Chapter 337 Gong Shang 28 Friends

Chapter 337 Gong Shang 28 Friends

Chapter 337: Twenty-eight Friends of Gong Shang
Three people were standing under the Tang tree in the courtyard.

"Why don't you explain clearly!"

Zhang Yu's face was slightly cold as he looked at the Thousand Faced Fox. Yue Jian was vague in his words and it was obvious that he was just a messenger. Su Qiqi was hiding something from him, and seeing that she could no longer keep it secret, she asked Yue Jian to report.

"Sir, to be honest... Miss Feiyan disappeared after leaving Liu's house. Right Envoy Qu once asked me to lend him 80 brothers to search all around Hengshan, but he still couldn't find any trace of her."

Su Qiqi was called in hurriedly. She knew something was wrong and was afraid of being blamed, so she carefully considered her response.

"Last night, the brothers came back one after another, except for Right Envoy Qu."

"According to what you said, including Feiyan, both grandfather and grandson are missing. Why didn't you tell me about it until today?"

Su Qiqi whispered, "You were in seclusion to heal your wounds the past two days, and we were afraid to disturb you."

After all, although Su Qiqi, Zhao Xia, Yue Jian, Cai Zhongwen and other followers nominally belonged to the Sun and Moon Sect, they were all pulled back from the brink of the abyss by Zhang Yu. Moreover, they have been stationed in the local area for a long time and are still separated from Heimu Cliff. They can put Zhang Yu first in everything and don't care so much about other people.

Zhang Yu asked, "What do you think?"

Su Qiqi thought for a moment and said, "Someone must have captured Miss Feiyan and used her to hold Youshi Qu hostage. It's very likely that both of them fell into each other's hands."

Yue Jian also realized the seriousness of the problem at this time and asked, "Could it be someone from the Orthodox Church?"

"I'm afraid it's not the Orthodox Church."

Zhang Yu felt a little depressed and vaguely guessed who his opponent was.

"Based on the time, they should have shown up long ago!"

Hengshan City is not big, and it is surrounded by high mountains. For martial arts masters, crossing mountains is a piece of cake, and there are hiding places everywhere. Only then can Zhang Yu let his men take Lin Zhennan and his wife to hide in the mountains, and lead a large number of people from Qingcheng Sect to make a detour.

"Deputy Hall Master Zhang, Xiang Master Su."

Just at this time, Cai Zhongwen came in from outside the yard. He was still wearing coarse cloth clothes, his face was dark, and he had two sheep-horn hammers with poplar wood handles hanging on his waist. He looked plain and unpretentious. When facing the enemy, he would just hit them on the head, and no one would make a sound.

This passionate and loyal man was very influential among the miners in southern Shaanxi. He used his ancestral mining skills to find two gold veins deep in the Qinling Mountains, which consolidated the territory of Tianyue Mountain and solved the problem of money and food.

Heroes rise from the grassroots. Within half a year, Cai Zhongwen was promoted from flag leader to deputy incense leader.

Zhang Yu asked, "Old Cai, what's the matter?"

Cai Zhongwen replied: "There is a man who calls himself Zhao Changfeng and wants to see you, sir."

"Let him come quickly!"

"Brother~"

In the courtyard, the white-feathered bird flew back and hid on the top of the tangerine tree, combing its feathers and looking at the two-legged monsters below from time to time. It was obvious that it knew they could not reach it, so it made loud noises fearlessly.

"Brother~Brother~"

A pool of white bird droppings fell from the sky and landed on the edge of his boots. Zhang Yu was already feeling uneasy. When he looked up, he saw the bright white color, which seemed familiar to him. He instantly became furious.

The white-feathered bird glanced at its own outstanding figure, sensed the murderous intent, flapped its wings a few times, and prepared to leave.

"Whoosh!"

Zhang Yu bent his finger and launched a scorpion-tailed golden needle, which was activated in the "armor-piercing" mode.

The golden light rose up quickly, and the white-haired beast had only flown two or three meters when it hit it. With a "puff" sound, it was like God farted, and a blood rain exploded, along with a few white feathers, falling down.

"Sir, it's not good!"

Zhao Changfeng came running in hurriedly from outside the courtyard gate.

"Brother Zhao, what happened?"

"Right Envoy Qu and Miss Feiyan have both fallen into Di Baiying's hands!"

Zhao Changfeng was sent by Zhang Yu to set up a secret trap. He originally wanted to lead the Guardian Hall's troops to Fuzhou Prefecture. Unexpectedly, when they were in Nanchang Prefecture, Di Baiying suddenly saw through the trick and led his men to Hengyang.

Zhao Changfeng followed them all the way to Hengshan. While monitoring the group, he discovered that Qu Yang and Qu Feiyan had been captured. It was impossible for him to be alone among the masters of the Guardian Hall and rescue people under Di Baiying's nose, so he had to come to Zhang Yu.

"It's just as I expected!"

"Where are they now?"

"The owner of Zuojiazhuang in Mangniuling, 18 miles outside Hengyang City, was originally a spy stationed in Sanxiang by the Dharma Protector Hall. Di Baiying and the 40 to 50 experts from Dihu Xiyuan are all staying in the manor now."

Zhang Yu sighed. This was even more troublesome.

People like Dihu Xiyuan and Tang Xiao are fine.

However, Di Baiying is no ordinary person. He has been sitting firmly on the position of the Lord of the Guardian Hall for more than ten years, and has stood firm despite the two leaders, Ren Woxing and Dongfang Bubai. Although this is because he is good at balancing and taking sides, his martial arts and wisdom are also outstanding in the world.

"Di Baiying has been ordered by Blackwood Cliff to kill me, so it is justified. If I do not do it properly, not only will I not be able to save Master Qu, but I will also be difficult to accept in the Sun Moon Divine Sect."

"The Sun Moon Divine Sect, this century-old sect, has many problems. There are complicated factions within it, nepotism, and the old and embarrassed people monopolize the high positions. Young people with ambitions and potential find it difficult to make a name for themselves, and can only be depressed and fall into obscurity. There is nothing regrettable about leaving."

"It's not impossible to gather some people and flee to another place, but since we have just offended the Orthodox Church and betrayed the Divine Church, I'm afraid that even though the world is vast, it will be difficult for us to find a place to stay..."

Zhang Yu looked at the people gathering under the Tang tree. There were more and more people, about twenty in total. They were all capable people from the Yunyutan and Qingfengzhai. Many of the brothers had fought alongside him and he could name them all.

They looked at the man in the middle with eyes as bright as those of a god.

One man fought three duels and defeated the Five Mountains Sword Sect. He had accomplished such a great feat in the martial arts world. This group is now on a ship.

"Brothers, Qu Yang is the Right Envoy of the Divine Religion. He has worked hard and made great contributions. However, he has fallen to this state because he offended those two bastards Yang Lianting and Di Baiying. They deceived the Eastern Religion Leader and issued a killing order.

"Dealing with the Five Mountains Sword Sect is the justice of the Divine Religion."

"Fighting with the Lord of the Dharma Protector Hall may not be tolerated by the Sun Moon Divine Sect."

"The benefits and disadvantages are self-evident."

"Qu Yang saved my life. As a friend, I cannot ignore him. If you care about your life, you can withdraw. We can still be good brothers when we meet again in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was silence all around, and those people were still looking at Zhang Yu.

Zhao Xia smiled and said, "Just do what the adults say!"

Yue Jian saw the two of them exchanging glances and felt very disgusted with each other, so he turned his head away.

Su Qiqi bowed and said, "Without you, there would be no Yunyu Altar. I am willing to follow you."

Cai Zhongwen smiled and said, "I was rescued from the sword by the lord. Besides, the reason why the Sun-Moon Divine Sect is called Sun-Moon is not because of the damn Black Wood Cliff, but because it can illuminate the dark world and light the lamps in the hearts of the people."

Zhang Yu glanced at the black man and suddenly felt that the orthodoxy of the Sun and Moon Sect might not necessarily be in Heimu Cliff and Pingding City, but among ordinary believers like Cai Zhongwen who pursue fairness.

"The orthodox religion uses chivalry as its banner. Regardless of whether it is true or false, at least there is such a banner. Only with a banner can people gather their hearts. However, the banner of the Sun and Moon Sect has disappeared in the past few decades. It is rare to have Cai Zhongwen!" Everyone expressed their opinions, and Zhang Yu no longer had any doubts.

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

About sixty miles southwest of Hengshan City, on a hillside, there are dozens of houses, surrounded by many circular wooden fences. There are four or five lakes at the bottom of the hillside, close to each other, and the lake embankments in the middle are covered with patches of tender green grass.

"Moo~"

"Moo~"

At dusk, under the threat of long whips, more than a dozen water buffaloes reluctantly walked up the slope.

The owner of Zuojiazhuang is a northern man, famous for raising and slaughtering cattle.

I came here twenty years ago and worked hard to run the business.

From one cow to more than 800 cows, they accumulated this family business. Fifty percent of the beef sold in Hengyang City's taverns and restaurants is supplied by Zuojiazhuang. They also sell more than 500 cowhides to the government every year, earning a considerable income.

"Moo~"

The sun is about to set behind the southern mountain, and hundreds of buffaloes are returning to their pens.

The adult bull with a bad temper lived alone in a small pen, sharpening his horns, and deep dents were worn on the pen posts.

Old cows, weak cows, cows, three or four, or five or six cows, live in groups in the big pen.

Standing on a higher hill and looking down, the entire Zuojiazhuang is a place of big circles within small circles, and the stench is overwhelming.

Among the many cattle pens, there was only one with a roof. The gaps between the bulls were tight and only the size of a fist. The fence posts were made of extremely solid iron and wood. This prison was originally used to temper the most violent and aggressive bulls, but now it held two people.

The ground was covered with hay and cow dung, and you can imagine the smell.

Qu Yang sat on the hay, looking at the cow heads in the fences around him, staring at him. Those pairs of animal eyes made him feel uneasy. Qu Feiyan was sleeping next to him, with a robe padded on the hay. She was abducted by the Dharma Protectorate outside Hengshan City and then locked up in this cowshed. She hadn't slept well for two days before Qu Yang came in.

"Moo—"

Footsteps were heard and flames came closer and closer.

The water buffaloes gradually stopped calling, and the surroundings became very quiet.

The man behind was nine feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, shaped like a King Kong. He held a torch in his left hand and carried a sharp boning knife behind him. The knife was about four feet long, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, shaped like a rhino horn, and the blade was dark red. In the past twenty years, no less than five thousand water buffaloes had died at the hands of this bull-chopping knife.

He is the owner of Zuojiazhuang, Zuo Shiqi, nicknamed "Bull Head" in the underworld. He is famous because someone saw him chopping off two bull heads with one sword. He is also a well-known figure in the Hengyang underworld.

Wherever Zuo Shiqi passed, even the most ferocious water buffaloes had to keep quiet.

However, he followed the white-browed old man carefully, like a docile calf.

"Master Di, you finally came to see me."

"Brother Qu, you and I have known each other for more than 40 years, right? Why has it come to this?"

Di Baiying stopped three feet away from the fence, with his hands hidden in his sleeves, secretly guarding against Qu Yang's famous skill, the 'Black Blood Needle'. Although the name of the Black Blood Needle had not been heard of in the martial arts world for many years, and even within the Sun and Moon Sect, people believed that the right emissary who lived in seclusion in the bamboo forest was just an old man who could play the piano and the flute, he still remembered how many masters had died at the hands of the 'Black Blood Lord'.

Qu Yang nodded and said, "It has been more than forty years."

Di Baiying looked at Zuo Shiqi behind him and said, "I am just chatting with an old friend. You don't need to stay here."

"Yes, Hall Master."

Zuo Shiqi stuck the torch on the cowshed and turned to leave.

The torch was slightly tilted, and the wind fanned the fire, making it burn even more vigorously.

Di Baiying watched the pine oil fall off the torch, carrying sparks, falling to the ground, and instantly extinguished by the sewage flowing on the ground. He couldn't help but sigh: "From the original old leader Chen, to the later leader Ren, and now the leader Dongfang, those old brothers who fought for the Divine Religion, there are probably not many who survived except you and me."

Qu Yang smiled and said, "Not many. When Sect Leader Ren succeeded to the throne, a group of them were purged by your master. When Sect Leader Dongfang took over, another group was killed by Hall Master Di. Now, those who can survive are indeed rare!"

Di Baiying smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Qu, are you blaming me? I killed a lot of your friends."

Qu Yang shook his head and said, "When the sun and moon change, people are in a panic and only want to protect themselves. I have also said things against my will and done things against my will. Who can blame you? It's just that Master Di is too ambitious. In order to secure the throne of the Dharma Protector Hall, he has implicated many innocent people. You naturally understand in your heart."

"I understand. How could I not understand? I am not a heartless person. Every night when it is quiet and quiet, I think of the evil deeds I have done to help the tyrant. How can I feel guiltless? I often shed tears on my pillow!"

Qu Yang stared at Di Baiying, as if trying to discern his true intentions from beneath his two white eyebrows.

"Brother Di has this awareness. At least you haven't completely become a person like your master."

Di Baiying shook his head and said, "Whether it's my master or me, that's not the root cause! Brother Qu, do you really think that the Dharma Protector Hall is responsible for the butcher knife that has been wielded against the brothers over the years? Brother Qu is also in a high position, why would you say things against your will and do things against your will?"

Qu Yang frowned and asked, "Then what do you think is the root cause?"

Di Baiying said slowly: "When jackals are in power, how can we blame foxes? The source of the unrest is on the Blackwood Cliff, in Chengde Palace! Ren Woxing is tyrannical and arbitrary, Dongfang Bubai is tyrannical and unpredictable, and the Dharma Protectorate is just a sword!"

Qu Yang glanced at Di Baiying. His words and actions tonight seemed to be aimed at the two generations of leaders, which made people more suspicious.

"Brother Di, what do you want to say?"

"Brother Qu, do you still remember what the Divine Religion was like when the leader Chen Guichao was in power?"

"Naturally remember."

There was a hint of nostalgia in Qu Yang's eyes.

"At that time, the leader was in charge, and the four Dharma Kings assisted him. All the affairs of the sect were decided by the five of them. Even if the leader's order was wrong, the four Dharma Kings could vote to stop it. The old leader Chen was broad-minded and always accepted his suggestions with an open mind. At that time, the sect was full of vitality, and countless people with lofty ideals rushed to join..."

For Qu Yang, that was the youth of the Sun Moon Sect, just like the rising sun, how could he not miss it?
The deeper the nostalgia, the greater the disappointment.

During the reign of Ren Zhiyao, the four Dharma Kings were stripped of their power, gradually becoming figureheads, and finally simply abolished.

The Sun-Moon Sect changed from a vibrant young man to a sinister and vicious middle-aged man. They could still tame the lower-class believers with lies and power, but the truly knowledgeable people gradually began to protect themselves.

Di Baiying raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky: "I am a humble man, but my lifelong wish is to restore order, restore the elegant governance of the time when Chen Guichao was the leader, re-establish the Four Dharma Kings, and not let the power of life and death, honor and disgrace be in the hands of one person. Only in this way can the sun and moon shine again and the Divine Religion be revived."

Qu Yang's expression gradually turned cold. He heard the sound of ambition beating and the sound of a butcher's knife waving in Di Baiying's passionate words.

"Master Di's great aspiration is admirable, but what does this have to do with me, your grandson?"

"Brother Qu, I need your help?"

"What help? I am already old and frail. At most I can enjoy a few years of family happiness. I definitely can't help Master Di."

Di Baiying stared at the two people living in the cowshed and said with a smile: "If you can help me, it's very simple. Just hand over the list of the twenty-eight friends of Gong Shang."

(End of this chapter)