novel-bin 54. Cautious and Courageous
54. Cautious and Courageous
The Lu family's caravan was a grand procession, consisting of two horse-drawn carriages and thirty oxcarts, mostly lined up in a single line, occasionally in a V-shape, leaving clear tracks along the way.
Ren Qingshan trailed far away, his titanium alloy dog eyes terrifyingly strong.
Two miles away, without any obstruction, you can clearly see the flies on the cow's rump.
They followed each other all the way to Yushugou, and nothing happened.
As evening fell, they went into town to rest.
Two days ago, the Lu family sent people to purchase medicinal herbs, preparing to set off together tomorrow.
This action was clearly intended to lure the gang of thugs.
In fact, neither Ren Qingshan nor the Lu family could be 100% certain that these people would definitely come.
After all, there are three routes to the prefectural city: one by water and two by land. The Lu family had already suffered a great loss on this route last time.
It's easy for the ruthless bandits to deduce that this might be a trap.
However, there is another important factor.
--face.
Although they robbed the Lu family's caravan last time, the Lu family secretly managed to deliver the silver to the prefectural city safely.
If they were just randomly taking advantage of others, that would be one thing.
But since they have clearly identified the Lu family as their target, they are determined to get revenge.
Otherwise, they would lose all face on the Green Road.
Compared to righteous martial artists, even renowned bandits cannot afford to have their reputation tarnished in the slightest.
This is the world of martial arts.
Once you enter the world of martial arts, there's no turning back.
……
"Miss, the goods are all stacked up. I'll be on night duty tonight."
Upon entering the inn, as usual, they booked the entire courtyard, arranged for guards and porters to store the goods, and then Lu Jiu went into the room to report.
Lu Qingyi, dressed in a black outfit and still disguised as a man, said somewhat absentmindedly, "Okay, thank you for your hard work."
Even now, Lu Jiu is unaware that Ren Qingshan is secretly following him.
"What would you like to eat, Miss? I'll prepare it myself."
Lu Jiu concealed his gaze and asked softly.
"No need, I have dry rations in my bag. Remember to check for poison when you eat, drink less alcohol, and no one is allowed to leave the inn tonight."
Lu Qingyi was not a complete novice with no experience in the martial arts world.
She knew very well that from the moment she stepped out of the county town until she entered the prefectural city, danger could be imminent.
Even with Ren Qingshan secretly following them, they still need to be on guard against unexpected events at all times.
Actually, my mother didn't want to take any risks on this trip.
But her father sent a letter the day before yesterday, talking about what he had been doing in the prefectural city recently. He also inquired about his daughter, saying that there were two families that were a good match and asking his daughter to come to the prefectural city with him. He said that a woman should marry into a family of higher social standing, and that it would be a good thing if she could settle down in the prefectural city in the future.
This made her feel somewhat uneasy throughout the journey.
"Then I'll go take care of my work now. If you need anything, please let me know."
Lu Jiu said softly, left the room, and closed the door.
After the door creaked open, Lu Qingyi let out a soft sigh.
The world of martial arts is so tough.
……
In a dense forest not far from Yushugou.
Six disheveled-looking men were gathered around a campfire, drinking and eating meat.
A lean peddler carrying a load on his shoulder came briskly over, smiling broadly: "Brother, they've arrived at Elm Tree Gully and are staying at Tongfu Inn."
"Who are they?"
The man called "Big Brother" looked to be in his forties. He was exceptionally tall and muscular, nearly nine feet tall, like an iron tower. On his bronze face was a hastily drawn tattoo of the character "边" (bian).
This is a tattoo exclusive to prisoners exiled to the border by the imperial court.
"Lu Jiu led the team, with fourteen guards, thirty-two laborers, and a woman who got off a carriage. I didn't see her clearly, but she was definitely a woman, probably Lu Qingyi."
Hearing this, everyone became excited.
"Big brother, get rid of her! If we get rid of her, we can go back!"
"Yes! Let's do it! I'll go tonight! Nobody will know, and I can get back to the mountain stronghold first thing tomorrow morning."
"Brother, we can't delay any longer!"
This trip to Huaiyin County was really overstepping our bounds, and we owe a huge favor to the leaders of Shahu Pass. Right now, the brothers are having a hard time. They dare not go near the county town or populated towns, and most of the time they are sleeping in the open. If it weren't for the eldest brother's restraint, they would have wanted to leave long ago.
Listening to their chatter, Ghost Hand, nicknamed "One-Line Knife," pondered, his small knife twirling incessantly in his hand.
He was originally exiled to the border army, but he escaped midway. He simply abandoned his original name and joined the bandits, calling himself Border Ghost Hand. Over the years, he has made a name for himself and is known as One-Line Blade.
"This matter is likely a trap."
Bian Guishou spoke slowly, cutting off a piece of roasted meat with his knife and chewing it leisurely: "Knowing I'm here, they still choose this path. They think I'm a pig, setting a trap for me! Humph!"
He gave a sinister smile and sniffed, "But we really can't afford to drag this out any longer. We just can't launch a direct attack. Brothers, how about we put on a funeral for him?"
The group immediately realized that their leader was about to use a scheme.
The so-called "funeral procession" is a group that disguises itself as a funeral procession, carries the coffin along the official road, kills the deceased in the chaos, and then disperses immediately after the event is over.
"become!"
"No problem!"
"Get him!"
After Bian Guishou finalized the plan, he immediately broke down the tasks, determined the arrangements for the next day and the retreat route, and the group went off to make their own arrangements.
……
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye, and it was almost noon.
Ren Qingshan kept a close eye on the Lu family's convoy, occasionally venturing into the forests on either side to find a high vantage point to observe the situation.
This doesn't feel good.
Like a young woman waiting for her lover, she fears he won't come, yet also fears he might do something inappropriate.
He mentally rehearsed what he would do if he were in the bandits' shoes.
The best place to ambush us on this road is actually the Tiger Killing Pass ahead.
Looking at the caravan, the carriage was at the very front. Ren Qingshan took a longer route along the mountain path, making an arc to get to the front of the caravan, maintaining a distance of about three miles, and silently weaving through the dense forest.
There were quite a few people on the official road during the day.
A convoy transporting medicinal herbs.
Rice caravans.
A group of martial artists and pedestrians.
Come and go.
A wedding procession appeared ahead, with eight people carrying the bridal sedan chair, the groom riding a large horse, a band, attendants, and various relatives, totaling dozens of people.
Could the person sitting in this sedan chair be a bandit in disguise?
Ren Qingshan suppressed the urge to lift the sedan curtain and peek at the bride, instead pretending to be a friendly passerby, escorting them and the Lu family's convoy to pass safely.
As they watched it disappear completely into the distance, I couldn't help but shake my head and smile.
These two thousand taels of silver were not easy to earn; one was on edge, seeing threats everywhere!
They walked for another fifty or sixty li.
A funeral procession ahead once again caught Ren Qingshan's attention.
Although they looked quite respectable, all dressed in mourning clothes, one person carried the banner, another held the jar, four people carried the coffin, two paper figures were on the coffin, and a disheveled Taoist priest followed along chanting scriptures and scattering paper money.
But Ren Qingshan sensed something was wrong.
It was as if it were the sixth sense of a jade marrow warrior.
Take a deep breath and let Qingshan listen quietly.
With keen hearing, they immediately heard a faint tinkling sound coming from the coffin.
It was the sound of weapons clashing softly.
To avoid making a mistake, Ren Qingshan once again used his eyesight to carefully examine the coffin and the location of the seven soul-suppressing nails.
I can't see the Soul-Suppressing Nails!
As the four men carried the coffin, it became clear that the coffin lid was not completely sealed.
There really is something wrong with this coffin!
Even if it's not this gang of ruthless bandits, it's still possible to pull a trick.
"stop!"
Ren Qingshan drew his sword, leaped into the air, and charged towards them, his voice booming like thunder: "One-Line Blade, this constable has been looking for you for a long time!"
First, they pretended to be the head constable.
If I'm wrong, just say my name is Guan Shanyue!
……
……