Chapter 563: Leading the Tiger Away from the Mountain
Chapter 563: Leading the Tiger Away from the Mountain
Desolate mountains, humble villages, dilapidated houses, and short walls.
There were only a few dozen villagers, mostly the elderly, women, and children. Occasionally, there were a few sturdy men, but they looked emaciated and weak.
Ai Ziqi approached with several escorts and negotiated with the villagers. With silver coins, they secured a few houses and arranged accommodations for the important members of the escort team.
Lien Chengbi alighted from the carriage and his gaze swept over the villagers, but he detected no signs of deceit.
"Folks, we'd like to borrow your stoves, and we'll need a few women to help us prepare some food," said Lu Shiheng as he stepped forward.
An old man accepted the silver and led Lu Shiheng to his home.
Peng Pengfei walked by and smiled at Lu Shiheng. "Today's journey on the mountain road was challenging. I think everyone is quite tired. Let us handle these chores while you all get some rest."
Peng Pengfei had also brought five or six men, but as they were not the main escorts, they had not exerted much physical strength and mostly assisted with minor tasks, conserving their energy.
Lu Shiheng was slightly taken aback as today, according to Steward Zhongping's arrangement, he was supposed to be in charge of supervising the meal preparation.
At that moment, Liu Yongnan approached with two jars of wine in hand. "This is the ancient river wine I brought from Lanzhou. I intended to enjoy it while camping in the wilderness, but I didn't expect to encounter this situation the next day."
"Old Peng didn't do much along the way. He just supervised a few villagers in cooking." Liu Yongnan pulled Lu Shiheng along. "I just made plans to drink with Chief Qiu. Come join us, Chief Lu!"
"But..."
"Since we approached Lanzhou, those spies have disappeared. Obviously, they've given up," Liu Yongnan laughed. "Moreover, encountering the landslide and having to take a detour was just a coincidence. These villagers have obviously lived here for generations. What problems could there be?"
Lu Shiheng glanced at the old man's obsequious smile and thought that what Liu Yongnan said made sense.
"In that case, let Young Master Liu treat us. Once we reach Jiayu Guan, I, Lu, will return the favor and we shall drink to our hearts' content," Lu Shiheng said with a smile.
"Of course!" Liu Yongnan laughed heartily and led Lu Shiheng away.
Lien Chengbi was not standing close to the three men, but he clearly heard their conversation.
He looked up and saw Situ Zhongping directing the escorts to park the vehicles away from the houses and firewood piles. He even cleared an isolation zone and arranged for sentries.
Even in a place that felt safe, Situ Zhongping remained vigilant. If there were no special circumstances, even if there were bandits lurking in the outskirts, they would not find an opportunity to attack.
Lien Chengbi thought for a moment, then walked past Peng Pengfei, sniffed, and smiled faintly before strolling over to chat with Tie Yi and the others.
...
By the time Situ Zhongping finished his work and returned to the center of the village, dinner was ready.
There were baked buns, rice porridge, braised meat with vegetables, pickled cabbage, and vinegar radish served everywhere. The drivers and escorts helped themselves to the food.
Lien Chengbi and his wife, the monks, and the chief escorts gathered in a small courtyard. In addition to the dishes, there were also a few side dishes that had been brought from Lanzhou.
"This journey has been smooth and uneventful, thanks to Hero Situ's meticulous arrangements. Once this escort mission reaches Jiayu Pass safely, you will be the one most deserving of praise!"
"You're too kind. It's my duty to ensure the safety of the escort," Situ Zhongping replied humbly.
"Since we approached Lanzhou, there haven't been any spies around the escort team. It seems they've given up," someone commented.
"Indeed. After leaving Lanzhou, they no longer have an opportunity to strike, so it's best they abandon their plans," Situ Zhongping agreed.
"I heard there are still bandits in the Qilian Mountains. The rest of the journey might not be peaceful," another person added.
"At least we don't have to be on high alert, constantly worrying about attacks from the bandits of Taihang, Guanzhong, Bashu, or the frontier," someone else said.
Theoretically, the most dangerous part of the journey was indeed before reaching Lanzhou. The latter half of the journey, though desolate and remote, was safer with the presence of powerful experts accompanying the escort team.
As they ate and chatted, they also sipped small mouthfuls of rice porridge.
Peng Pengfei nodded repeatedly and then drank a large mouthful. "I saw that they had some in stock, so I bought it with money, thinking it would add some flavor."
Everyone laughed upon hearing this. Tie Yi, the Shaolin master, glanced at Peng Pengfei meaningfully, then nodded towards Lien Chengbi and took a small sip, covering his mouth with his sleeve.
As night fell, the torchbearers outside lit their torches, illuminating the crucial areas.
In the small courtyard, everyone had finished their dinner and was preparing to disperse.
However, as Lu Shiheng put down his bowl and chopsticks and stood up, he stumbled unexpectedly.
He had just drunk a little wine and thought that he might not hold his liquor well, so he smiled awkwardly and was about to say something to cover up his embarrassment when he felt his brain becoming heavier, his vision darkened, and he fell over.
His fall set off a chain reaction, like a row of dominoes toppling over.
Situ Zhongping, Ai Ziqi, Feng Wuyi... Lien Chengbi, Shen Bijun, Yang Kaitai... Tie Yi, Tie Ku, and Hui Ming, the Shaolin masters...
As well as the eighteen Shaolin monks outside the courtyard, more escorts, and torchbearers, all collapsed to the ground.
The only ones left standing were Peng Pengfei and Liu Yongnan.
"Hahahaha..."
Peng Pengfei wiped away non-existent sweat and finally breathed a sigh of relief, laughing loudly, "So much for being as steady as Mount Tai, the Shaolin elders, and the Six Gentlemen of the Martial World! They've all been knocked out by me!"
Liu Yongnan's gaze towards Shen Bijun burned with desire. "You didn't use poison, did you?"
Peng Pengfei shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous. Situ Zhongping and Tie Yi are old foxes. The smell of potent poison would be too obvious. This Third Watch Confusion Powder was something I obtained from the young master."
"Good," said Liu Yongnan. "As agreed, you get the money, and I get Shen Bijun. It doesn't matter if the others die, but I'm taking Shen Bijun with me."
Peng Pengfei scoffed. "You defile seven or eight innocent girls every month. Why are you so fixated on Shen Bijun?"
"It's different with her," Liu Yongnan said fiercely. "She's the number one beauty of the martial world. I've never seen such a beautiful and elegant woman in my life. The moment I laid eyes on her at Daming Lake, I swore I would make her mine!"
"Suit yourself," Peng Pengfei said indifferently, then brought his right hand to his mouth and blew a sharp whistle.
In the next moment, outside the village, the sound of fluttering clothes cutting through the wind could be heard, and more than twenty figures leaped over the low wall, landing in the courtyard.
These newcomers were either tall and burly or thin and lean. Some had their heads wrapped in white cloth, while others wore blue or blue-green shirts. Each one of them possessed exceptional light work skills, and their eyes were sharp, indicating they were formidable masters in their own right.
However, their positions were relatively scattered, suggesting a lack of trust among them.
"Immortal Ban, we finally succeeded!"
The speaker was a skinny, elderly man with his head wrapped in white cloth. He smiled kindly, but he was actually the infamous Bandit Chief of Ba Mountain, known as the Hot-Handed Zhuge of Bashu.
A sturdy man with a broad knife slung across his waist laughed heartily, his voice carrying a distinct Shanxi accent. "To prevent them from discovering us, our men are waiting two miles away. They're on their way here now."
"No need to keep boasting about how many men you brought, Duan Longshan," a lean man in a black cape, with a pair of knives at his waist, said coldly. "Let's kill these cowards first!"
"Flower has a point," said a man with a white scarf around his head and a rough face as he looked at Lien Chengbi beside him. "What are you doing, with your delicate skin, mixing in the martial world? In your next life, be born in Shaanxi, and I'll teach you how to wield a knife, boy!"
As he finished speaking, the man drew his knife and slashed at Lien Chengbi.
But just as the blade approached Lien Chengbi, the man found himself facing Lien Chengbi's open eyes, and a faint smile on his lips.
The man's pupils contracted, and then he felt a flash of sword light before losing consciousness.
(End of Chapter)
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