar and cinnabar, the dosage is too large, and you can't even buy them if you have money."

The conversation was lively, and Xing Zhouzi knew that in the past he would only attract disappointment and dislike. He never made alchemy, and even hated it, which made his master hate him. If his master Xuanyang hadn't promoted him, he wouldn't even be a squad leader.

"Alchemy training is just one of the methods of cultivation, and political affairs cannot be delayed. Alchemy is one's own business, and political affairs are the affairs of countless people in Wudang."

Master Xuanyang also made elixirs, but he did not delay political affairs. Some people privately said that he was not sincere, so the elixirs failed. If they want to be sincere, why do the alchemists in Wudang have to hold responsibilities? Yes, you have to have money to make elixirs, right?

He heard his master talk about Yang Jingyao's past several times, often sighing and sighing, saying that Wudang should not be able to protect a bloody man, he also blamed Yang Jingyao for being reckless, and scolded Yang Jingyao for being confused.

"If a poor Taoist wants to become an immortal, he must be the first to strike down his mother's entire family in Huashan. Even the names of enemies and complaints cannot stop her!"

"You are a person who does business. It doesn't matter if you don't refine elixirs, just concentrate on political affairs. Political affairs still need to be handled by others."

Perhaps because he saw that Wudang was deteriorating, or perhaps for the convenience of taking care of him, Xuanyang specially arranged for Xing Zhouzi to enter the Dachi Hall.

"Everything is bad for a sect, but as long as the law is still there, it can still maintain its dignity. The law is the foundation. In ancient times, it was greater than the emperor, and now it is greater than the head. If you can do political affairs and learn martial arts well, you must be in the great army Stay at Chidian. You just have a tougher temper than me, so you have to suffer and temper."

It’s been a long time since I went to pay homage to my ancestor…

When did Wudang become so obsessed with alchemy? Although the Alchemy Sect was popular in Wudang a long time ago, it is said that Master Chongguang refined three elixirs two hundred years ago. After three masters took the elixirs, their skills greatly increased and they were invincible. Wudang was even more popular than Shaolin for a while. There are also rumors that Mu After taking the golden elixir, the body of the foolish Taoist Master remained unchanged and was kept in the Xuanwu Zhendian. He did not lose his golden body until the chaos of the previous dynasty.

But at that time, the Danding Sect was just a cultivation sect, and Wudang was just an ordinary sect.

The Nu King rebelled, and Wudang joined the rebel army. During the war, there was no more manpower and material resources to fight, and the Danding Sect fell silent for a while. Perhaps after the Kunlun Conference, Wudang became fertile and demoralized, or perhaps forty years ago Taixuan master practiced the Rejuvenation Pill, which greatly increased his power and restored the Alchemy Sect to become a prominent school. Now everyone in Wudang is becoming more and more obsessed with alchemy.

Xing Zhouzi has heard very few stories of people who have successfully made elixirs, greatly improved their skills, and even brought people back to life. Those things have really happened, but they are very rare. It can be said that they are rare, and it is a rare occurrence in ten years. But they died of poisoning after taking elixirs. There are about ten people every year.

Everyone wants to get to the top in one step, but there are too few people who are willing to follow the step-by-step process.

He still had to leave Wudang. He had the idea a year ago and now he has made up his mind. With his own ability, it is not difficult to find jobs in Hengshan, Qingcheng, and the Beggar Clan. Although he is not from a local sect, he will inevitably be ostracized, but it is similar to the current situation.

The only thing to consider is which sect to go to.

The Beggar Clan has always been an eclectic mix of dragons and snakes. Old Beggar Peng... is a good man, and maybe a hero. I heard that he spends most of his time away from the chief helm, and the chief helmsman of the province makes mischief and likes to meddle in other people's affairs. .

The leader of Hengshan is a woman.

The governance of Qingcheng is stable, and they are both in the execution hall. I heard that Fu Langyan has a good reputation in Feng County, and maybe he can go to Feng County...

I can't control this Wudang.

Xing Zhouzi was lost in thought, his eyelids suddenly dropped, he felt a little sleepy, and couldn't help but pull at the collar of his Taoist robe. The damp robe felt uncomfortable against his body, and it was extremely hot and humid after the rain in Huidi in May. He seemed to smell a musty smell mixed with sweat on his body.

In such a hot weather, the proprietress was still wrapped up tightly... Slowly, he suddenly realized that something was wrong. How could such a run-down shop afford two waiters? He was still thinking, and the noisy arguments had disappeared.

Why did those disciples suddenly become quiet?

He turned around and saw that all the disciples in front of the stove had fallen to the ground.

What's going on? Who allowed them to sleep? He was about to slam the table and get angry, but he was confused and his head seemed to be covered in fog.

"You drugged me?!" Xing Zhouzi finally realized it and stood up holding on to the table. He reached out to wipe the water on the table to wash his face and regain consciousness, but the boss's wife had already walked up.

"Why don't you get some fucking sleep!" the landlady slapped her. Xing Zhouzi heard the sound of the wind and stretched out his hand to block it, but it was in vain. There was a loud snap in his ear, a sharp pain on his cheek, and he fell to the ground.

He didn't faint, nor did he fall asleep. He kept trying to keep his spirits up, but he was always in a daze, his mind was in a mess, and he heard someone shouting in a trance. He felt cold again, and his face and body were covered with water.

Xing Zhouzi tried his best to cheer up, but his head was confused and he felt nauseous. He wanted to vomit, his stomach was churning, but he couldn't open his eyes.

Maybe it would be better to pass out, he kept resisting the thought. He felt that his body was jolting and moving forward, his limbs lost all feeling, and he only had a little bit of consciousness left.

In a daze, it was getting dark. I don't know how much time passed, but I could only confirm that it was already dark. His mind seemed to be slowly waking up from a sleep or the drowsiness of staying in bed as a child. He recovered slowly, bit by bit, unable to tell when he finally regained consciousness. The first thing he discovered was that he was thrown on a donkey cart and moved forward with the escorted goods.

He wanted to stretch his hands and feet, but found that they were tied behind his back and could not move.

"Come down!" The landlady held his collar and wrists with both hands, lifted him from the donkey cart into the house like a piece of luggage, and placed him on the ground. Although there was water leakage here, there was no rain. He could hear the patter of rain outside, but he didn't know whether it was because the rain had weakened or he was confused.

When the fire lit up in the house, he realized that he was in a broken house. The eaves collapsed, raindrops splashed in from the broken windows, and a large puddle of water accumulated under the windows. The heavy rain for days made the smell of decay heavier, as if even the breath was moistened.

He was placed next to the fire and his body was warmed.

"You..." He tried his best to speak and clear his thoughts, but suddenly his stomach twitched. It was the undigested sweat medicine that took effect. His throat tightened and he kept coughing, followed by retching that was almost breathless, and finally vomited out the frothy and foamy steamed bun pieces and the bowl of mixed vegetable soup all over the floor.

"You haven't been unconscious all this time?" The landlady was surprised and admired, "Your kung fu is so good, you really deserve to be the captain of the Nine Families."

After vomiting out the drug, his chaotic head finally calmed down a little. Xing Zhouzi silently exercised his energy and adjusted his breath, but he didn't understand more.

"You..." Xing Zhouzi couldn't help coughing and gasping, and spat out a few words intermittently, "Jie Wudang... Wudang's goods... don't want to die?"

It’s unimaginable that someone dared to rob the convoy of the Nine Families, and... there seemed to be only three people, how could they have the courage?

"We are done." The landlady sneered, scratching her arm again, "You immortals are worthless than the men's dicks."

These words made Xing Zhouzi a little embarrassed, but he was still arrogant: "Kill me if you can."

"Are you hungry?" A young man bent down and asked, "Would you like something to eat?"

"Where are the other disciples?" Xing Zhouzi's eyes widened, and he finally saw the faces of these three people clearly under the firelight. In addition to the boss's wife, the other two young men were only in their early twenties. When asked about it, the young man looked unremarkable. The other man was thin and had a pair of dull triangular eyes.

"They're fine, they just fainted in the inn and it's almost time to wake up." The landlady replied.

"Will they catch up?" When the ordinary-looking young man asked, his hands were intertwined and twisted. A blind man could notice that he was afraid.

"It's dark and it's raining heavily. Wudang disciples are not so active. Besides, the heavy rain will wash away the wheel marks, so don't be afraid."

The wheel marks are not easily washed away by the rain, unless there are other pedestrians following the wheels, but the road we just took was a small road. Although the boatman was groggy, he was sure that the road he passed was a muddy road, and few vehicles passed by. There are not many pedestrians. On such a rainy day, the wheel marks on the mud will be very obvious and will not disappear within two or three hours.

That's right. Although he was groggy, he felt like he didn't meet anyone else on the way here. No one would want to rush on a rainy day like this. As long as they pay a little attention, Wudang disciples will follow them.

It seems that they are a group of chicks, so there is no need to remind them.

"Are you hungry? Eat something, no medicine." The young man asked again, as if he was afraid that he would be hungry, and handed out a bun that had been soaked by the rain.

"Get lost!" Xing Zhouzi shouted in a deep voice, raised his head, and knocked the bun in the young man's hand to the ground.

"You blind cat, ignore him." The proprietress leaned over and picked up the buns and stuffed them into her mouth. "If you don't want to eat, you won't eat. It's a waste of food."

"Sister Han..." the young man who called Mao Blind said awkwardly, "be nice to others."

"Being nice to him means you don't need to behead him?" Sister Han laughed loudly, "We robbed Wudang's motorcade!"

Xing Zhouzi saw Sister Han pointing at the man with triangular eyes and said, "Go to bed! Look at him, Skinny Monkey. When you get tired, let Blind Cat take over for you. Call me in the middle of the night."

He barely paid any attention to himself.

It seems that the one named Sister Han is the leader. They are all young children. The three of them came to rob Wudang. They were so courageous. What was even more embarrassing was that they succeeded.

"Don't move around. If you try to escape, I... will kill you." The thin monkey with triangular eyes warned.

"You know how to kill?" Xing Zhouzi asked in a low voice.

"Of course, it's just a knife." Thin Monkey took out a sharp knife, which was dim under the firelight.

"That's for bleeding pigs." Xing Zhouzi recognized it, "It's not even a weapon."

"It's enough if I can bleed you!" Thin Monkey threatened, with a stern expression and a weak heart.

"What are you talking about? Go to bed!" Sister Han raised her voice, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Xing Zhouzi kept silent. He had to think hard to escape. His skills were restored, his energy was a little better, and he began to adjust his inner breath. After a slight struggle with his wrists, the knot was tied tightly, and he could not break free with his skills.

The skinny monkey stared at him, occasionally scratching his arms and sometimes his calves, just like a monkey. It was not the time to test yet. Xing Zhouzi looked around. The fire was weak and seemed to be extinguished at any time. At this time, a piece of wood, an animal bone or any sharp object could help him escape.

The young man named Mao Xiazi and Sister Han slept uneasily, turning over and over constantly. Mao Xiazi seemed to have a hidden illness and made low moans from time to time.

"Sister Han...it hurts..."

"Shut up!" Sister Han replied angrily, "Sleep!"

Xing Zhouzi couldn't find anything that could help him get out of trouble. After a while, snoring gradually started, the fire went out, and there was darkness, except for the sound of rain and the sound of dripping water in the house.

"Skinny monkey." Xing Zhouzi called in a low voice, "That's your name, right?"

"What are you doing?" The thin monkey became alert and reached out to touch Xing Zhouzi to confirm that he was still where he was.

"Why did you arrest me?"

This is Xing Zhouzi's question. If you rob a convoy, you should leave quickly. There is no need to take a hostage to slow down your pace, and it will also reveal the escape direction.

"Sister Han said we still need your help."

"Help?" Xing Zhouzi was surprised.

"Don't ask me, I can't tell."

"Do you know what you robbed? These goods are worthless. There is no gold, silver or jewelry. There won't be only such a few people escorting the jewelry." Xing Zhouzi said, "It's full of medicinal materials. With the three donkeys and the suitcase, it's not worth it. Two hundred taels of silver."

"I guess you have never committed a crime and you are very scared." Xing Zhouzi continued to persuade, "Hijacking a convoy is a serious crime. If it kills someone, it is the death penalty. You haven't killed anyone yet, are you planning to kill me?"

"No..." Thin Monkey replied in a trembling voice. Xing Zhouzi could almost hear his teeth chattering. It seemed like he was really an inexperienced young boy.

"Then help me untie them." Xing Zhouzi said, "I'll catch those two. You come back with me. If you have merit, you can also receive a reward of thirty or fifty taels. Although it's a little less, at least you won't be wanted."

Of course this is a lie. Not being questioned is already a great mercy, so how can you receive the reward? But Xing Zhouzi believed that this young man didn't know anything. With fifty taels of silver, he didn't need to be wanted. There were so many gangs of gangsters who betrayed their companions.

There was silence for a long time in the darkness. "Skinny monkey?" Xing Zhouzi couldn't see the other person's face.

"Don't run away, we... won't harm you." Thin Monkey said, his voice no longer fearful, but calmer.

"you……"

"Don't talk. If you wake up Sister Han, she will be angry." Thin Monkey advised in a low voice, with a kind tone.

Xing Zhouzi didn't understand what these chicks wanted to do, so he called a few more times, but the skinny monkey didn't reply. Xing Zhouzi was tormented by the drug for a long time. He racked his brains and couldn't think of a way to escape. Unknowingly, his mind became confused again.

Recuperate your energy first, and then find a way to escape tomorrow, he thought, and fell asleep.

He woke up from hunger. When he woke up, only hazy mist-like light shone into the hut, and the sound in his stomach was louder than his snoring. Sister Han sat at the door of the hut, turned her head, her face full of ridicule: "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat steamed buns?"

He was not swayed by the taunts: "I don't eat bandits' food."

"Can you starve yourself to death?"

"Yes." He answered decisively without giving in.

Sister Han sneered: "Who are you showing off your fucking heroism to?"

Xing Zhouzi said proudly: "I'd rather have the jade broken."

"I don't understand!" Sister Han laughed loudly, "Speak in human language!"

"It means you are a bunch of scum, and your buns make me want to puke."

"You have a dead mouse in your waist to act like a hunter!" Sister Han raised her foot and was about to kick it when Xing Zhouzi's eyes widened and he said coldly: "Kick it, if you don't kick it to death, I'll call you a coward."

The thin monkey was awakened by the quarrel and said hurriedly: "Sister Han, don't! Didn't you say that we still have something to ask for help from him? Don't offend anyone!"

Although Xing Zhouzi was curious about what help these three people wanted from him, he didn't want to ask, at least not now, as it would taste like showing weakness.

"I won't help you, I will only arrest you and bring you to justice." Xing Zhouzi did not intend to negotiate with the bandits. Those who broke the law must be punished. He sneered, "Under Wudang, can you tolerate lawless people like you?"

Sister Han stared at him with her slender eyes, and then put her foot down after a moment: "Let's go!"

The thin monkey asked politely: "What is the name of the Taoist Priest?"

"Xingzhou, Xingzhouzi." Xingzhouzi answered, puffing out his chest.

"Master Xingzhou, there was an emergency yesterday. We...were all scared and a little offended. Sister Han has a bad temper. Don't worry, you'd better eat something. It's good for you to come with us..."

"Want to bribe Pindao?"

"We have no choice but to..."

"Don't talk about having to do anything." Xing Zhouzi interrupted Shouhou'er, "There are ten reasons for arresting ten people in the execution hall. I don't want any benefits. I'll tell you the origin of the difficulties later when I go to the punishment hall."

Although he was in a downturn, Xing Zhouzi did not give in at all. He had been stubborn since he was a child and never gave in.

"Why are you still blabbering!" Sister Han had already put on her raincoat and bamboo hat, and Blind Cat also locked the donkey cart.

"Taoist priest, I'm sorry." Skinny Monkey apologized repeatedly and went out to pull the cart.

Although Sister Han was a female, she was very strong. The boat was overturned to the ground, her collar and wrists were tightened, and she was put on the donkey cart like a pile of goods, covered with linen, and the three of them pulled four donkey carts and set off.

"Taoist Priest, can you drink some water?" Blind Maozi said, "We don't mean any harm. Really, as long as you do a little favor, everything can be discussed."

Xing Zhouzi just ignored him.

The heavy rain gradually turned to drizzle. The car was covered with linen and only the sounds outside could be heard through the cracks. The mountain road was bumpy and slippery due to rain, and the donkey cart moved very slowly. It was so quiet that the boatman could hear the sound of his own hungry stomach. He had not eaten or drank for a whole day.

After the carriage had been walking for a long time, Xing Zhouzi heard the blind cat shouting: "Sister Han, further ahead is the junction of the Huangshan Sect and the Xinhua Sect!"

The junction of Huangshan School and Xinhua School? Coupled with the bumpy mountain road, Xing Zhouzi judged that he was probably in the south of Rongcheng. There are many mountains in southern Huizhou. Although they are not very high, they are deep and wide.

With a crash, the linen cloth was lifted, and Xing Zhouzi saw the gloomy sky. The dark clouds were still thick, and there were green trees below. They were walking on a path.

"Taoist Priest, I have wronged you on the way. Don't be angry. Let's talk nicely." Thin Monkey said.

"What's there to say?" Xing Zhouzi still spoke honestly.

Sister Han did not lose her temper this time and said: "The front is the junction of the Huangshan Sect and the Xinhua Sect. Does the Taoist Master know about the two sects exchanging grudges?"

"Is there such a thing?" Xing Zhouzi was stunned. He had never heard of such a thing. The name of hatred must be reported to the Nine Families before they can be counted. These two sects are not very small sects. Why haven't I heard of them? Two sects within its jurisdiction exchanged grudges against each other, and Wudang sent someone to mediate.

"Didn't Wudang send anyone to mediate?" Xing Zhouzi asked. He saw the corner of Sister Han's mouth raised slightly, as if she was sarcastic, no, it was sarcastic.

"Probably Huinan is poor, and no one from above cares about it." Sister Han said, "In short, there is trouble on both sides. Disciples are often sent to patrol, stop people when they see them, and kill them when they are suspicious. You are a Wudang disciple and the captain, so we need With all your face, please do us a favor and lead us there if we are intercepted."

Is this why they arrested themselves? No wonder he was polite along the way.

"You are so powerful in martial arts that we dare not let you go." Sister Han said, "Just sit in the car and cover the ropes on your hands with a raincoat. The skinny monkey will sit next to you and dare to talk nonsense. He will bleed you with a knife and kill the pig. Yes, very good at this."

"You hijacked my motorcade, captured me, and asked me to help you pass the test?" Xing Zhouzi laughed angrily, "Is there a funnier joke?"

Sister Han took a breath and said: "Listen to me, you come with us, wait for the car to take us away, and I will surrender with you."

"What?" Xing Zhouzi was surprised, "You want to surrender?"

"Think clearly, if you escort the convoy and lose a load of goods, you will be punished even if you go back."

This is true. Xing Zhouzi was about to leave Wudang, but after this incident, even if he left, his reputation would be damaged. When word spread to other places, others only thought that he had made a mistake and was dismissed. It was difficult for him to make a living, so he switched to another faction. This would have a negative impact on his future career. Extremely disadvantageous.

"You help us, and when we get to the right place, the two of them will push the donkey cart and leave. I will go back with you, and you can say... whatever you want, just say that you caught up with us, even though we lost the goods. But catching the bandit leader can atone for the crime."

"Do you think the execution hall won't interrogate prisoners?"

"I will confess the two of them, but they are no longer in Wudang by then." Sister Han said, "Without the whereabouts of these medicinal materials, the case is closed."

"Is this why you arrested me?" Xing Zhouzi sneered, "You can just surrender yourself?"

"In addition to relying on you to help us get through this journey ahead, there are other reasons. You are the captain, and we are afraid that you will lead a team to chase you and arrest you. The group of disciples will not be able to make up their mind without a leader, and can delay Time. Besides, we have to collude with you to settle the case as soon as possible without leaving any further trouble."

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who just shuts up after receiving a favor?" Xing Zhouzi sneered.

"Is there anyone else?" Sister Han said, "You went back alone and were punished for nothing. Now both sides will benefit."

"You are unlucky, but you are not lucky." Xing Zhouzi raised his head, "I will report the truth truthfully, and I must catch you three."

"I can also give you a sum of money, more than a dozen taels!" Thin Monkey said anxiously, as if it was a huge sum of money.

The blind cat jumped up: "That's the settlement money we need to escape!"

The thin monkey glared at the blind cat, who pointed at Xingzhouzi and shouted: "He just wants to get more benefits!"

"No matter how much money you have, it will be useless." Xing Zhouzi said, "This is Wudang's goods. If you lose them, you have to find them. If you rob the convoy, no one can escape."

"Is there shit in your fucking head?!" Sister Han roared.

"Kill Pindao, and Pindao won't join in with you!" Xing Zhouzi said firmly.

"You fucking insist on using fists and kicks?" Sister Han raised her fist as if to strike.

"Go ahead and fight, I'll lose as long as I say a word, let's see if you can beat me!"

"Fuck your daddy's ass, even if I catch a thief, you are so stubborn!"

"Have you ever seen a poor man catch a thief?" Xing Zhouzi said proudly, "I am so stubborn when I catch a thief!"

"You three-year-old kid who lied to you, I'll fuck your eighteenth generation ancestor in the ass!" Sister Han was so angry that her whole face turned red, "Is there someone in charge in Wudang? Do you have someone in charge?!"

"I'm in charge!"

"Whatever, dad! You don't even know the enmity between the Huangshan Sect and the Xinhua Sect!"

Xing Zhouzi was suddenly speechless.

Sister Han was so angry that she kicked the donkey cart, almost causing it to run away. The thin monkey tugged on Sister Han's sleeves and pulled her aside. Xing Zhouzi could not hear what the three of them were discussing. He only saw that the three of them were very distressed. Sister Han glanced at her from time to time with angry eyes.

After the three people discussed it, they walked towards Xing Zhouzi. Xing Zhouzi didn't know what they wanted to do. Just as he was about to speak, Mao Blind took out a wet cloth and pressed it on his nose. Xing Zhouzi was out of breath, and just when he opened his mouth, the blind cat pinched his mouth, and a stink rushed into his mouth. He was already stuffed with a rag, and a string was wrapped from his mouth to the back of his head. Xing Zhouzi couldn't make a sound and could only breathe hard.

Sister Han said: "I can't let you go. We'll see how we deal with it later. If you don't want to cooperate, I won't force you. We'll go through this journey first."

The three of them hurriedly struggled. Xing Zhouzi was tied up with five kinds of flowers and tied tightly to the wooden box. Not only could he not move, he was also stuffed into the innermost box and covered with other boxes.

The linen cloth was covered again, and the donkey cart continued to move forward. It began to drizzle again, and the rain became heavier. They are really young, Xing Zhouzi thought. He had thought that there was at least one veteran among the three. Although Sister Han was irritable, she was relatively calm, but it was obvious that she was not even a veteran. The carjacking plan was well-planned, but the execution was hasty. In fact, there was a flaw in the inn. It was because he was preoccupied with what happened after leaving Wudang and failed to pay attention.

I didn't expect that I would become a careless person. Such a lesson would be too many at once.

The donkey cart passed for about half an hour and suddenly stopped. The boatman heard the sound of people coming from outside.

"Who are you? What's on the car?" The voice was extremely unfriendly.

"We are Xicun villagers." Sister Han said, "Send some goods back to the village."

Someone stopped the donkey cart and they couldn't miss the opportunity. Xing Zhouzi wanted to speak out, but he was tied up so tightly that he couldn't move a finger. At this time, he was lying on his back, with his hands and feet tied to the box behind his back. Only his head could barely move. He raised his head with all his strength, and was probably two inches away from the box, and was knocked backwards hard.

There was a bang, which made his head hurt, but the sound was buried in the sound of rain.

He heard voices outside: "Xicun? That's under the jurisdiction of the Huangshan Sect."

"Uncle, if your two sects are enmity, it won't harm us ordinary people. Please don't embarrass us."

"Is this Wudang's box? Where did you get it? What's in it?" The people outside didn't seem to notice. It really is under the jurisdiction of Wudang.

"Medicinal materials are not weapons." Sister Han replied, "A phoenix flew out of the chicken coop. Someone in our village joined the Wudang Sect. His name is Xing Zhouzi. He became a captain of the Dachi Palace. He transported medicinal materials and planned to return to his hometown to make elixirs."

She actually used her own name, which made Xing Zhouzi even more angry. He raised his head and hit her hard again. This sound finally attracted attention, and the disciple outside asked: "What's the sound? Hey, why are you shaking?"

"Where is the sound? My brother is timid and is afraid of knives." Sister Han tried her best to hide it.

Xing Zhouzi twisted his body hard, and there was another bang. The pain made him dizzy.

There was a crash, rain fell on his face, and the linen was lifted off. "Why is there a person here?!" A strong man holding a knife exclaimed, "Where did he come from?" Another strong man jumped on the donkey cart and released the sackcloth from Xing Zhouzi's mouth. Xing Zhouzi shouted: "I am a big man. Xing Zhouzi, the captain of Chidian Wei Daotang’s team! They robbed Wudang’s convoy, and these are medicinal materials to be sent to eastern Hubei!"

The strong man was startled, and Xing Zhouzi hurriedly said: "Quickly untie me!"

The strong man quickly cut the rope with a knife, and all the restraints were removed from Xing Zhouzi's body. Only his hands and feet were still tied. He turned around and saw six strong men holding knives guarding the car. Sister Han's face was pale, and her eyes were about to burst into flames. The skinny monkey and the blind cat were shaking like chaff.

"And the rope in my hand!" Xing Zhouzi urged.

"Slow down!" the leading squad leader shouted, "tell me clearly what's going on!"

Xing Zhouzi gave an overview of the robbery on the road. The team leader of the Xinhua faction opened one of the wooden boxes, and a pungent smell of medicine made him pinch his nose.

"Are these medicinal materials sent to the east of Hubei?"

"Yes."

"What evidence is there that you are the captain?"

"Take these people back to the sect, and someone can prove my identity." Xing Zhouzi said, "Can you let me go?"

The squad leader did not give the order to release them, but called several of his men away. The six of them whispered, not knowing what to say. The skinny monkey and the blind cat were trembling with tears in their eyes, but Sister Han was fearless. She walked to the donkey cart and pointed at Xing Zhouzi and yelled: "You thief, you bastard, I should kill you, I shouldn't be soft-hearted!" "

In fact, they could really kill him, Xing Zhouzi thought to himself, they were indeed soft-hearted.

But Xing Zhouzi didn't feel guilty. They may be first-time offenders, but first-time offenders are also criminals. In particular, robbing Wudang's convoy is a serious crime, and it is also punishable by death if the law is spared.

The thin monkey suddenly knelt down and begged for mercy: "Man, we have no choice but... our village needs..." Before he could finish his words, a strong man stepped forward and cut his throat with a knife. The thin monkey covered his throat and whimpered. He breathed, blood and water mixed with rain sprinkled down.

"What are you doing!" Xing Zhouzi shouted, "He hasn't been tried yet, so he can't be killed!"

"You blind cat, run away!" Sister Han shouted loudly.

The blind cat was dumbfounded. When he heard Sister Han shouting, he wanted to run away, but as soon as he took a step, he fell to the ground and could no longer move. With a pop, the bright sharp knife penetrated from his back to his chest.

These two people don't know any martial arts?

Sister Han turned around and instead of running away, she did something unbelievable. She jumped on the donkey cart, pulled out a short knife from under her raincoat, and cut hard. Xing Zhouzi felt something hit his palm, and then his hands relaxed.

She actually untied Xing Zhouzi.

She was about to untie the rope from the boat's feet when a strong man climbed onto the donkey cart and slashed at her back with a knife. Xing Zhouzi shouted: "Stop!" He sent out a palm, but his feet were still tied and it was difficult to move. Although the palm knocked the strong man away, the knife finally hit Sister Han's shoulder, causing blood to flow profusely.

Xing Zhouzi was also bleeding profusely. Sister Han's knife to untie the rope was poorly aimed and scratched Xing Zhouzi's palm. Before he could feel the pain, five people had already rushed forward, four of them attacked him, and the other rushed towards Sister Han.

"I told you to stop!" Xing Zhouzi's feet were loosened, and before he could stand up, the light of the sword had arrived. He sat on the ground, grabbed the arms of the two leading men and pushed them down, blocking the two weapons. When he saw Sister Han turning around to run away, the disciple had already caught up with her. He jumped towards Sister Han and blocked her waist. He pushed her off the donkey cart with a hug, and heard a muffled groan from Sister Han, who seemed to be hurt again.

"They want to grab the goods!" Sister Han shouted loudly, "Kill you and then put the blame on me!"

Xing Zhouzi stood up suddenly, feeling dizzy. He had been tied up for too long, his energy and blood were not flowing smoothly, and he hadn't eaten for another day. The world was spinning, and the light of the sword had struck him. He turned sideways and felt a cold feeling behind his left shoulder. If it hadn't been blocked by the raincoat, the injury would have been deeper.

"Are you really helpless?" Xing Zhouzi became even more angry. He stood in front of Sister Han, ducked to avoid the attack, and hit one person in the abdomen with his left palm. The person screamed and fell to the ground.

Six Xinhua disciples were surprised by Xing Zhouzi's martial arts skills, but they had no way out, no time to regret, and they would not listen to advice. They have committed a serious crime, not to mention that they are at war with the Huangshan Sect and are accustomed to living a life of vendetta.

The flash of swords, the sound of rain mixed with shouts, the rain mixed with blood. The rain gradually stopped, and at last only the sound of the boatman's breathing was left.

Did he get stabbed twice or three times? Eight bodies lay on the ground. Xing Zhouzi sat down in the mud, with mud and water splashing all over him. He was almost exhausted. If he hadn't been hungry and tied up for a day, these six disciples wouldn't have made him so embarrassed.

He looked at Sister Han, who was sitting on the ground, with dark red on her coir raincoat.

"How do you know they want to grab goods?" Xing Zhouzi asked.

"Look at their appearance, they should have let you go a long time ago." Sister Han stood up staggeringly, her face was pale, and she walked towards the donkey cart.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to take these medicinal materials with me."

"This is Wudang medicinal material." Xing Zhouzi said, "I want to arrest you and bring you to justice."

"I want these medicinal materials!" Sister Han shouted, "You will take them away even if you kill me!"

"You are already guilty of a capital crime, don't think I dare not!" Xing Zhouzi stopped in front of Sister Han, his tone cold, "You can't help me speak now!"

"I couldn't fucking control it from the beginning!" Sister Han yelled, "If you fools hadn't forced me to do it, why would we have robbed the convoy? We daydream every day. We fucking want to ascend to heaven and become a god. My god, your mother. !”

Sister Han suddenly took off her coat, rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her arms: "Look what this is!"

Xing Zhouzi took a breath.

He had never seen such a disgusting... wound? Is that a wound? At first glance, it looks like a few unevenly sized pieces of mud smeared on the arm. The big one is as big as half a palm, and the small one is a strip two fingers wide and one finger long. There are strange pit scars inside, like on the arm. A hornet's nest grew.

But as long as you take a closer look, you will find that the pit scars in the mud are actually black ruptured abscesses, densely packed together, and a small hole can be seen vaguely in each abscess, like a honeycomb. But it was the color of mud, like insect bites or gangrene. Xing Zhouzi was not sure. The only thing he was certain of was that even in the rain, he could smell the rotten smell wafting from the affected area.

"And here!" Sister Han opened her collar. Her neck, which had always been tightly wrapped, was covered with equally dense pits.

"And here!" She simply took off her pants without shame, and the bottom of her thighs and calves were also densely packed with potholes.

Looking closely at these wounds made Xing Zhouzi sick, and he turned his head away. Sister Han looked like a human pillar that had been eaten by worms, with holes all over her body.

"What disease is this?" Xing Zhouzi asked.

"Lift up your asshole and take a look, damn, do I look like a doctor?" Sister Han roared, "I don't know, no one knows. This strange disease happened in the village ten years ago. It's not just me. Go and see how thin you are." Monkey, go see the blind cats, they all have this disease!"

"You hijacked the convoy to get medicine to treat your illness?"

"Do you think we want to make elixirs?" Sister Han sneered.

"say clearly."

Sister Han said coldly: "Say it here?"

Xing Zhouzi was silent for a moment: "Are there any more steamed buns?"

"On Skinny Monkey!"

Xing Zhouzi dug out the buns that had been soaked into a ball by the rain on the skinny monkey's body. He chewed the buns, which smelled of blood.

The two of them sat under a protruding rock, barely sheltered from the rain although it was still damp. Xing Zhouzi found firewood to make a fire, but even if his clothes were dry, they would soon get wet again.

Just listening to the patter of rain has made the boatman extremely irritable. When will this annoying rain stop?

Sister Han's wounds were on her back and shoulders. She took off her shirt and poured the medicine collected from the Xinhua sect team leader on the wound. It was not considered a gold healing medicine, but just an herbal ointment that could stop bleeding.

Even though most of her upper body was exposed, she was not shy at all. She felt that she was a coarse and ugly woman, and her body was covered with ugly and horrible gangrene. Her naked body was not only unattractive, but also disgusting.

When applying the ointment, Sister Han was so painful that she grinned and cursed. Even men rarely use such foul language.

"This strange disease occurred in Xicun ten years ago. When the first person got sick, the doctor said that he was possessed by an evil spirit and had offended the bee god, so he was receiving retribution. However, he prayed to gods and consulted gods and tried all kinds of folk remedies to get better. Unexpectedly, he had it within half a year. The second person got sick, and then more and more people got sick in the village."

"At first, it was just gangrene on the feet, and then it grew more and more, spreading to the arms, legs and neck, and finally crawled up the body. First it was itchy, then painful, one after another, and the small holes began to be filled with rotten flesh. At this point, you have to chop off your hands and feet to prolong your life, but in the end you will have a fever that won’t go away and you will die in pain.”

"Later we learned to dig out the wound whenever a gangrene appeared until blood was seen. This can delay the onset of the disease, but it can only delay it. We have no way to cure this disease, there is no way, no matter how many doctors we call from outside the village. Use. More and more people in the village are suffering from this strange disease. Xicun is already poor, and it becomes even poorer after having the strange disease."

"Until a year ago, a doctor named Tang heard other doctors talking about the symptoms in our village and made a special detour to have a look. Doctor Tang was a miracle doctor, a kind person and very good at medical skills. He spent half a year diagnosing and treating the villagers. He said This disease is caused by insects in the land of Xicun. We don’t know where or when these insects came from, but they hide in the soil and get into people’s bodies when they are not prepared, so they get sick.”

“Without the land, where can Xicun move to?”

"Burn the ground to kill the insects, the village chief said. Doctor Tang said it's not that easy. The insect eggs are all in the ground. If you burn a batch to death this year, another batch will grow next year, unless..."

"Use realgar to burn the ground. Pour a layer of realgar first and then burn the ground to cure the strange disease."

"But damn Xi Cun not only has no money, but also can't buy realgar. The realgar was bought by you sons of bitches to make elixirs!" Sister Han yelled, "You took it and burned it in vain!"

"Why don't you go to the Complaint Sect and let the Huangshan Sect handle it?" Xing Zhouzi asked.

"The Huangshan faction is busy seeking revenge from the Xinhua faction, and no one pays attention to us! In addition to collecting taxes, they will only wait outside the village for us to move grain and grass when they collect grain and grass. If they don't enter the village, they already know it, but They don’t care about anything!”

"Whose idea was it to hijack the convoy?"

"Me!" Sister Han raised her head and was very proud, "I prepared it from beginning to end by myself. I was the one who found Skinny Monkey and Blind Cat. They all have brothers who are sick!"

"You planned it alone?" Xing Zhouzi shook his head, "I don't believe it."

"Why don't you believe it?"

This plan is very good. Three people who don't know martial arts robbed the Wudang convoy and prepared an escape route. If they weren't too naive and ignored too many details, if there was an experienced person to help, or if they weren't the one who caught them, this would really be possible. If successful, they will steal the medicinal materials and make Sister Han take the blame.

How could a village girl draw up such a good plan?

But Xing Zhouzi did see her adapting to the situation. If she reacted slower today, she would be ruined at the hands of those Xinhua sect disciples. And if there is a veteran planning, the other party should be involved, and at least some common sense about wheel marks should be mentioned.

"At least that Mongolian sweat medicine is not what you should have."

It was a high-grade Mongolian sweat medicine. It had no taste in water or meat buns. It was very effective and had a quick onset.

"I stole Doctor Tang's medicine, which he brought from his hometown."

It may not be stealing. Sister Han's vision cannot distinguish between good and bad Mongolian sweat medicine. Doctor Tang must know about this. That Doctor Tang... is from the Tang Sect? Perhaps it was a distant relative who had such a good medicine for Mongolian sweat. Sister Han must have been hiding something for this person. She had even thought of an excuse to exonerate others. If the plan succeeded, only she would die, but she would be able to save the whole village.

"Are you going to sacrifice yourself to save the whole village?"

"Xicun is my home, what can I do?" Sister Han answered matter-of-factly.

"I'll go back to the village with you to see if what you said is true."

"Are you willing to leave those four carts of medicinal materials to Xi Cun?"

Xing Zhouzi shook his head: "That's from Wudang. But don't worry, I will report it to the leader. As for you... robbing the convoy is a serious crime."

"I should kill you!" Sister Han yelled, "The skinny monkey and the blind cat will not die in vain!"

"Their death was not in vain. I can help you appeal to Wudang, and Wudang will handle the matter."

"Excuse me! Who cares? The Huangshan Clan and the Xinhua Clan are grudges against each other. The two families are going to fight to death. Do you care? You don't care about anything!" Sister Han screamed loudly, her voice sharp. It has to penetrate Xingzhouzi's ears.

It also pierced his heart.

Although it was raining, Xing Zhouzi was still shocked by the scenery when he arrived at Xicun. He originally thought this would be a dilapidated, dirty, and ugly village. Indeed, the huts and wooden houses here were simple and ordinary, but unexpectedly, Xi Village is located next to a large lake, in a valley surrounded by mountains. A paradise may be too much to say. But the mountain peaks are beautiful and the lake is green. The raindrops fall on the lake, causing ripples and swaying several boats tied with straw ropes on the lakeside, which is particularly pleasant.

Because of the rain, there were not many pedestrians in the village. "I'm back!" Sister Han shouted loudly in the drizzle, "I'm back with realgar and medicinal materials!"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Xing Zhouzi rebuked coldly and said loudly, "These medicinal materials belong to Wudang. Anyone who dares to misuse them will be punished according to the law!"

"I'll fuck your father's asshole!" Sister Han turned around and glared at Xing Zhouzi fiercely.

Many people poked their heads out of the house after hearing the sound. Xing Zhouzi saw that some people were using crutches and some were missing a hand. When the villagers saw the stranger, they all stopped in front of the door and stared.

A middle-aged thin man walked over. He had the same large and scary gangrene on his arms and feet as Sister Han. He first greeted Sister Han, and then looked at Xing Zhouzi with suspicious eyes.

"The residents of this village robbed the Wudang convoy." Xing Zhouzi said, "I will bring her back to collect a confession."

"You actually did such a thing!" This man was indeed the village chief. He pretended to be shocked, but his eyes were filled with disappointment and his eyes were red. He pretended to be disappointed with Sister Han and cursed angrily: "Ignorant beast, this is a crime of decapitation. How could you do such a stupid thing!"

The village chief was saddened by Sister Han's failure. He was also complicit. At least he knew what Sister Han was going to do.

"I want to see Dr. Tang. Sister Han said that her anesthetic was stolen from Dr. Tang. I want to ask for a confession." Xing Zhouzi said, "The prisoner is handed over to you and must be strictly guarded."

"Okay! Okay!" The village chief nodded quickly and pointed to a wooden house in the distance. "That's where Mr. Tang lives. Do you want someone to take you there?"

"No need." Xing Zhouzi walked towards the wooden house.

Doctor Tang's residence is very simple, but it is also one of the few large houses built with wood in the village, which shows the courtesy of the villagers.

Doctor Tang is about forty years old, gentle and kind, with the blessings of a middle-aged man. What does not match his appearance is the gray hair on his head. These gray hairs are very special, occupying 30% of his scalp, and they are all concentrated on the right side. They are clearly separated from the black hair, as if someone has drawn a line between Chu and Han for his hair.

"Didn't the Taoist priest meet the village chief and come back with Sister Han?"

"Are you from the Tang Clan?" Xing Zhouzi asked.

Doctor Tang nodded: "I have relatives working in the factory, so bring some Mongolian sweat medicine for self-defense."

"Why don't you make a living in Tangmen?"

"It is medicine that is three parts poison, and poison is three parts medicine. Pharmacology is somewhat similar to poison theory. Tang Sect likes to poison people to death, and I like to save people, so I travel to practice medicine, and by the way, I examine some toxicology and study it carefully. Medical skills.”

"The doctor has good hands and benevolent heart, and he immediately knew the purpose of Pindao's visit. He knew that what I wanted to ask about was Mongolian sweat medicine before I even asked."

Doctor Tang smiled awkwardly: "If he hadn't been born in the Tang clan, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to find out that the disease was caused by poisonous insects, let alone the method of burning realgar to cure it."

"Is this disease really incurable?"

"Actually, it can, but there are no medicinal materials, and it will not cure the root cause." Doctor Tang replied, "As long as there are insects in the soil, it will be the same even if treated a hundred times. The people in the village cannot afford the soup and medicine."

"Sister Han may seem rude, but she is really smart to think of such a good way to rob a grain truck."

Doctor Tang thought for a while and said: "Sister Han is indeed very smart. She can always think of things that others can't think of, and she is brave and decisive. It's a pity that she was born in this remote country and she is a girl. If she was born in a good family, she would at least be smart and virtuous. A virtuous wife, not a village woman who only has the strength to plow the fields and cannot recognize a few characters.”

"This is fate. A phoenix emerged from the crow's nest, and its wings were broken. But she was not trapped. She wanted to save the whole village, and she really came up with a way. Think about it, it would be impossible to attract someone to investigate. The case can also let Wudang know the situation in this village."

"She thinks every Wudang disciple is a fool, and she doesn't believe in Wudang."

"Do you believe?"

Xing Zhouzi was speechless. After a while, he said, "What's the benefit of bringing me here?"

"It's just a hope. It's better than nothing, but certainly not better than now."

"How are you feeling now?"

Doctor Tang smiled and said, "At least you brought the medicine."

Xing Zhouzi's heart moved, and he frowned and said: "These are Wudang's medicinal materials, no one can touch them."

Doctor Tang pondered for a long time, tapped his fingers on the table a few times, and said: "Master Xingzhou, all the honest people in the village are honest people, but I was born in the Tang clan. Although I am from a collateral lineage, I have heard the stories in the Tang clan. You have lived a lot, and you are not a heartless Hina. You want to set up a mastermind to rescue Sister Han and sentence her to a reduced sentence as an accomplice. But having said that, have you asked Sister Han if she is happy with this? "

Xing Zhouzi was told that the central issue was that he really wanted to find the leader from the village so that he could save Sister Han from escape. He felt that Sister Han did not deserve to die.

"If you really want to save Sister Han, walk out of the village now and don't look back. That will help her."

Xing Zhouzi said: "I am a disciple of the Da Chi Palace. I can't turn a blind eye and be muddy."

"Then you'd better go and don't stay in the village overnight." Doctor Tang advised, his tone sincere, "There are hundreds of people in the village who are forced to a life-or-death situation, and they can do anything."

Xing Zhouzi heard something in his words. Did the villagers want to take action against him and rob him of medicinal materials?

"Rabbits will bite when they are in a hurry." Doctor Tang noticed Xing Zhouzi's suspicion and added another sentence.

"There is not a single one among the hundreds of villagers who knows martial arts. If there were any, they would have been sent to help hijack the car." Xing Zhouzi said, "Can you catch me?"

"It's hard to say." Doctor Tang shook his head.

The sound of "seize, seize" came from behind. Xing Zhouzi looked back and saw that it was a little girl. The girl was about ten years old, with two pigtails, and a pale face. She only had one left foot left, but she walked into the hut holding a cane in each hand.

"Doctor Tang has a guest. I'll help you get some water." The little girl said very warmly.

Doctor Tang smiled and said: "Okay, Rongrong will help the guests pour water."

The child named Rongrong nodded vigorously and walked away with two crutches.

"The child lost one of his legs due to this strange disease."

"She still has one good leg."

"It's almost gone. I asked her to practice walking with two crutches first."

Xing Zhouzi seemed to be choked by something and was speechless.

"Here comes the water." Rongrong put a crutch under each arm and put the water cup on his head. He walked slowly but steadily step by step until there was not a drop of water splashing in front of the table. Then he leaned the crutch against his body and stretched out his head. He took off the water cup and placed it in front of Xing Zhouzi.

"You're so awesome." Xing Zhouzi praised, but he saw the bruises on the back of Rongrong's hand.

"With any luck, that hand will be left for the year after tomorrow." Doctor Tang said after Rongrong left.

Xing Zhouzi felt a hand holding his throat, making him unable to breathe.

"Actually, the Taoist Master is right. These hundreds of villagers are old, weak, and disabled, and they cannot even retain ordinary Wudang disciples. The Taoist Master is highly skilled in martial arts, so he may be able to handle them."

"I won't leave." Xing Zhouzi gritted his teeth, "No one in Wudang takes the rules seriously. If I don't take them seriously anymore, no one will take them seriously."

He stood up and said respectfully: "Doctor Tang, I'll take my leave and come back tomorrow to ask about the case."

After dinner, Xing Zhouzi borrowed a room from the village chief and fell asleep as soon as he entered the room. Shortly after nightfall, he heard an obvious noise and opened his eyes. In the light rain, dozens of torches were lit outside.

Expected.

He looked out of the window and saw that all the villagers in Xi Village were gathered outside. There were men and women, old and young. Many were missing a leg, and some were missing a hand. The village chief and Sister Han were looking at each other. His face, pale from injury, was among them.

"Taoist, please find a way out!" the village chief shouted.

Xing Zhouzi pushed the door open hard and shouted loudly: "I know you are suffering, but this is wrong!" He shouted hoarsely, "The rules are the rules! If you have difficulties today and rob the team, tomorrow others will also have difficulties and rob the team too. The convoy, Wudang is still in chaos?"

"Pindao is Xing Zhouzi, the captain of Dachi Palace Wei Daotang's team. He has been ordered to escort the medicinal materials and never let anyone take them away! Pindao will find a way to help you and will definitely get the realgar and medicinal materials for you. You can trust it or not. That’s fine, Pindao will never let you take away this batch of medicinal materials today!”

He ripped open his robe and roared: "If you want to fight, come and kill me!"

These people were ordinary people, and Xicun was a place isolated from the rest of the world. Seeing that he looked crazy, no one dared to step forward for a while.

"Fuck your mother's bullshit!" Sister Han raised the kitchen knife, "When Xi Cun is trying to reason with you, you are not being reasonable. When Xi Cun is not being reasonable, you are trying to reason with Xi Cun! Who the hell is going to save Xi Cun? I can’t help but save my sister Han’s village!”

Sister Han did not hesitate and stabbed Xing Zhouzi with her knife. Xing Zhouzi sidestepped and pushed her to the ground with one palm. Sister Han stood up immediately. She was obviously injured, but she still stood up and rushed forward with all her strength from the fields.

This great strength was of no use to Xing Zhouzi. He turned sideways and pushed Sister Han into the roof with a loud bang. Sister Han stood up again, her body swaying: "I'll kill you!"

Sister Han brought up the courage of the villagers, and the village chief shouted: "Come on! Our village cannot be saved by Sister Han alone, the village itself must save it!"

With hoes and hatchets, all the villagers swarmed forward, and those with missing legs and arms also held various iron weapons to surround Xing Zhouzi, attacking one after another in an unorganized manner.

Xing Zhouzi dodged left and right, trying his best not to hurt anyone, but received two knife blows and several blows with sticks. He couldn't escape, and if he did, the crime of robbing the convoy would fall on the entire village.

He cannot give in, he must abide by the rules and cannot compromise. He wants to do it and stick to the rules just like Sister Han resolutely protects her village.

If you don’t kill, you will be killed. He must kill people hard, and if necessary, leave corpses everywhere.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed: "What is that?" Everyone followed the sound and saw a long torch snaking not far away.

who?

Soon after, the team filed into Xicun. They were Wudang disciples, about sixty of them.

They followed the car tracks.

"What happened?" The team leader looked around and shouted, "Is Junior Brother Xingzhou here?"

Xing Zhouzi stepped forward: "I'm here!"

Zhou Wen said happily: "Captain, are you okay?"

Xing Zhouzi shook his head: "I'm fine."

The village chief threw down his weapon and sat down helplessly. All the villagers were dejected.

The leader asked: "What happened?"

Xing Zhouzi pointed at Sister Han: "This person robbed the convoy, and she was the mastermind!"

"You bitch, I'll fuck the asshole of your eighteenth generation ancestor!" Sister Han yelled.

"What do you call senior brother?" Xing Zhouzi asked.

"The name is Yunxu." The captain replied.

"Brother, this village..."

"Are the medicinal materials still there?"

"Yes, it's in the car. Senior brother..."

"Quickly, go find the medicinal materials!" Yunxu shouted, "Master Yuxu's Xuantai Pill is still a little short of fire, and he is in urgent need of realgar. If he succeeds this time, Qingwei Palace will be proud and proud, and even chickens and dogs will ascend to heaven! "

No one cared what happened here and turned a blind eye to the iron tools in the hands of the villagers.

This is Wudang now.

Xing Zhouzi looked at the crowd and saw Dr. Tang standing in the dim light, watching with an expressionless face, shaking his head and leaving.

Two disciples grabbed Sister Han, and just as Xing Zhouzi was about to step forward, Sister Han was not as aggressive as usual, pulling on his clothes and begging: "Master, save them, save them!"

She was desperate, so she turned from confrontation to pleading.

Xing Zhouzi suddenly remembered something, walked up to the village chief, and asked, "Where is the upper reaches of this lake?"

The village chief didn't dare not answer: "An Qing."

Xing Zhouzi asked again: "How long will it take to get there?"

"Two days."

"Senior Brother Yunxu, it's faster for me to walk by water." Xing Zhouzi said to Yunxu.

"Waterway?" Yunxu was confused, "This is a countercurrent."

"You have to take a small road from here to Anqing, and you have to cross the river to Chizhou, which takes three to four days. The river here is calm and the current is slow. Although the boat is small, it can carry enough cargo. I will take a few people to escort the prisoners and set off early tomorrow morning. It takes two days to reach Anqing.”

Yunxu thought for a while and said, "Okay."

Early the next morning, Xing Zhouzi carried sixteen boxes of medicinal materials onto the ship, three boxes per ship, and together with the escort ship, there were seven small boats in total. He did not dare to look at the people of Xicun, not even a glance, and personally escorted Sister Han upstream.

Sister Han no longer begged him or scolded him, she just stared blankly with empty eyes.

"You hate me?" Xing Zhouzi asked.

Sister Han looked at him blankly and shook her head: "If there were more people like you, Xi Cun would be fine a long time ago. What's sad is that there are too few people like you, but I bump into him again."

She whimpered: "I'm so fucking unlucky for eight lifetimes..."

The boat went up. The next night, the river surged, and the boatman ordered to go ashore to take shelter temporarily.

"Just tie the boat with a straw rope and we can leave tomorrow morning."

That night, Xing Zhouzi sat on the shore and looked out. He clenched his fists, waiting for the slim hope. It would be a miracle, if it happened, he would stay in Wu-Tang.

He wants to change Wudang and be as determined as Sister Han.

If he failed, he vowed to never set foot in Wudang again for the rest of his life.

A low buzzing sound came from upstream, and then the sound gradually became louder and gradually turned into the roar of horse hooves, and Xingzhouzi stood up.

"The dam has burst upstream!" a disciple shouted.

"Run! The further away from the river, the better!" Xing Zhouzi ordered, "Quick!"

The river swelled and the torrent surged forward, submerging several small boats. By daybreak, they were no longer seen.

Five months later, Xing Zhouzi came to Xicun again. There was a smell of realgar on the land. The villagers looked at him with resentful eyes. Only Doctor Tang greeted him and they walked side by side along the lakeshore.

"That day, there were more than a dozen boxes floating on the lake. I asked the village chief to brave the wind and rain to fish them out. Fortunately, I was able to fish them out."

"It's not illegal to pick up floating objects from the lake. Are the things in the suitcase safe?"

"The waterproofing is very good, and the hemp ropes are tied tightly. It is a job done by a solid person, and he is meticulous. Everything inside is useful, except for the suitcase, which cannot be used in the village and was burned."

No one would take a boat on a broken river and look back for floating objects. That would be the same as committing suicide.

"What did you do?"

"I don't have the ability. It's God's will that the river burst its banks. Can I make the river burst its banks?"

"How is Sister Han?" Doctor Tang asked.

"Sister Han did not kill anyone, and she had nothing to do with the loss of the goods. She helped me deal with the Xinhua sect people on the road, and then changed her ways. She sincerely admitted her mistakes during the interrogation, and because she was pitiful, I also interceded on her behalf. Sentenced to tattoo and ten years in prison."

Xing Zhouzi only gave her a little guidance, and Sister Han knew how to cry for mercy without even uttering a curse word in the execution hall.

"But her condition has worsened. I came here to ask you to diagnose and treat her."

"Okay." Doctor Tang nodded, "By the way, Rongrong's leg can be saved. Although it will be weak and weak later, it can still hold up."

"When will the doctor leave?"

Doctor Tang smiled and said: "I have been leaving for a long time, but I think you will always come to the village for a visit and I will wait for you here. You are too slow to come."

Xing Zhouzi could only smile bitterly.

"What about you? This time the goods are lost, you will not go unpunished."

"Demoted to squad leader."

"You have the temper to stay in Wudang and waste talents. I'll write a letter for you and go to my cousin. He can arrange for you to get a job in the Tang Sect. Also in the execution hall, the second mistress will appreciate you."

Xing Zhouzi smiled bitterly again: "No, there are only those with the surname Tang who can be promoted. I plan to stay in Wudang." He paused for a while and then said, "Wudang must be guarded by someone, and we can't have none."

"It's a difficult road."

"Sister Han can hold her own, how can I lose to a village woman?"

Doctor Tang laughed and asked, "Do you know where the ships washed down by the flood that day went?"

"Didn't you go downstream?"

"No, that day the river receded and the boats were washed ashore." Doctor Tang pointed to a few feet away from the lake where several small boats were stranded.

"What you want to do is just like those boats. Traveling on land is inappropriate."

Xing Zhouzi laughed.

(End of this chapter)