Under the sky

Chapter 58 "Meeting Heroes on the Road": Leaving the Cauldron to the End
Yang Yan extinguished the fire, and the cabin suddenly became dark.There were still faint shouts coming from a distance, but they stopped soon after.

There was silence in the cabin, but Li Jingfeng was not at peace in his heart.Is it clear?Wasn't that the last person that Senior Gan saw before he went crazy?He thought of the murder case of the Gan family. Although there were no clues related to this person on the surface, he told Gan Tiechi that this was Xiang Hai seeking justice, which drove Gan Tiechi crazy.

Li Jingfeng had doubts in his heart, but there was no light at the bottom of the cabin. Even if he had night eyes, he was no different from a blind person at this moment, unable to judge the unknown.

"It's safe here for now." The voice was gentle and steady, as if it had magic power that penetrated into the heart, "Don't panic."

"What's there to panic about?" The other voice was deep and firm, with a hint of disdain.

"I'm talking about him." Ming said vaguely.

"Me?" Li Jingfeng was stunned, "I...how...can you see me?"

"You're breathing heavily. It's not that you're nervous, but that you're on guard." An unknown voice came faintly.

Can he hear my breathing?Li Jingfeng secretly calmed his breathing and said, "It's secret here, I'm not worried." After thinking about it, he asked again, "Brother Ming, where did you come from? How did you hide here?"

"I am a Shaolin disciple." Ming said vaguely, "I traveled to Shaanxi and am planning to return to Shaolin."

"Why did you take this road back to Shaolin?" Li Jingfeng asked in confusion.

"I wanted to go to Hubei and then go back to Shaolin in the north." Ming Xiang answered almost every question without any warning or hostility. His tone was gentle and approachable.Li Jingfeng was trying to figure out this person when he suddenly asked, "Do you know me?"

Li Jingfeng was shocked: "No... you... why do you think so?"

"You care more about me than how to escape." Ming said unclearly.

Li Jingfeng was stunned for a moment, then quickly changed the subject and asked: "Brother Yang, what should we do next?"

Yang Yan said: "The river bandits have captured the boat and have to unload the cargo first. At that time, they will be less alert and we will take the opportunity to escape."

"I heard that they will kill all the hostages?" Li Jingfeng asked uneasily, "Are those people still alive?"

"The river bandits will not kill all the people, but will ask for ransom from the owner along with the hostages on the boat. Sometimes they can get hundreds or even thousands of taels for the hostages and the boat. The two sides agreed on a location, and the river bandits sailed the boat into the river and abandoned it. After getting off the boat and letting it drift, the owner went back up the river to find the boat." Ming said unknown, "In addition to the bodyguards and boatmen, there are also passengers on the boat. Maybe some of them are closely related to the Nine Families, so they will first check their identities and ask for a price based on their weight. .”

"Good people are not a specialty of Huashan." Yang Yan said, "They killed everyone on the ship before. This is the third time."

"I've heard about this. It seems to be deliberately targeting the Xiangyang Gang. Two merchant ships have been robbed this year." Li Jingfeng said, "We have to find a way to save the people on board."

There was sudden silence in the cabin. After a while, Yang Yan asked: "How to save?"

Li Jingfeng lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, "Didn't you say that the ship was going to dock? After it docked, we fought out and rescued the people."

"Arrival?" Yang Yan asked, "Where do you think they will park the boat? At the dock of the Xiangyang Gang or at the foot of Wudang Mountain?" He continued, "They will slaughter the people and throw them into the river before they even dock. Dozens of naked corpses would float by the Tianhan River, with only water plants, shrimps and crabs covering their bodies."

Li Jingfeng was shocked and said hurriedly: "Then we must try to rescue them quickly!"

There was another awkward silence in the cabin.

Yang Yan said: "Now I really believe that you swam over from another ship to help."

"Oh?" Ming Wuxi seemed curious.Perhaps due to preconceptions, Li Jingfeng always felt an inexplicable strange feeling when he heard Ming Wuxi's words, but he couldn't tell what kind of feeling it was.Yang Yan seemed unaware of this.

"Did you come up from another merchant ship?" Ming continued to ask unknown questions, "Are you brave enough to do justice?"

Li Jingfeng blushed: "I didn't help..."

"You saved me." Yang Yan said, "This is definitely a huge help!"

Li Jingfeng said again: "First think of a way to save people, now..."

"Shh." He heard Ming's silent signal and immediately became quiet, but didn't hear any sound. He asked again, "What's wrong?"

"Don't make a sound." Ming Ming whispered in an unknown voice. Although his voice was low, he could hear it clearly, as if he was right next to his ear.

Li Jingfeng was just wondering when he suddenly heard a rush of footsteps coming from above the floor.One person shouted: "Here! Search carefully!" Then he heard rapid footsteps leaving, leaving only one footstep walking around.

A boat bandit?Li Jingfeng held his breath.Just now I saw that there were at least a hundred bandits on the deck. We were outnumbered and we were outnumbered. If we were discovered by them, I was afraid that all three of us would die here.He held on to his original intention, raised his head, and saw some light coming from the floor. There was the round hole used to lift the floor. At this moment, the other party was searching with a torch, and the light shone through the round hole. From the light, The light and dark can vaguely distinguish the distance of the other party.Just listen to the man scolding: "Damn it, there are only a few women on the boat! I have no share in the good deeds. You just sent me to do some scraping on the bottom of the boat. Isn't there blood on my knife?"

He was cursing and walking, and from time to time there was a "crunching" sound from above, as if he was searching for goods, and the light from the hole flickered on and off.After a while, the fire gradually became brighter and suddenly stopped. Unexpectedly, the man arrived near the entrance.

Li Jingfeng was on tenterhooks, fearing that he would be discovered, but the less he wanted him to come, the more he wanted to come.There was a sudden "click", firelight shone into the bilge, and a head poked through the entrance.

Li Jingfeng was about to draw his sword when a figure whizzed past him.Yang Yan reacted very quickly, jumped up, grabbed the man's chest and pulled it off.The man said "Oh!" and fell out of the cabin, rolling down together with Yang Yan, and the torch fell aside.Yang Yan turned over and sat on top of him, fearing that he would make any noise. He pressed his mouth with one hand and used the other hand to chop it off with a knife.The man grabbed Yang Yan's hand. He also had a knife in his right hand and slashed at Yang Yan violently.When Li Jingfeng saw his hand, he kicked the knife out of his hand, stepped on his arm, and was about to draw the sword to kill. Suddenly his arm tightened, and when he turned his head, he clearly held his arm, shook his head and said, "No way. Kill him."

Taking advantage of this gap, the man turned over and broke away from Yang Yan's suppression. Just as he was about to shout, he suddenly opened his mouth wide, covered his stomach and fell to his knees.Li Jingfeng looked carefully and saw that he had been punched in the stomach by an unknown source.The man couldn't help but gasp and retching in pain.Yang Yan picked up the knife and stopped it again.

"If he dies here, the people who just ordered him can't find him, and they will definitely come back to look for him, and there will be no way to hide him here." Ming Ming said very calmly.

Yang Yan said: "We can't let him go!"

The man gasped and cursed softly: "You son of a bitch...can't...die!"

Yang Yan kicked him on the shoulder, and the man rolled twice on the spot, paralyzed on the ground and unable to move.

Unknown Ming picked up the torch, patted the man on the shoulder, and helped him up.The man still kept wailing.Ming asked unknownly: "I know you don't want to die, right?"

The man was punched and was so painful that he couldn't move. He didn't dare to show off his evil, so he begged: "Don't... don't kill me! I... I'll help you plead with the boss! You... you kill me... They'll find this!"

Ming said vaguely: "I'll let you go."

Everyone was shocked. Yang Yan raised the knife and said, "You are more naive than that kid!"

Unknown Ming sat in front of the man and took out two small ingots of gold from his arms. Each ingot weighed about one or two.Every tael of gold can be exchanged for ten taels of silver, and these two ingots of gold are worth 20 taels of silver. Although the man was in pain, his eyes widened.Ming asked unknownly: "How much can you get from us? Are there that many?"

The man shook his head quickly: "Not even a golden horn!"

Ming unknown put one of the ingots of gold into the man's arms: "This is yours. If you expose it, I will tell you that I have given you three ingots of gold, and they will skin you and search you." Then he picked up another one. Ding Jinzi said, "When the ship docks, you can find an opportunity to let us out. We are safe, and this ingot is yours too."

The man looked at the gold, his eyes widened, he nodded quickly, and said: "Slow down! This ship won't dock!"

"Not docking?" Ming asked unclearly, "Do you want a ransom?"

The man said: "The boss said there is a Xiangyang Gang boat nearby, and that boat is bigger! This boat has the flag of the Xiangyang Gang, so they won't be wary!"

Li Jingfeng said in surprise: "You want to rob other ships?"

Yang Yan frowned and asked, "Not unloading?"

The man shook his head quickly: "No unloading! No docking!"

Li Jingfeng asked hurriedly: "Where are the other people on the boat?"

The man said: "They are all making dumplings on the deck! Only a few women are left alive, and they are locked in the room, waiting for the boss to enjoy it."

Li Jingfeng was stunned and asked: "What is dumplings?"

Yang Yan said: "Take them naked and let them jump into the river, which is called 'letting the white fish'. Kill them and throw them into the river, which is called 'dropping dumplings'. Fish can swim, but dumplings cannot move."

Li Jingfeng couldn't help but became furious and cursed: "Hundreds of lives were wasted like this? How unreasonable!" He became so angry and dizzy that he couldn't help but go out to argue.Yang Yan said coldly: "If you rush out, four more people will die!"

The man asked strangely: "Four?"

Yang Yan said: "We can't escape, so of course we have to kill you first."

The man was shocked.He had just taken the gold and made a fortune. He didn't want to die at this moment. He grabbed the corner of Li Jingfeng's clothes and shouted: "Good grandpa, don't be impulsive. I think several lives are in your hands! I'm going to kowtow to you!"

Li Jingfeng was agitated. Although he knew that Yang Yan was right, he still couldn't calm down his anger. He just thought: "If I had the skills of Third Master, how could this boat of river pirates be my opponent? I can't save people because I am incompetent!" Damn it! Beside the wall, it was very depressing.

Then I heard someone shouting from above: "Zhou Shun, what's wrong?"

The man hurriedly said: "I have to go up!"

Ming unknown nodded.Yang Yan knew that this man was greedy for money, and killing him would inevitably lead to an investigation. There was no other way at the moment, so he said, "Bring some food down later."

Zhou Shun nodded quickly, climbed to the roof of the cabin, covered the wooden board, and shouted: "Here we come!"

Li Jingfeng's mood has not yet calmed down, he just blames himself.Yang Yan asked: "Why do you feel sorry for the people above?"

"If I were more capable, I could save them."

Yang Yan snorted and said, "Don't always think about being a good person. Good people may not end well."

Li Jingfeng ignored him and asked, "You are so good at martial arts. Why didn't you go up and help when the river bandits came?"

"There are many gangsters, so I can't help them." Ming said vaguely, "I'm just hiding here."

"Where did you get so much money?" Li Jingfeng asked again.

"It was given by someone else," Ming replied in an unknown way.

How could anyone give so much silver as a gift?Li Jingfeng was about to retort, but then he thought about it. Shen Yuqing's brother and sister gave him 50 taels of silver as soon as they made a move, so that he almost got robbed and died in Longchuan Town. It might be a gift, so I stopped asking.Zhou Shun took the torch with him when he left. At this moment, the cabin was dark again. He was upset. He sighed and said after a while: "They are going to rob another ship. We have to find a way to stop it."

"How to stop it?" Yang Yan asked, "It's just the three of us."

Li Jingfeng had an idea and said, "There is a way!"

Yang Yan asked: "What can we do?"

Li Jingfeng said: "When Zhou Shun comes again, let's find out when they are going to rob. When the two ships approached, they were all on the deck, so I took the opportunity to go up and set fire to the ship and shout to remind the merchant ships on the opposite side not to approach!"

Yang Yan said: "Then you are dead?"

Li Jingfeng said: "I am very good at dodging. When they noticed me, I quickly jumped into the river to escape. I am good at water and can swim ashore. They cherish their lives and will not jump into the river to chase me."

Yang Yan said impatiently: "Is this gross trick considered a solution?"

"Then the three of us have to go together, otherwise even if he escapes, the river bandits will order a search for anyone on the boat. If we hide here, we will be caught sooner or later." Ming said uncertainly, "Do you want to take this risk? ?" The last sentence was obviously directed at Yang Yan.

Yang Yan said: "This method won't work."

"It's actually a good idea." Ming said vaguely, "It's feasible."

Yang Yanxing said: "What nonsense! If that's okay, why don't you go help him?"

Li Jingfeng said hurriedly: "I have no intention of involving you!"

"I don't want to help, but if he wants to go up, I have to follow him up and stay here to die." Ming said vaguely, "If he doesn't go up, we will stay here and wait for them to rob another ship. We will take advantage of the opportunity." Escape will be much easier."

Li Jingfeng said anxiously: "Waiting for them to rob another ship? So many people will die!"

"But we won't die." Ming said vaguely, "Either the three of us go up together, or the three of us stay together."

Li Jingfeng remained silent and said, "I'll think of another way."

"We don't have much time left." Ming said unceremoniously, "Beyond Baihe County is Hubei, which is the border of Wudi. The boat bandits in Huashan dare not cross the border. The merchant ship they want to rob must be nearby, so they don't even have time to unload the goods. .”

Li Jingfeng remained silent.If you want to save people, how can you harm innocent people?But if we don't save people, are we going to let the boat bandits kill people again?
"Don't worry about that ship." Ming said vaguely, "You saved one person, that's enough. The life and death of other people has nothing to do with you."

These words pierced Li Jingfeng's heart. He thought to himself, with his status as the third master, he still acts chivalrously and righteously from time to time. On the night of life and death, on the day of repaying kindness, how brave is it?What does the life and death of others have to do with him?Even though I have low abilities, am I really unable to do anything?Even if it’s dangerous, you have to give it a try!Then he said: "I have another idea! I will set fire after I get up, and instead of jumping into the river, I will escape to the stern of the boat. They will definitely chase me. I will hold them back, and you can take advantage of the opportunity to escape."

"You're dragging more than 100 people? You're just trying to mop yourself!" Yang Yan said angrily, "If you go up there, all three of us will be in danger!"

"He saved your life, you just paid him back." Ming said vaguely, "I am the innocent one."

He couldn't see the unknown face in the darkness, but there was no hint of complaint in his tone. Li Jingfeng was wary of this person, but he couldn't tell whether he was good or evil.

"I can't die here, I still have important things to do! If I can't do it, I won't die in peace!" Yang Yan gritted his teeth, his voice full of resentment, and Li Jingfeng actually got goosebumps when he heard it.Then I heard Yang Yan say: "You go up and gamble with our lives!"

Li Jingfeng felt very guilty and was about to speak when he heard Yang Yan say: "I'll go up with you! If you miss, I will leave you and run away. Don't blame me for being ungrateful!"

Li Jingfeng was surprised at first, and then said happily: "Are you willing to help me?"

Yang Yan was silent for a while, then seemed to have made up his mind and said, "Help!"

Li Jingfeng sighed and suddenly said: "Let's forget it."

Yang Yan said angrily: "Why forget it again?"

Li Jingfeng shook his head and said: "I am trying to be a hero and cannot harm you. If I think about it again, I will at least help you find a way out." It was dark at the moment, and he didn't know who to show his head to, he was just used to it.

Yang Yan was furious: "Aren't you making fun of me?!"

Seeing that he was angry, Li Jingfeng hurriedly comforted him: "That's not what you meant! Oh, I'm sorry...I..."

After another long while, Yang Yan said: "Okay, it's okay."

Seeing that he was not angry, Li Jingfeng asked, "You just said you had something important to do. What was it?"

Yang Yan said angrily: "It's none of your business!"

Li Jingfeng frowned and said, "You're so good, why did you lose your temper again?"

Yang Yan said angrily: "This is my temper! If you don't like it, don't talk to me!"

"Okay, okay!" As soon as he met Li Jingfeng, he felt that this person was very wary. Now he even felt that this person had a weird temper, so he didn't mess with him and continued to think of a way.

After a while, Yang Yan said: "Sorry, it was my fault just now."

Why are you apologizing again?Li Jingfeng was surprised.Just listen to Yang Yan say: "I hate this place, I can't control my temper. You saved my life, I should thank you."

Li Jingfeng said: "This cabin is pitch black and it's really uncomfortable."

Yang Yan said: "It's not the cabin, it's..." He paused for a moment and then said, "It's okay."

Li Jingfeng said "hmm" and stopped asking further questions.Suddenly, Ming Ming said in an uncertain voice: "I smelled medicinal materials on the boat. Is this ship escorting medicinal materials?"

Yang Yan said: "They are the medicinal materials used by my uncles to make elixirs. The Xiangyang gang has been robbed three times this year. Master is worried and asked me to escort them under the banner of Wudang."

"Cure medicinal materials?" Li Jingfeng asked curiously.

"I ate Feitian's medicinal materials!" Yang Yan's tone was full of disdain, "Everyone in Wudang is refining elixirs and wants to ascend to heaven as soon as possible. Don't you know?"

Li Jingfeng heard about the chaos in Wudang more than once, but he had never heard about ascending to heaven. He was curious and asked: "Ascending to what heaven?"

"This is the external elixir technique of the Danding sect. You can refine the elixir of immortality and take it to achieve enlightenment and ascend to heaven." Ming Wei explained, "I heard that Wudang is very good at this method. Since the head of the sect, many people have relied on taking the elixir. For practicing martial arts, many medicinal materials in Yunnan, Gansu, and Sichuan are sold to Wudang."

"You know very well." Yang Yan said, "The previous three ships were all used to transport medicinal materials to Wudang. The bandits on this ship were either coming for the Xiangyang Gang or for Wudang. Now that the medicinal materials have been cut off, Master and a group of uncles They are all very anxious.”

Ming unknown asked: "Dare you ask the master's name?"

"The master's name is mysterious at the top and fictitious at the bottom."

"It turns out that your respected master is the leader of Wudang." Ming said uncertainly, "Disrespectful."

This man is actually a direct disciple of the head of Wudang?Li Jingfeng was feeling surprised when he heard Yang Yan snort, not knowing what it meant.

"Since it is used to make elixirs, do you have saltpeter and sulfur? Do you know where to put them?" Ming asked unknown.

"Of course I know." Yang Yan said, "I was the one who ordered them to be moved onto the ship."

"Then I have a solution." Ming said vaguely.

Li Jingfeng asked hurriedly: "What can we do?"

"Blow up the ship." Ming said unknownly, "As long as there is saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, the ship can be blown up and sunk."

Li Jingfeng was very surprised and asked: "Is it possible?"

Ming said vaguely: "Okay."

Yang Yan asked: "The ship sank, what should we do? Swim ashore?"

Ming said vaguely: "There must be a plan." He started to explain.

※ ※ ※

Li Jingfeng and Yang Yan climbed out of the cabin.It was night when the merchant ship was robbed. Most of the bandits were tired after the robbery and had to take action before dawn.The two of them tiptoed to the walkway outside the cabin, only to see darkness. Yang Yan frowned and said, "You can't see if you put out the torch, but you will attract more attention if you hold the torch."

Li Jingfeng lit a fire and blew out the torch.Yang Yan said: "This fire is too small."

Li Jingfeng said: "That's enough." Although this light can only illuminate a few steps around his feet, it is enough for Li Jingfeng to see more than ten steps away. In this way, if there is a fire in the distance, he can immediately detect it, but the other party cannot see it. own fire.He had just taken a few steps when he realized that Yang Yan was not following him and turned around.Although the light was weak at this time, it was not difficult to illuminate the steps, but Yang Yan still touched the wall and took every step cautiously.Li Jingfeng asked: "What's going on? Can't you see the road clearly?"

Yang Yan was silent. Li Jingfeng thought of his eyes and thought, "Could it be that he has an eye disease and cannot see clearly?" So he said, "Tell me the route and I will go by myself."

Yang Yan was silent for a moment and said: "You don't know the medicinal materials, I have to follow you."

Li Jingfeng grabbed Yang Yan's hand and said, "Then I will lead you."

The two of them walked along the corridor one after another, and when they came to a corner, Li Jingfeng suddenly turned off the fire and pressed against the wall. Yang Yan knew something was wrong, so he also pressed against the wall.

After a while, a fire light came on, and a patrolman walked by holding a torch.The two of them waited with bated breath, but the patrol left without noticing the two of them.

"How did you find it?" Yang Yan asked, "It's all black."

Li Jingfeng noticed that Yang Yan's palms were all sweaty and knew that he was walking almost completely blind. He couldn't bear it, but he also admired this man's courage.He was concerned that Yang Yan was injured and ill, so he simply said: "I happened to see the light of the fire."

Yang Yan nodded.The two touched the cabin on the upper floor, and Yang Yan said: "The second room on the right." Li Jingfeng followed Yang Yan's instructions and moved a box of saltpeter to the second room on the right. He was about to go downstairs when he saw a sudden light from the fire downstairs. It's patrol.Li Jingfeng was startled and turned around to leave, when he saw a light coming on at the end of the corridor.At this time, if you are attacked from the front or rear, you have to go to the cabin in the side passage to escape.

If Li Jingfeng was alone, it would not be difficult to hide, but Yang Yan was like a blind man, struggling to move, and it would definitely be difficult to hide in the cabin quickly.

Yang Yan noticed that Li Jingfeng's steps had stopped and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Li Jingfeng said: "Don't move." After saying that, he picked up Yang Yan, turned gently into the side passage, pushed the door open and ducked in, then closed the door, leaving only a thin crack, waiting for the patrolman to leave the cabin. Walking outside, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Yan said: "I will take you to the next place. You leave me there and come back to me to carry the medicine. This will save you the trouble."

Li Jingfeng said: "Okay."

Yang Yan led Li Jingfeng to the room where the sapodilla seeds were placed. Li Jingfeng first moved the saltpeter back to the cabin, then came back to Yang Yan, took more than ten medicinal materials, moved a large bundle of bamboo tubes, and finally took the realgar. He asked Yang Yan to go back to the cabin.

As soon as he came downstairs, Li Jingfeng vaguely noticed the flickering of light and shadow behind him. Knowing that someone was following him downstairs, he hurried forward.

His steps were light and quick. Yang Yan noticed something strange and asked, "Have you been discovered?"

Li Jingfeng whispered: "You shouldn't be able to see us." As he spoke, he quickened his pace and reached the corner.

But the man was walking in a hurry. Just as Li Jingfeng turned the corner, the light shone behind him.Suddenly he heard the visitor's footsteps speeding up, and seemed to have spotted the two of them. Li Jingfeng was startled, and immediately closed the door after entering the cabin.

The fire followed the two of them all the way to the door. Li Jingfeng put Yang Yan down first and said, "Someone is following." As he blew out the fire, he put the realgar on the ground and held the sword in his hand, thinking: "I have no choice. Even if he is discovered, he must be killed.”

The man stopped in front of the cabin door with a torch and hesitated for a while. When Li Jingfeng saw that he was not moving, he was afraid that he would not come in. Instead, he shouted to inform him. Just as he was about to open the door and rush out, the cabin door opened with a "click" and Li Jingfeng struck with a sword. After thrusting out, he recognized Zhou Shun and quickly sheathed his sword.

Zhou Shun screamed and almost fell down. The plate in his hand fell to the ground with a loud clang.It turned out that he was holding a plate in one hand and a torch in the other. He was hesitating at the door how to push the door open just now.Li Jingfeng saw that there were steamed buns, dried meat and other food on the plate, so it turned out that they had brought food.

The sound alerted the patrol upstairs, who came down and asked, "Who is it?"

Zhou Shun was in shock and hurriedly said: "Me! Zhou Shun!"

The patrol continued to approach, and Zhou Shun motioned to Li and Yang to hide in the bilge, saying: "There is a mouse, I was shocked."

Zhou Shun held a torch in his hand. The fire was bright and Yang Yan could see. Li Jingfeng opened the lid and motioned for Yang Yan to jump down.After the two people jumped down, Zhou Shun quickly closed the lid.

I heard someone above ask: "What are you doing here?"

Zhou Shun replied: "I was greedy and stole some dried meat buns. I wanted to avoid eating them because I didn't want to hit a mouse. I was startled and everything was ruined."

The man laughed and said, "You have stolen so much, can you finish it?"

Zhou Shundao: "Everyone who sees it has a share, so share some with you."

The man said: "That's fine."

Li Jingfeng heard the two of them drinking and chatting above, and he felt relieved knowing that everything was safe for now.Yang Yan suddenly asked: "Where is the realgar?"

Li Jingfeng was stunned for a moment and cursed in a low voice: "Oh no, you put it on your head!"

If the other party found the medicinal materials, he might become suspicious, so Li Jingfeng secretly cursed himself for being careless.In fact, he couldn't move the goods in front of Zhou Shun at that time. He was worried for fear that he would be discovered.

I heard the man above ask: "Brother, you stole so much, why don't you eat more?"

Zhou Shundao: "Oh, don't be in a hurry, eat slowly. Brother, you have to patrol, don't wait too long, the boss will scold you if you miss the mark."

The man laughed loudly and said: "Who else is on this boat? At most, the five women are locked up in the boss's room, and they can't escape!"

Zhou Shun also followed suit and laughed. After waiting for half an hour, the man said, "I'm going to rest. Brother, please take it easy."

Ming unknown and whispered: "Don't let him come down." Li Jingfeng knew that there were a lot of materials piled in the bilge at the moment, and if he was hit, there would be trouble.After the man walked away, Zhou Shun opened the roof panel of the cabin. Yang Yan blocked the entrance and said, "Thank you this time."

Zhou Shundao: "No thanks, no thanks. Your brother's sword attack just now really scared me silly."

Yang Yan said: "It's okay, go back."

Zhou Shun handed the plate to Yang Yan: "That man starved to death as if he was reincarnated. That's all that's left."

Yang Yan took the plate and asked, "How far is the other merchant ship?"

Zhou Shun was confused: "Why do you ask?"

Yang Yan said: "I want to know how many days we have to stay."

"Come on, boss, slow down the boat and wait."

Yang Yan nodded and said, "Thank you."

There were only three steamed buns and a few pieces of dried meat left on the plate. The three of them lit torches and shared their meals by the light of the fire.Yang Yan handed a piece of dried meat to Ming Wuxiang. Ming Wuxiang shook his head and said, "I'm a vegetarian." He took the steamed buns.

Li Jingfeng was so hungry that he wolfed down the steamed buns and dried meat in a few mouthfuls.He raised his head and saw Ming Wuxi sitting cross-legged on the ground, tearing apart the steamed buns and putting them into his mouth in small bites. He looked very pious and elegant, but in comparison he looked even more rude.

This shame disappeared immediately when he saw Yang Yan licking the minced meat on the plate with his fingers.

"Get some sleep." Ming said vaguely, "I'm still busy tomorrow."

Li Jingfeng was tired after a night and fell asleep.When I woke up the next day, I saw bright surroundings. It turned out that there were torches lit in the bilge.Unknown Ming sat on the ground, holding a bunch of hair in each hand and making a high bun.He had been working at the bottom of the boat all night. Except for some medicinal materials staining his clothes, they still looked neat and clean.

Li Jingfeng asked: "You didn't sleep all night?"

Ming Ming combed his hair neatly and replied: "Slept."

Li Jingfeng didn't know when he went to bed and when he got up.After Yang Yan got up, the two of them followed Ming's unknown instructions and stuffed saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal, realgar, saponaria and other medicines into the bamboo tube and sealed it tightly with oilcloth.

Li Jingfeng asked: "How do you know this?"

He didn't even raise his head and said, "It's written in the book."

"What book?" Li Jingfeng was very curious.

""Shen Tongqi", "General Essentials of Martial Arts", "Secrets of the Golden Elixir", "Historical Records of Journey to the West", "Haifang Biography"..." Li Jingfeng was dumbfounded as he read out more than a dozen book titles.

"I have read many of the books here in Wudang. Even if I have read them," Yang Yan said while filling the gunpowder, "I can't use it as skillfully as you. Do you often make gunpowder?"

"It's my first time, I don't know if I can succeed." Ming answered uncertainly.

The three of them packed fifty or sixty bamboo tubes. Unknown, they turned over their sleeves and pulled out a bright dagger, like a shovel with a hollow in the middle. This was the first time Li Jingfeng saw his weapon. His heart tightened, and he thought of Gan Tiezhi again. Tragedy at home.He had gradually let down his guard against the unknown, and now he was a little more wary of this unpredictable young man.

It was unknown whether the planks were being planed.His dagger has a special shape, with a slightly curved front end, like a small shovel, digging into the wood with shovel after shovel.Yang Yan asked suspiciously: "What are you doing?"

"The ship is heavy and solid, and there is a waterproof compartment below. If you explode from here, you can't sink the ship. You have to dig deeper to reach the bottom before you can succeed."

Yang Yan said: "I'm here to help." He raised the knife to help.Ming unknown said: "It's hard to use the sword, you just rest, I will do it."

Li Jingfeng saw him shoveling one shovel after another, as easily as shoveling tofu. He didn't know whether it was because of his deep skill or because the shovel cut through iron like mud, or both?I just didn't expect this incredible weapon to have such a use.

At this time, rapid footsteps came from the corridor above him, and Li Jingfeng asked: "What's going on?"

Yang Yan said: "Maybe we are going to encounter a merchant ship."

Li Jingfeng asked in surprise: "What time is it now?"

The two of them hid in the cabin for the whole night and slept again. They only estimated that it would be in the afternoon. They didn't know the time, thinking that if it was broad daylight, it would be difficult to move.

"At the end of Shen Shi. It's August now, and the sun will set in less than an hour. It's estimated that the merchant ship will be robbed tonight." Ming dug for unknown reasons on the floor and said slowly, "These people are walking around now, most likely to find some clothes to change into. Since it's The Xiangyang gang's boats have to wear bodyguard clothes to deceive others. I guess they will wear something to identify themselves, either shoulder straps or armbands." As he spoke, the floor was dug up There was a cave that was as big as one person. Ming unknownly tried the size, jumped down into the cave, raised his head and said, "Give me the gunpowder."

Li Jingfeng and Yang Yan looked into the cave, but they didn't expect that the space underneath was unusually spacious.The two handed the gunpowder to Ming Wuxiang, who knocked it on the ground a few times, then lay down and listened for a while, and said, "Yes, this is where the keel is." He tied up part of the gunpowder bamboo tube and pulled a A cotton rope soaked in oil was used to attach part of the gunpowder to the surrounding walls.

Li Jingfeng asked: "What is this?"

"There are compartments under the cabin to prevent the ship from sinking in case of water leakage. The compartments and the bottom of the ship must be blown up to make the ship sink faster."

When Li Jingfeng heard what he said, he couldn't help but ask: "How old are you?"

"22." After a while, Ming Ming unknown added: "It's written in these books."

Li Jingfeng's face turned red when he told him about the central issue, and he thought to himself: "We are only one year apart, but our knowledge makes a world of difference."

"You guys put on your clothes and follow the plan, and I'll blow up the ship." Ming unknownly knocked on the wooden board in the bottom compartment and said, "I'll continue digging until I reach the next compartment. The more I dig, the more the ship will sink. The sooner."

Yang Yan frowned and asked, "Then how did you escape?"

"I have a way, don't worry about me." Ming Wuxi said, seemingly not worried about whether he could escape safely.Although Li Jingfeng and Yang Yan were worried, they saw that although his behavior was strange, he was extremely calm, knowledgeable, and resourceful, and everything was well arranged, so they could only trust him at this time.

Li Jingfeng said: "See you on the merchant ship!"

After sending all the gunpowder to the bilge, Li Jingfeng and Yang Yan put on the clothes of Xiangyang Gang bodyguards, looked at each other, nodded, and climbed into the cabin.

They were at the bottom of the merchant ship. There were no windows on both sides. Although there was a faint light coming in, it was still dark. Li Jingfeng knew that Yang Yan had poor eyesight, so he held the torch and saw that there was no one in the corridor. The river bandits were unknown. As expected, everyone gathered on the deck.The two went up the stairs, but there was still no one. The next floor was the deck. Li Jingfeng said, "I'll go up and have a look." After saying that, he lowered his body, climbed the stairs, and quietly looked towards the deck. He saw many people. Wearing casual clothes and Xiangyang Gang clothes, he was looking upstream, as if he was waiting for something.

Suddenly I heard someone shouting from behind: "What are you doing lying here?"

Li Jingfeng was startled and turned around to see a strong man walking over.Yang Yan lowered his head and said, "Brother, this is the first time we're doing business, so I'm a little panicked..." In the middle of his words, he suddenly cut the man's throat with a knife, and blood spattered on him.The man held his throat with both hands and "whooshed" several times and was speechless. Yang Yan covered his mouth, dragged him into the cabin, and then walked out.

Li Jingfeng said: "Let's go find those five girls."

Yang Yan stopped him: "It's not enough for you to save one ship, but you also want to save those five girls? Can you take care of so many people?"

Li Jingfeng said: "It's better not to save them until they die. They are locked in the cabin and they are destined to die. If you follow us, even if you can't escape, it will be a chance. It is better than letting them wait to die."

Yang Yan thought for a moment and said, "Don't risk yourself to save others. When in danger, run away first."

Li Jingfeng nodded and said, "I know."

Yang Yan said: "I don't think you know it at all!"

Li Jingfeng smiled bitterly. The two returned to the cargo hold and searched from room to room. When they arrived outside a cabin, they heard a woman sobbing inside.Li Jingfeng was overjoyed and was about to push the door open when Yang Yan stopped him, winked and knocked on the door.

Sure enough, a voice came from inside: "Who is it? Don't you know I am having fun?!"

Yang Yan didn't answer, but knocked more urgently. The man inside was very impatient. He pushed the door open and cursed: "Who..." Before he could finish his words, Li Jingfeng and Yang Yan thrust their swords into his chest at the same time. The man inside He said "Wow" and fell backwards.The two rushed into the room. A naked man jumped up on the bed, picked up the knife and rushed over. It turned out that there was more than one person inside.Afraid that he would make any noise, the two of them rushed at him at the same time. The man shouted "There is a spy". As soon as he shouted, Yang Yan struck his knee with a knife. The man screamed and fell to his knees. Li Jingfeng pierced his chest with a sword and immediately hit him. Kill.

When several girls saw dead people, they couldn't help but scream loudly. Li Jingfeng hurriedly shouted in a low voice: "Don't scream! We are here to save you!" Only then did he notice that the five women were naked.A woman hurriedly grabbed her clothes to cover herself up. Li Jingfeng was so embarrassed that he turned around and said, "Put on your clothes quickly!" He saw that Yang Yan was motionless and called out, "Brother Yang?"

A woman screamed in a hoarse voice: "He, what happened to him?"

Li Jingfeng saw that Yang Yan was shaking all over and stepped forward to help him. Yang Yan suddenly fell to the ground, twitching, his teeth chattering, and his facial features were twisted into a ball.Li Jingfeng didn't know what happened to him, but he kept asking: "What's wrong? Brother Yang, what's wrong with you?" He didn't know whether Yang Yan was poisoned or injured, but after checking, there were no injuries.Yang Yan couldn't control himself, he just kept shaking and huddled up, as if he was extremely frightened. Li Jingfeng shouted a few words, but Yang Yan just didn't respond. At this moment, he really didn't know what to do.

At this time, the sky was getting darker and darker. Li Jingfeng looked out the window. In the distance, a merchant ship was slowly approaching from upstream. On the main mast was a big word "Xiang". It was the Xiangyang gang ship that the bandits wanted to rob.He turned around again and saw that the five women were already dressed, but their clothes were messy, and some only wore a robe over their obscene clothes. They were all huddled against the wall, crying and trembling.He saw that all five of them had disheveled hair, red and swollen eyes, and scars on their faces. Knowing that they had suffered a huge change and were panicking and frightened, he growled: "Don't panic! You can't escape if you panic. Listen to me!"

Although those girls were scared, they came to their senses a little after he yelled at them.Li Jingfeng said, "I'll call out in a moment and you guys will follow me." He then asked, "Do you know how to drink water?"

The five girls all shook their heads. Li Jingfeng said: "If you accidentally fall into the water, don't move, just lie down holding your breath." After saying that, he turned back to look at Yang Yan, who still couldn't help but twitch.Li Jingfeng said: "Help me support him."

Several girls looked at each other, and one of the bolder ones stepped forward and was about to help Yang Yan. Unexpectedly, when she touched him, Yang Yan twitched even more violently, and the girl was so frightened that she quickly backed away.

Li Jingfeng gritted his teeth and said, "Come on, follow me." Then he pointed at the knife in the boat bandit's hand and said, "Take your weapon. If someone approaches, swing it a few times to defend yourself."

The five girls still hesitated and did not dare to step forward to take the knife.One person cried: "We are on the boat, where can we run?"

Li Jingfeng looked out the window and saw another ship less than a hundred feet away. He said, "That ship." He picked up Yang Yan and said, "I can't take care of you much. Come with me. Otherwise, you can only wait to die." !”

The two bolder girls picked up the knives, but their hands couldn't help but tremble.Li Jingfeng asked them to follow him.The group of people came outside the cabin. Li Jingfeng lowered his body and looked around. He saw that the bow of the ship was full of people, maybe as many as 200 people. Everyone had a blue belt on their shoulders, which must be a mark.

Li Jingfeng said: "The ship is about to sink. Follow me later."

He observed the movement on the deck and saw that the two ships were gradually sailing parallel to each other. People on the bow of the ship waved to say hello to the other merchant ship. The rudder suddenly tilted and seemed to be approaching.

Li Jingfeng looked at Yang Yan and saw that Yang Yan's breath was weak and his expression was sluggish, but he seemed to have stopped twitching. He hurriedly asked: "Are you feeling better?"

Yang Yan gritted his teeth and said, "You will kill me this time!"

Li Jingfeng said: "I won't let you die."

Yang Yan said: "It's a burden to take me with you. You can escape by yourself." He grabbed Li Jingfeng's hand with a vicious look on his face.Li Jingfeng was startled by his expression and asked quickly: "What's wrong?"

Yang Yan said: "I was exhausted by you, and you only have one last wish: to avenge me!"

Li Jingfeng asked: "What hatred?"

Yang Yan said: "Kill Huashan leader Yan Feixi for me!"

Li Jingfeng heard that Shen Yuqing's brother and sister, Third Master, Zhuge Ran and others mentioned this Huashan leader, and knew that he was a vicious and vicious person. How could Yang Yan become enemies with such a big shot?But seeing Yang Yan's vicious expression, Li Jingfeng responded: "If you really die here, I will avenge you."

Yang Yan stared at Li Jingfeng and said slowly: "I believe you." Then he closed his eyes, as if he was waiting for death.

Li Jingfeng said to a woman: "Tie him on my back for me."

Yang Yan opened his eyes and asked in surprise: "What are you doing?"

Li Jingfeng said: "I want to save you."

Yang Yan said angrily: "Fucking naivety! If you die here, I will die here, who will I ask to avenge my family's blood feud?!"

Li Jingfeng said: "Let's escape together, and you can take revenge on your own." After saying that, he tore off his clothes and asked the woman to tie Yang Yan tightly to his back.Yang Yan couldn't help cursing in a low voice, but Li Jingfeng just pretended not to hear him. Suddenly he remembered something and couldn't help but wonder, "How do you know when to light the explosives when we are in the bilge?"

Just as he was thinking about it, the ship's hull suddenly shook violently, and it suddenly leaned towards the merchant ship, and everyone was thrown upside down.Li Jingqian was almost unable to stand, and suddenly realized: "Is he just waiting for this signal?"

I saw that the boat bandits had set up a bridge and were shooting bows and arrows at random. Many people rushed over.Li Jingfeng stood up and shouted, "Follow me!" and rushed out with Yang Yan on his back.Although the five girls were afraid, they could only follow.

It was getting dark now, and torches were lit on both ships. Li Jingfeng saw several bridges erected between the two ships, with each bridge about seven or eight feet apart.The merchant ship was caught off guard, the bodyguards were not deployed, and the ship's passengers fled in panic, making the scene even more chaotic.Several bandits had boarded the merchant ship. Both sides were dressed in the same color. It was difficult to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy for a while. They quickly occupied key positions and covered their companions' boarding.

Li Jingfeng rushed forward and heard a voice from high up shouting: "Kill! Brothers, charge!" He looked up and saw a stout man with no upper body, commanding and shouting for kill. It was expected that he was the leader of the ship bandits. He was here Shi had no time to pay attention and rushed towards the bridge closest to the bow.

Their original plan was to sneak into the bandits when the two ships came into contact. Now he was carrying Yang Yan on his back and followed five girls. How could he get through?In normal times, he might be able to grab faster, but now his steps are far less brisk than usual, and it attracts more attention. Before he reached the bridge, he heard the leader shout: "Who is that person? Stop him!" Again! Seeing five girls following him, they shouted angrily, "There's a spy!"

Several boat bandits turned around and slashed at Li Jingfeng with knives. Li Jingfeng knew that he had been exposed, so he could only shout: "The one with the blue belt is the boat bandit! The one with the blue belt is the boat bandit!" But at this time, the killing sound was loud, and his Who can hear the cry?

A ray of sword light struck, and Li Jingfeng quickly dodged sideways and locked hands with the man.Immediately, two more people attacked, but Li Jingfeng dodged a few moves. He was carrying Yang Yan on his back, and his body and skills were affected. He was outnumbered and surrounded by danger.Even if he had to jump into the river to escape at this time, it would be difficult to do so with Yang Yan on his back.

Seeing that he was about to be surrounded, Yang Yan on his back suddenly shouted: "Give me the knife!" As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jingfeng felt a light on his back. He took away all the burden, moved quickly, and immediately fought one against two.A knife was swung from behind and hit a river bandit in the waist. Li Jingfeng took advantage of this gap to look back and saw Yang Yan snatching the knife from an unknown girl. He reluctantly stood up and said in a deep voice: "I We can't die here!" After saying that, he waved his sword and joined the battle.

Although Li Jingfeng has not been learning martial arts for a long time, his dodge skills are really good.He realized during the confrontation with the wolf that dodging and hitting are just the difference between avoiding and hitting. He immediately dodged the knife and then used the weapon in his hand to "bump into the enemy".In fact, quick eyesight and quick hands are one of the most basic and important advantages in fighting. As long as the opponent's martial arts is not high, Li Jingfeng can deal with it even easier than some people with strong martial arts.He killed one person and then rushed to the bridge with Yang Yan.

The two of them had only taken a few steps forward when the bandits on the boat realized that they had spies on their side and surrounded them one after another. There were actually more than a dozen people.At this time, they could no longer care about the five girls. Li Jingfeng and Yang Yan were back to back, swinging their swords, blocking and dodging, but their martial arts skills were not top-notch. Li Jingfeng dodged left and right, and was hit by a knife in the waist. He didn't know how deep the wound was. He had just killed one person and was stabbed again on his left arm. He was bleeding profusely.Hearing Yang Yanhu's roar, he jumped up and slashed horizontally and straight with a frightening force. He immediately killed the two boat bandits and forced the enemy back slightly.

But what's the use?With two against ten, the gap is really too big.The people around them rushed forward and were about to cut the two men into pieces.

There was a loud noise, and the boat shook violently, shaking everyone around. The bandits who were originally on the bridge deck preparing to board the boat fell into the river one after another, and thick smoke suddenly appeared in the cabin.

Li Jingfeng and Yang Yan did not fall, they had been waiting for this moment - this was also one of Ming's unknown plans.When they squeeze into the bridge, use the vibration of the detonation to clear the bridge of the gangsters, allowing them to board the ship.

The two of them stabilized their bodies and moved forward quickly. Seeing that the bandits were about to get up, they jumped onto the bridge board and rushed to the opposite ship.

The gangsters who were protecting the bridge on the boat saw them coming and were confused about the situation. Yang Yan flew forward and executed another cross slash, killing the two gangsters and seizing the position of the bridge.

When the bodyguards of the merchant ship saw them rushing towards them, they thought they were bandits, but when they saw them cutting down the bandits, they didn't know whether they were friends or enemies.Yang Yan engaged the two river bandits and shouted at the same time: "I am from the Wudang Clan!"

Li Jingfeng turned to look at where he came from. He saw a girl being grabbed by a gangster. The gangster was annoyed by her struggle and killed her with a knife.He felt pity in his heart.Another girl took the opportunity to jump on the bridge and ran over. He reached out to pull her. Unexpectedly, after the boat leaked, the hull tilted and the planks came loose. The girl ran so fast that she stumbled and fell into the boat screaming. In the river.

As for the other three, they have long since disappeared. It is unknown whether they were captured or dead.

The river bandit who was knocked to the ground got up again, stepped on the bridge plank and rushed over. Li Jingfeng was heartbroken, and threw the bridge plank down into the river, cutting off the passage. He turned around to help Yang Yan deal with the enemy, and kept shouting: " Those with blue strips of cloth on their shoulders are river bandits!" After hearing this, the merchant ship's bodyguard immediately became aware of the enemy and us, and started a big battle.

A big hole was blown into the bandit's ship, which gradually became higher and lower. Thick smoke billowed out from the ship, and soon a fire broke out.The merchant ship turned its rudder, and the two ships gradually moved away.The bandits who had already boarded the ship lost support, and the gathered bodyguards surrounded them. The situation was reversed, and these bandits could not hold on for long.Seeing that the ship had been saved, Yang Yan suddenly asked: "Where is Brother Ming?"

Li Jingfeng then remembered that the unknown boat had not yet been ferried, and he couldn't help but look at the opposite boat.I saw a fire in the cabin, dense smoke, the mast fell over, half of the ship was tilted, and a huge gap opened in the hull.Yang Yan shouted: "No, the ship is going to sink!"

A figure quickly emerged from the thick smoke, but it was unclear who it was?At this time, the gangster was in a panic, and he didn't know whether there was no one to stop him or not enough time to stop him. He watched helplessly as he ran towards the side of the boat.The two ships were more than ten feet apart. An unknown person stepped onto the edge of the ship and leaped into the air. Under the moonlight, he seemed to be flying on the wind. He took small steps on the waves and fell down amidst the loud exclamations of everyone on the ship.

Li Jingfeng and Yang Yan were both stunned.

At this time, a voice asked: "Who are you?" Li Jingfeng followed the voice and asked the question from the bodyguard on the merchant ship.Yang Yan took out the token from his arms and said, "I am Yang Yan, a disciple of Wudang." He explained the whole thing one by one.

Not long after, the bandit ship sank. The bandits who boarded the merchant ship were forced to surrender or die. They were trapped in a corner of the deck begging for mercy. One of them turned out to be Zhou Shun, who was harboring them.Zhou Shun saw the unknown and shouted for help: "Brother, save me! Brother, save me!"

The bodyguard suppressed Zhou Shun and said harshly: "The most dangerous thing is to rob up the waterway. Do you still want to survive?!"

Ming and unknown people lined up, and when Zhou Shun saw him coming, he cried: "I helped you! Save me!"

Ming shook his head, took out the gold ingot from his arms, put it into Zhou Shun's arms, just like when he put the first ingot of gold, and said, "This is what I promised you." After saying that, he ignored Zhou Shun's pleading voice and nodded. He left without looking back.

Li Jingfeng was leaning on the edge of the boat, his wounds had been bandaged. At this moment, he was reborn, but there was no joy on his face.Although they had only known each other for two days, Yang Yan knew his character and asked, "Aren't you happy that you didn't save those five girls?"

Li Jingfeng sighed, lowered his head and said, "I really have no choice."

Suddenly he heard a small voice shouting: "Help, help!" Li Jingfeng hurriedly looked around. Although the night was dark, he still saw a floating boat floating in the river, with a girl lying on it, holding on to the floating boat for dear life. Call for help.

"There's another one!" Li Jingfeng shouted loudly, "There's another girl here!" After saying that, he jumped into the river and swam in the direction of the girl.

Yang Yan looked at his back and sighed: "I see you can never learn well!"

(End of this chapter)