Chapter 13: Tiger Sitting on the Mountain

Six days passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhu Shenzhui and his party had a very smooth journey during these six days.

Although I inevitably ran into some people while traveling through the mountains, nothing happened.

Zhu Shenzui's group consisted of twenty-one people, all of them young and strong men. There were also donkeys, mules and loads in the team. Ordinary people could easily understand what such a team was for at a glance.

Private salt dealers are very common in Shanxi, and only private salt dealers dress like this and walk on such paths. However, ordinary people also know that as long as you don't take the initiative to provoke these private salt dealers, they usually won't provoke you. Even if you happen to run into them, everyone tacitly knows that they didn't see them at the time. After all, private salt dealers seek money, not robbers and bandits who kill without blinking an eye.

On this day, Zhu Shenzui and his party arrived near Yangtou Mountain. After passing Yangtou Mountain, the remaining journey was not far, and they would reach Zhao Village in three days at most. When they arrived in Zhao Village, they would hand over the goods they brought and settle the bill, and the trip would be completed.

As they got closer to Zhao Village, everyone felt much more relaxed.

Because everyone knew that once the goods were delivered to Zhaocun, the trip was over and there was no need to be so difficult on the way back. They could just go back along the official road.

Thinking about the money that everyone will get after this trip according to the rules, many people are already thinking about buying something for their homes, and there are more smiles on their faces.

No one expected that something bad would happen soon after entering Yangtou Mountain.

"Sixth...Sixth Master...in front...in front..."

Zhu Shenzhui was walking slightly ahead of the team. Seeing Wang Gui, who was exploring the way, looking panicked, he quickly raised his hand to signal the team to stop.

Wang Gui took a few deep breaths and said, "We met a group of strong men ahead..."

"Strong man?" Zhu Shenzhu frowned and asked. He thought he had run into soldiers. While he breathed a sigh of relief, Zhu Shenzhu was puzzled. Yangtou Mountain was the only way to Zhao Village. It was not the first time they had walked this road. They walked this road several times every year. Everything was fine before. How could a strong man suddenly appear? What was going on?

"Where did these strong men come from? How many of them are there? Who is the leader?"

"I don't know where this group of strong men came from. There are quite a lot of them, about dozens of them. I don't recognize the leader. Brother Chuer and I were exploring the way ahead, and we ran into them accidentally. Brother Chuer asked me to come back quickly to report to you, Master Liu." Lifting his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face, Wang Gui gestured with lingering fear and said.

Listening to Wang Gui's story, Zhu Shenzui's expression became serious. If what Wang Gui said was true, this would be a real trouble.

"What about the first two?"

"Brother Chu Er is guarding the road with his brothers. Don't worry, Master Liu. The weapons in the brothers' hands are not to be trifled with."

When Zhu Shencui heard that the fighting had not yet started, he felt a little more at ease. He made a prompt decision and ordered everyone to be prepared for a fight, except for a few people who would stay to guard the goods.

Salt smuggling is a life-threatening business, and people like Zhu Shenzui are not good men and women. If they were honest farmers, they would not be able to do this job.

You have to know that when Zhu Shencui started to do this job with the children of Wangjia Village two years ago, it was not all smooth sailing, and it was common to compete with other private salt dealers. Especially the road to Zhao Village, it was Zhu Shencui who waded through it, and this wading was not only done with two legs, but also with a pair of fists.

Zhu Shenzhui's order was given, and everyone prepared immediately. Several people began to gather the donkeys and mules together, while the rest took out their belongings from the luggage they were carrying. These things were usually not exposed and were hidden with the goods.

Only Wang Jinwu, who was following for the first time, became energetic immediately. He held a knife in his hand, his eyes sparkled, and he muttered, "Strong man! Great! How dare that blind man mess with Grandpa? Today I must let them see how powerful Grandpa is!"

Seeing his excited look, Zhu Shenzhui slapped him without hesitation: "What are you yelling about! What did I tell you before you came out?"

"Sixth brother, I'm just talking, don't worry, I'll follow your instructions." This slap immediately woke up Wang Jinwu, whose blood was boiling. He came to his senses and touched Zhu Shenzhu's head and said this. Zhu Shenzhu nodded with satisfaction. If you encounter a strong man on the road, it is better not to fight. Once you start fighting, even if they are not afraid, it will not be a good thing if there are casualties.

After all, they are trafficking in salt for the sake of wealth, and usually will not resort to direct action unless they are forced into a desperate situation.

Of course, if a fight really breaks out, Zhu Shenzui is not afraid. Not to mention that these people are all young and strong martial artists, let alone strong men, even a small group of officers and soldiers would dare to touch him, not to mention that he has a powerful weapon hidden in his arms.

Zhu Shenzui's weapon was the jujube wood stick he had been holding in his hand, but unlike when he practiced martial arts on weekdays, this jujube wood stick had a special use. Zhu Shenzui took out something from the bag on his back. This thing was made of fine iron, one and a half feet long, shiny black in the sun, both sides were as sharp as knives, and the tip flashed with cold light. If you look closely, it is clearly an iron spear head.

There is a special slot at the bottom of the gun head, which is just right for inserting the jujube wood stick. After insertion, you can tighten the slot to the right and then fix it with a special copper hoop. It becomes a sharp weapon in the blink of an eye.

It only took a few minutes for Zhu Shenzui and his men to be fully armed.

A few people were left behind to guard the things, and the rest followed Zhu Shenzui forward. As they moved forward, Zhu Shenzui kept an eye on the movements around him to guard against any ambush.

Surprisingly, until Zhu Shenzhui and his team arrived at the place where Wang Chuer and those strong men were confronting each other, there was no other movement around. This made Zhu Shenzhui feel more at ease.

When we arrived at the place, we saw Wang Chuer and two others guarding the path ahead. Two of them were holding knives, and the other one was holding an axe.

Wang Chuer and his men were guarding a good position. The path was not wide, with a rock wall on one side and a cliff on the other. It was not easy to rush over.

Not far ahead on the trail was an open area where a group of people lived. If nothing unexpected happened, these people were the strong men that Wang Gui had mentioned.

"Second grade!"

"Sixth Master!" Hearing the voice, Wang Chuer turned around and saw Zhu Shenzui coming up with his men. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and his nervous expression eased a lot.

"What's going on?" Zhu Shenzhui stepped forward and looked at the opposite side and asked.

Wang Chuer didn't say much and told Zhu Shenzhui the situation in a simple and concise manner.

They were exploring the way ahead, and just as they got here, they encountered these strong men coming out from both sides. Fortunately, Wang Chuer and his men reacted quickly, and when they saw that something was wrong, they quickly retreated, guarding this small path and barely forming a standoff, and then asked Wang Gui to go back and report immediately.

"Where did this strong man come from? What is his origin?"

"I don't know either. The black-faced man standing in the middle is the leader of this group. He calls himself the Sitting Mountain Tiger, but I've never heard of his background." Wang Chuer whispered to Zhu Shenzhui.

Zhu Shenzhui asked Wang Chuer about the situation while looking at the other party. The other party indeed had a lot of people. Chu Yue saw that there were at least thirty or forty people, and these were the ones who showed their faces. As for whether there were any hiding behind, it was unclear.

The black-faced man in the lead, who called himself Zuoshanhu, was sturdy and had a beard. He looked to be about thirty years old. He was wearing a short suit and a turban. He had a ferocious look and held a standard military goose-feather knife in his hand.

On the left of Zuoshanhu was a middle-aged man with a pale face. Compared with the others, this middle-aged man's dress was a little strange. Although he wore a turban like most people, the clothes he wore should be a lanshan if Zhu Shenzui was not mistaken.

The long shirt is usually worn by scholars, and it is particularly conspicuous among a group of men in shorts. Moreover, this middle-aged man looks thin and does not look like a villain at all. Although he also holds a knife in his hand, his face does not look fierce at all. On the contrary, he shows a bit of panic.

In addition to these two men, there were two young men holding knives standing on both sides of Zuoshanhu. It seemed that these men were the leaders.

(End of this chapter)

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