Chapter 302 Xiao

Chapter 302 Xiao

Chapter 302 Xiao

The crescent moon was dim, and an owl flapped its wings and landed silently on the treetop, staring fiercely at everything in the darkness.

There is a river god temple at Shibalipu, west of Nanchang City.

A few years ago, the dam at the upstream fork collapsed, the flood changed its course, and washed away hundreds of households. The riverbed here inexplicably became excellent fertile land. The rich landlords built a land temple, and the temple keeper left. Soon the river god could not even get a bowl of cold pork head.

However, a temple with a lot of incense may not necessarily protect the common people. On the contrary, a dilapidated temple can do some good deeds.

In the past few days, the group of beggars who originally stayed in the dilapidated temple have all disappeared, and a group of outsiders have occupied the place.

Two broken doors with peeling red paint were ajar, and faint firelight and voices could be seen through them.

The man reported, "I just received a pigeon message from the secret agent in the hall, and found the man's whereabouts in Fuzhou Prefecture!"

"You mean, he went to Fujian again?"

"That man has many old followers. Maybe he heard some rumors and is planning to buy a ship and flee overseas. If I were him, there seems to be no other way except to leave Ming and live in seclusion in a foreign land. Hall Master, should we set out overnight and rush to Fuzhou to kill him?"

On the altar behind him stood a wooden statue of the same height as his father, with a dragon head and a human body, looking ferocious and evil. He held a water-dividing fork in his hand. His armor had faded, and his bright red robe had long been torn away by beggars, leaving only a circle of red cloth around his neck.

"Before, he was in Hunan, then in Jiangxi, and now he is said to have appeared in Fujian. Commander Tang, don't you feel that something is a bit strange?"

The shadow was cast down and fell on the edge of the bonfire. There were about twenty people sitting in the temple, silently, both men and women, with weapons at hand. All of them had a strong temperament and were obviously not ordinary people.

"You also know that the number of the Guardian Hall's secret agents in the southern underworld is not large, and there are even fewer people who can use them. The Suzaku Hall does have some influence in the three provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian, but many of them are former subordinates of Miss Ren, and they may not be sincere in providing us with information."

Tang Xiao smiled bitterly, he felt a little regretful.

That night in Zhishui Hall, I shouldn't have taken on this troublesome blood-blocking mission just because I was fighting with Zhang Yu.

Since coming to the South, the Earth Tiger Protection Team has been traveling between the three provinces. People who look like Qu Yang's grandfather and grandson have appeared in many places, but they have always come back empty-handed and wasted a lot of time.

Di Baiying sat in front of the altar. He picked up the soft baked pancake, broke it in half and handed it to Xie Xiaoman who was sitting next to him. He then looked up at Commander Dihu with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

Compared with that young man in his early twenties, not to mention his martial arts skills, just in terms of wisdom and strategy, Tang Xiao has indeed lived a dozen more years in vain.

"Of course, the information about the secret agents is important, but in addition to our eyes, we also have our brains!"

Tang Xiao asked: "You mean, we don't go to Fujian?"

Di Baiying nodded.

"Let's wait a few days and see."

"But, what if Qu Yang escapes overseas..."

"Why are you in such a hurry? When people are in a hurry, they are often easily taken advantage of and make very stupid decisions. Have you ever thought about what if this is just another crude trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain and Qu Yang is not in Fuzhou?"

Tang Xiao thought for a moment and asked, "Where will he be then?"

The news of Qu Yang's apostasy was passed down by Chengde Hall, which only said that he was in collusion with an important figure in the Orthodox Church. Di Baiying knew very little about it. He was not clear about the twists and turns and was not very interested in it.

The wind at Blackwood Cliff is so cold, and the water at Orangutan Beach is so chilly, so there are always many innocent people who died unjustly.

Some people said that Di Baiying personally took action this time to show his loyalty to the Eastern Sect Leader, while others said that it was to make friends with Yang Lianting. Now that Miss Ren is in power again, he had purged many of Sect Leader Ren's old brothers in order to change their allegiance.

There are many different opinions, but probably only he himself knows the real purpose.

Di Baiying looked at the woman in black with two swords and asked with a smile, "Xiao Man, what do you think?"

Xie Xiaoman took a bite of the pancake, the blazing bonfire reflected in her eyes. She whispered, "Adoptive father, Zhang Yu ordered the incense masters of Beiyuan to go down the mountain to carry out the mission in the name of cleaning up the old files. I also came to the south under the pretext of carrying out the blood file mission, but I didn't take any action. Later, it was said that he appeared in Fuzhou Prefecture, which was quite strange. He has a friendship with Qu Yang, and today there is news from the secret spy, so it is very likely that Qu Yang is also in Fuzhou Prefecture."

"Thank you, Master Xiang, what you said makes sense."

After hearing Xie Xiaoman's analysis, Tang Xiao found it very reasonable. If he could use this to link Zhang Yu and Qu Yang together and catch them all in one fell swoop, then this trip would be worth it. He still had a good chance of getting the vacant position of deputy hall master.

"Master, how about we go to Fuzhou Prefecture?"

Di Baiying didn't say anything, but his eyes suddenly became meaningful as he looked at the woman with dual swords. He thought this matter was very strange. Since he came to the South Country, he felt like he had fallen into someone else's gourd and was always being led by the way.

The news from the secret agents in Fuzhou Prefecture should be true.

Tang Xiao and Xie Xiaoman’s analysis also makes sense, and many things can be explained now.

But he still felt something was wrong.

The eagle's intuition is sharp.

Di Baiying vaguely felt that this trip to Fuzhou Prefecture would be in vain, but there was no other way at the moment.

Xie Xiaoman said: "Foster father, if it were in Fujian, Qu Yang would most likely go to sea."

"Master, don't hesitate. How about I take some people and go there first?"

Di Baiying was about to nod.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the temple.

"who?"

"Stop!"

When Di Baiying and his companions walked out of the temple gate, both sides had already drawn their swords.

"Get out of the way! The hall master is coming."

The carriage stopped about ten steps away from the temple gate. The four purple knights reined in their horses and looked towards the River God Temple. Their right hands climbed onto the hilts of the swords at their waists. They stared at the tall and fat woman who was confronting them without saying a word.

'Sow Dragon' Huang Qiaoer, holding a ghost-head sword, led her men to the front and was about to take action.

Di Baiying's eyes narrowed slightly, and he ordered, "Put away the knife!"

Huang Qiaoer turned around and saw that it was Master Di. She did not dare to say anything. She put away the ghost-head sword and stepped aside, still staring at the carriage vigilantly. Being in a foreign country in the south, where the influence of the cult was obscure, it would be right to be extra cautious.

"Cough cough!"

A few coughs were heard in the carriage, and the curtain was lifted. Two graceful women came down first. One of them opened the curtain and the other one knelt on the ground. After a moment, a young man in a purple robe came out of the carriage, with his boots landing on the woman's waist. The woman crawling on the ground was obviously a martial artist, with a strong back and very stable waist and back. The man in the purple robe landed steadily on the ground.

"Humph!"

Everyone in the Dharma Guardian Hall was a little surprised to see this scene.

Who is this person and why is he so arrogant?
Di Baiying was the head of the Dharma Protector Hall and one of the ten elders. His status in the sect was second only to a handful of people, but he had never seen such a pomp and circumstance. He slept in a dilapidated temple and ate sesame cakes with his brothers in the hall.

The purple-robed man who came out of the carriage was of medium build and handsome. He covered his mouth and coughed from time to time, and did not look like a martial artist.

He walked to the front of the River God Temple and bowed, "Master Di, how are you?"

Di Baiying sneered and was not satisfied with this extravagant behavior. Although his stance was changeable, he was an old-school figure after all. At that time, the senior leaders of the sect were still accustomed to upholding the belief that "all those who join the sect are brothers and sisters". They did not dare to say that everything was equal, but at least they could generally share the joys and sorrows with ordinary disciples.

Things began to change in the later period of Master Ren's reign.

"So it's Mr. Tong San. The last time I saw your father, he was still saying that a good father makes a good son. The father is responsible for the outside affairs, and the son is responsible for the inside affairs. No wonder the Eastern Sect Leader values ​​you two so much. But... you are not serving Chief Steward Yang in Chengde Hall tonight. Why did you come all the way to Jiangxi to bother me?"

Tong Yukang didn't seem to hear the sarcasm in the words, and smiled calmly: "I was ordered to come to Jiangxi, and I do have another mission. It just happened that I heard that Master Di had a heart disease, and I happened to have a prescription to cure it, so I brought it here overnight."

Di Baiying chuckled and said, "I don't even know what's wrong with me, so why do I need you to remind me?"

Tong Yukang smiled and said, "Where is Qu Yang going."

Di Baiying was silent for a moment, then asked, "Where is your prescription? Is it really effective?" Tong Yukang took out the 'prescription' from his arms, handed it over, and said with a smile, "You'll know at a glance."

Di Baiying took the thin paper, opened it, read it quickly, and his face changed suddenly.

"Ahem... Master Di, how do you think this prescription of mine goes?"

Tong Yukang smiled triumphantly, which caused him to cough again. He took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose, then folded it up and put it into his sleeve.

"Did you know this a long time ago?"

"Master Di has misunderstood. Steward Yang has just received the news."

Di Baiying glanced at him coldly, crushed the prescription with his internal force, threw it into the cold wind, and then gave orders to the people in the Guardian Hall who were still confused.

"Go to Hengyang quickly!"

With horses' hooves rising and torches waving, forty or fifty Earth Tiger masters raced down the Eighteen-mile Slope and headed westward.

"Di Baiying..."

Tong Yukang stood in front of the carriage, watching the flames disappear into the jungle, and shook his head slightly, thinking that although he did not know any martial arts, he could still 'command the Chu and Han armies like whirling tumbleweed', and he felt indescribably proud in his heart.

"He is also a reckless man!"

He turned and walked towards the carriage. A female disciple of the Divine Religion immediately lay down and let him step on her to get into the carriage. There was no humiliation or dissatisfaction on her face. Instead, she looked very honored, as if she was dedicating herself to the lofty ideals of the Divine Religion.

"Let's go."

"Where are you going, sir?"

"I am going to meet Miss Ren on the orders of the chief steward."

Tong Yukang leaned on the cushion, rubbing his overused head with a smile on his lips.

"Qu Youshi, don't blame me. It's your fault for being so kind and making friends with the wrong people..."

He still remembered that when he was young, Qu Yang often came to visit Tong's house.

The man dressed in a dark robe and a wooden hairpin on his head would take time to teach the three brothers how to play the flute and the piano after finishing his business, as long as he was not in a hurry to leave. The eldest and second brothers were too old to learn music theory and preferred to wield swords. Only he, who was weak, was able to sit still and learn several pieces of music.

"I watched him build a tall building, I watched him entertain guests, and I watched... his building collapse!"

There is no wall that is impenetrable in the world, let alone one that has been carefully thought out by someone.

He put in a lot of effort and found out the important Orthodox figure that Qu Yang was secretly dating. Using this as a clue, and thinking about the recent event in the Orthodox world, it was not difficult to guess the whereabouts of Qu Yang and his grandson.

He doesn't care whether Qu Yang lives or dies.

However, the person that Qu Yang was able to implicate was the one that he was always thinking about. Strangely enough, sometimes when Tong Yukang thought about it, he couldn't quite explain why his hatred for that person was so deep.

But every time he heard that person got promoted, made achievements, or received praise, he felt like someone was slapping him hard in the face with the sole of a shoe in public.

"It's so unpredictable! That slick-tongued villain back then was so despicable. I don't know what kind of shit luck he had to win the favor of the Eastern Sect Leader. But this time, you colluded with the rebels and fell into their trap. In the end, you will return to dust and earth!"

Tong Yukang was like an owl perched on the Black Wood Cliff, always staring at his prey. If he didn't show up, it would be fine. But if he showed up, it would bring death.

........................

The pleasure boat was parked on the shore of East Lake, brightly lit.

Ren Yingying sat in front of the piano table, looked at the incense master who came from outside the bead curtain to deliver the news, comforted him with a few kind words, and asked the sword maid to take him out to receive the reward.

"Thank you very much, Saint Auntie. Thank you very much, Saint Auntie. I will do anything for you even if it means death!"

She had no intention of playing the zither. She sighed, stood up, and opened half of the window. A crescent moon was like a hook over the river.

Compared with Luoyang and Heimuya, she prefers to stay in Jiangxi, perhaps because she feels safer here.

The only power of the Sun Moon Sect in the south was the Suzaku Hall in Jiangxi. When Dongfang Bubai succeeded to the throne, Elder Luo of the Suzaku Hall questioned him, but was attacked from behind by Tong Baixiong and chopped in half in front of everyone in the hall. Later, Yang Fengming became the head of the hall, but he betrayed the sect and fled not long after.

After that, the power of Suzaku Hall was still firmly controlled by the former members of the Ren family.

Today it is today.

The flowers, plants and trees here can all become Miss Ren’s ears, eyes and nose.

“Ding-ding~”

A slender figure lifted the bead curtain and walked in.

"Saint Aunt, you asked Sister Lianqiao to call me here. Did you have a nightmare and couldn't sleep, so you asked me to stay with you?"

Ren Yingying looked at the person who came, and a rare clear smile appeared in her eyes.

She has many subordinates and enemies, but as for her friend, it seems that she only has this one.

"Except for Mr. Zhu and Uncle Xiang, you are my friend with the best martial arts skills."

The woman was about twenty years old. She wore an embroidered apron from chest to knees, a blue shirt and trousers printed with white flowers, a silver python belt around her waist, and her hair was even more colorful and magnificent.

When she heard the Saint Aunt say the word "friend", she started to smile, her eyes curved into a natural crescent moon, charming and touching, but without any hypocrisy, her happiness came completely from the heart.

"The Saint Lady considers me a friend, so what's the problem? Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Ren Yingying pondered for a moment and said, "Lan Fenghuang, I want you to go to Hengshan for me."

Lan Fenghuang said with a smile: "In Hengshan City, Liu Zhengfeng held a ceremony to retire from the underworld, but he didn't even send an invitation to the Five Immortals Sect. I was just about to go and cause trouble for him, but Saint Auntie wanted me to teach those rude people a lesson?"

Ren Yingying quickly shook her head: "At this time, most of the orthodox martial arts world in Hengshan City has come. For people from the Divine Religion, it is undoubtedly a dangerous place. You must not take risks. And according to the information I have received, Liu Zhengfeng wants to hang up his sword and retire. It is not that easy. Just let him lose on his own."

Lan Fenghuang nodded and asked, "What does the Saint Lady want me to do?"

Ren Yingying said: "Help me find someone. If he is in danger, please help him if you can."

Lan Fenghuang looked at the girl who was three or four years younger than herself, and asked with a smile, "Who is it? To have caused the Saint of the Sun and Moon Sect, who is second only to the emperor, to be so concerned about her, is truly a sin as great as heaven!"

There was nothing wrong with Ren Yingying at first, but after she made such a fuss, she felt a little embarrassed and it took her a long time to speak.

"Zhang Yu."

Lan Fenghuang looked as if she hadn't expected it. She smiled and said, "Zhang Yu, the deputy head of the Dharma Protector Hall, turns out to be him! I've heard Saint Aunt mention him several times. He seems to be a truly extraordinary man. I'd like to go and see if he has the looks of Pan An or the talent of Song Yu."

Ren Yingying said sternly, "Don't talk nonsense! Zhang Yu is someone Dongfang Bubai values. I helped him for other reasons. It has nothing to do with personal feelings. I don't have any personal feelings for him, and it's impossible for me to have any personal feelings for him!"

Lan Fenghuang looked at her with a smile and nodded slightly, not knowing how much she believed it.

At this time, the sword maid Lian Qiao reported from outside the pearl curtain.

"There is a man on the shore who claims to be Tong Yukang, the purple-robed envoy of Chengde Temple, and wants to board the ship to visit the Saint Aunt."

Ren Yingying's face darkened instantly. How dare he come? After Di Baiying met this man in the River God Temple, he left Jiangxi overnight and headed straight for Hunan. How could she not guess the role Tong Yukang played in this?

"But you are here with the leader's edict?"

Lian Qiao Sword Maid said: "No, he claimed to be visiting the Saint Aunt in his personal capacity?"

Ren Yingying said coldly: "Then tell him that it's late at night and it's inconvenient to see guests!"

(End of this chapter)