Secret Dice Chapter 232

 Chapter 232 (5200) Yunzhou City

Instructing Li Xinyu and others to take care of the remaining students here, Tie Jingang led an elite team of Ling Xin, Lu Fei and others back along the official road.

These people are all top-notch warriors, and their movement speed is naturally not comparable to that of large troops. They have covered most of the journey before it gets dark.

"Wait..." Tie Jinggang waved his hand: "There is a situation ahead."

A few people immediately hid themselves, and looking from a distance, they saw five carriages approaching slowly on the official road, accompanied by five very burly men guarding them.

These guys are all about two meters tall and have strong builds. They hold strange weapons in their hands. However, their clothes are very strange. They seem to be wrapped directly with cloth. I would say it is rough, but the cloth looks fresh. I would say it is exquisite. There is really no tailoring design. The only feature is that it is tightly wrapped, and you can't even see its appearance clearly.

"It's our carriage!" Lu Fei said excitedly.

“Go kill them and get them back!” Xiao Tian was about to take action immediately, but was stopped by Tie Jingang: “Don't be impulsive if you don't know the details of the other party.”

“But they were slow enough. They only walked thirty miles in one day and one night?” Lei Tianyang said disdainfully.

"If people don't rest, horses will have to rest." Lu Fei explained: "I guess they found a place to rest for a while last night, and then continued walking during the day."

"But don't you think it's strange?" Ling Xin frowned and said, "If it is true as that person said, they are bandits near Anping Town, how come they came to Shannan Town, a hundred miles away, and happened to find us? carriage?"

"Perhaps they are here to perform a mission..." Lao Miaomiao said: "There are only a few people. They are probably not out to rob homes or houses. Maybe they are here to check out places near Shannan Town..."

"No matter what the reason is, we must get our things back!" Tie Jingang whispered: "In this way, you go around to the back of them, and I will go out to negotiate from the front. If they refuse to cooperate, you come out to surround them! "

"Understood."

The people immediately dispersed along the jungle around the official road. Seeing that they had set up an ambush, Tie Jin just walked out of the woods and blocked the front of the convoy with a big axe.

"Friends!" Tie Jingang clasped his fists, "Did you pick up these carriages near Shannan Town? I am the owner of the carriage. Can you return them to their original owners?"

 Tie Jingang's plan was to be polite first and then attack. In this case, the other party would most likely not cooperate. When the time comes, he would announce his name and show off his hands to intimidate him. It would be best if he could solve the problem without taking action.

Who would have thought that as soon as they heard him speak, the bandits looked at each other, turned around and ran away without any hesitation, not caring about the carriage that had been working hard to transport them all day.

"Ah?!" Tie Jingang was also stunned by this scene. If nothing else, just looking at those burly figures, they didn't look like they were easy to mess with. Why did they escape so easily without even farting? ? He was brewing up a lot of harsh words, but there was no point in using them...

　　Not only him, but the students who were lurking in the dark were also blinded. They walked out of the woods one by one, staring with big eyes and small eyes, not knowing what was going on.

"I'll catch up and have a look!" Xiao Tian was very dissatisfied when he didn't start a fight. He turned around and chased in the direction where the few people were escaping. Tie Jingang hurriedly asked Lu Fei to stop him: "Be careful, it's a trap of the enemy..."

But as soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Tian came back, holding a burnt rag in his hand...

"The person disappeared, and there was no trace at all. I just found this piece of stuff not far away." Xiao Tian frowned: "If I hadn't rescued it in time, this piece would have been burned."

"What is this?" Several people looked at it and found that it seemed to be similar to the cloth on the bandits. In addition to the burnt smell, there was also a faint smell of putrid smell.

“Those bandits can't be zombies, right?” Lu Fei frowned. "Is it the conspiracy of the original virus?"

"No..." Tie Jingang shook his head: "The zombies were born last night, and the smell should be the smell of rotting fresh meat. But this smell is not that disgusting, more like a long-dead mummy..."

"By the way, there is another strange thing!" Xiao Tian said: "When I caught up with him, I saw the flames burning on the rag, it was black!"

"Black flames?" Several people were stunned: "How can there be black flames? Are you dazzled?"

"Am I dazzled?" Xiao Tian grinned: "Except for Professor Song, who dares to say that his eyesight is better than mine, believe it or not!"

 “Aren't you most famous for your good nose?” Lao Miaomiao sneered: “Xiao Tian?”

"If you want to fight, just say so!" Xiao Tian glared at him: "The account for the sneak attack on me this morning has not yet been settled. I will not show mercy just because you are a woman!"

 “Okay, stop arguing!”

Tie Jingang stopped the quarrel between the two: "Everyone, check if there is anything wrong with the carriage and the goods. Pay attention to the extreme, and be careful of possible traps... This matter is indeed a bit strange, and everyone is giving it a thumbs up." Be careful and take precautions.”

Everyone immediately followed the instructions and unloaded all the goods from the carriage together. They checked it from the inside out and found nothing wrong...

This is strange. Could it be that I am really thinking too much?

Tie Jinggang frowned. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, he still directed a few people to reload the carriage.

Although he was still a little concerned about the situation in Shannan Town, in order to avoid causing trouble, Tie Jingang did not continue going north. From the current point of view, everything the man said is correct. The original virus should have been eliminated...

And without the powerful virus source, even if there are a few zombies left, this kind of slow monster that can only rely on scratching and biting has no contagious power in a world like [Martial Arts] with a vast land, sparse people, and sturdy folk customs. .

It's better to rush to Yunzhou as soon as possible, contact the sect, and discuss the follow-up treatment...

　　While it was still dark, a few people drove the carriage southward along the official road.

Only Ling Xin looked at the burned rag Xiao Tian threw on the ground and fell into deep thought.

 “Mummy…black fire…”

To make a long story short, a few people drove the carriage, and the speed was much slower. Everyone is a master, and their endurance is amazing, but the horse still needs to rest. It stops and goes all the way, and it is not until the afternoon of the next day that we return to Anping Town.

 Everyone was surprised to see that the carriage and cargo were not damaged at all. With the financial support, we no longer need to stay in an inn tonight. We all moved to an inn in the town. Although there are still several people in one room, at least it is much more comfortable to sleep than in a crowded Datong bunkhouse...

 Tie Jingang went to the inn again, and sure enough he found a reply from the sect. The general content was that they were aware of the situation and asked them to continue their mission and not worry about Shannan Town.

Compared to the general Jianghu sects, Bainamen from the main world must be more aware of the dangers of the eternal virus. If the sect said that they should continue their mission, they should have a way to deal with it...

Of course, the information that homing pigeons can carry is still limited. We can wait until we get to Yunzhou to communicate about the specific situation.

"When can I take a shower...I feel like I stink..." In the inn, the students who had just improved their living conditions began to "extend themselves" again.

“Oh, just bear with it. After all, this is the martial arts world. There is no running water. If you want to take a bath, you have to go to a big town.”

"Yes, our next stop is Yunzhou, which is the largest town in the southwest of the Central Plains! Last time I went there, it was so prosperous, just like the towns seen in costume dramas! There is also a branch of our sect!"

 The experienced seniors painted cakes for the new students, and everyone fell asleep with their longing for the future.

 Early the next morning, the **** team set off from Anping Town. After several days of trekking, they finally arrived at the border of Yunzhou.

Yunzhou City is the largest city in the southwest of the Central Plains in the [Martial Arts] world. It covers an area of ​​nearly a thousand hectares and has a population of more than 500,000. Going south from here, there are endless stretches of Shiwan Mountain, going straight to the Zhongzhou Mountains in the north, and adjoining the Western Plateau in the west. The special geographical location has resulted in a mixture of cultures from the Central Plains, southern Xinjiang, and highlands. It is a prosperous city where many ethnic groups live together. “Wow, what a high wall!”

The students were amazed when they saw Yunzhou City from a distance.

"Martial arts practice is prevalent in [Martial Arts], and even the physical strength of the people is stronger than that in the main world, so the scale of the towns and buildings here is larger than that in the ancient times of the main world." Li Xinyu is nominally a student. Our senior brother is actually more of a guide.

“The city wall here is more than ten feet high, and the narrowest part on the top of the wall can accommodate seven or eight horses running abreast. Not to mention the siege rams and trebuchets, even cannons may not be able to blast them open.”

"But even so, it can't stop the martial arts masters who come and go." Deng Qian said with a smile: "There are many ethnic minorities in Yunzhou City, and there are many unique sects stationed among them. You should be as careful as possible when moving inside. If you violate other people's taboos, you may get into trouble."

“Don't worry, senior sister,” Zhao Jian said with a smile, “Aren't we just staying here for one night? We are still in our own sect's headquarters. What trouble can happen.”

"It's not one night." Tie Jinggang said, "We may have to stay here for two more days."

 “Huh?” The students asked puzzledly: “Why?”

"Although I reported a letter to the sect through carrier pigeons before, I couldn't write it in too much detail." Tie Jingang explained: "When you arrive in Yunzhou City, you can contact the sect through the branch and report the specific situation. In addition, The various forces in Yunzhou City are intertwined and there are many martial arts sects. It is also convenient for us to find out the follow-up information of the Shannan Town incident. We will need to discuss it with the sect at that time, which may take some time. "

"But we were delayed for two days in Anping Town..." Lu Fei said worriedly. "There are only nine days left until the birthday of Master Yao Wang Valley. The sect requires us to arrive three days in advance. There is still almost three hundred miles to go. If we delay here for another two days, time will be a bit tight."

Tie Jingang nodded: "So we have to speed up the march for the last three hundred miles."

"Even if we can speed up, horses can't." Some students questioned: "Horses pull a cart, and the distance they can travel every day is fixed. Our efforts alone will not do much."

“Who said we have to rely on horses?” Tiejingang looked at them.

 “Huh?” The students looked confused.

“So take advantage of these few days to have a good rest and recharge your batteries!”

The large army approached the gate of Yunzhou City, but they did not rush into the city. Instead, they released the paper cranes first and waited for a while.

 At the city gate, you can see officers and soldiers checking the common people and merchants entering the city, and they have to pay taxes according to the goods they carry.

　　【Martial Arts】The imperial court in the world is weak, and in ordinary villages and towns, the nearby sects are local leaders and can often speak better than the government. But such a big city was still in the hands of the imperial court.

There are dozens of Jianghu sects, large and small, stationed in Yunzhou City, but most of them are branches, similar to offices. A sect usually only has about ten people, responsible for inquiring about information, recruiting disciples, and picking up fellow sects passing by. class work. There are more than 30,000 imperial troops stationed here, and there are several acropolis nearby with heavy troops stationed there. After all, it is close to the border, and the troops arranged by the imperial court here are all elite soldiers. Their individual abilities are not as good as those of martial arts masters, but forming a military formation is enough to intimidate all local sects.

So here, people in the world of martial arts are relatively low-key, and all taxes paid on the pass must be paid honestly.

 Of course, the premise is that there is no relationship.

Not long after, a middle-aged man with a goatee walked out of the city. He looked at Li Xinyu from a distance, nodded, and then smiled and greeted the guard guarding the door. He seemed to be very familiar with him. Soon, he found the officer and pulled him aside with a smile. After a while, the two walked out arm-in-arm. The goatee pointed at the people of Bainamen. The officer smiled and nodded, waving to them. .

 “Done!” Li Xinyu said with a smile, leading everyone and driving towards the city gate.

The officer came up, picked up the goods on the cart with his scabbard, and turned to the guard responsible for recording: "Remember, they are all dry food and fodder, and the drivers are also poor farmers. There are thirty or forty people, and they pay two hundred coins in taxes." …”

"Thank you, Master!" Li Xinyu took out two small strings of copper coins and handed them over, and the group passed the customs smoothly.

"These are the new disciples of the sect, right?" Walking on the street of Yunzhou City, the goatee smiled and said: "My name is Hou Song, I am the person in charge of Baina Sect in Yunzhou City, you can just call me Uncle Hou. "

The students all called Master Hou, and Song Shan introduced: "This Master Hou has lived in Yunzhou City for fifteen or sixteen years. Except for returning to his hometown to visit relatives, he has basically been here. He is very familiar with the local situation."

 Going back to one's hometown to visit relatives is a code word, referring to returning to the main world for purification. Yunzhou City is several hundred miles away from the headquarters of Bainamen. With the strength of a practitioner of Ningxinjing, he can go back and forth in a few days. Basically, he goes back every two to three months, and he can come back clean in about a month. In this way, Hou Songchun's time in Yunzhou City was also ten years longer.

 “Then Master Hou must be very experienced.”

"Where is it..." Hou Song said with a smile: "After all, we are here in this year, and we still have a lot of friends."

Speaking of this, he whispered: "Your car is full of congratulatory gifts, and there are many valuable medicinal herbs and materials in it. If we really ask them to take detailed inventory and pay taxes according to regulations, they will definitely not be able to get off without a few hundred taels. I will give it to you." The guard can be settled with twenty taels of silver, which saves a lot, otherwise the headquarters' funds would not be enough.”

While talking, a wedding team from southern Xinjiang happened to pass by. The bride was bright-eyed, white-toothed, and charming. She was dressed in costumes with complicated patterns and various exquisite silverware. They jingled as the sedan chair swayed, but Her demeanor looked a little solemn, and she didn't look as happy as if she was about to get married. However, the accompanying bridesmaids all smiled brightly, were pretty and pretty, and looked very good-looking.

 Among the students, the boys looked at him with keen eyes, and the girls were full of envy.

Hou Song's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly warned everyone to get out of the way. When the team passed by, he also made a strange move and shouted something in an incomprehensible language to the team.

The southern Xinjiang people in the team were very happy to hear this. Even the bride with a peaceful face turned her head and took another look at him.

"People in southern Xinjiang have many rules for welcoming brides. If you block their way, there may be conflicts." After the team had gone far, Hou Songcai warned: "There are many ethnic groups living in Yunzhou City, and there are many rules and regulations. If you don't pay attention, If you violate other people's taboos, you'll be in trouble.”

“But the brides from southern Xinjiang are so beautiful.” A girl envied: “Can they all dress so beautifully when they get married?”

"Ordinary people definitely don't have the financial resources." Hou Song explained: "Looking at the specifications, it should be a wealthy family... maybe Uquida has married a little wife again."

 “Who is Uquida?” the students asked curiously.

"An old bastard... no wonder the bride is unhappy after marrying him..." When he mentioned him, Hou Song curled his lips with a very disdainful expression, and then immediately fell silent: "Shh, this is the southern border, don't say anything. If it's too much, it's easy to get into trouble.”

Aren't you all saying? The students are speechless and turn their heads to look at the surrounding buildings. They are mainly bamboo and wood. They are built on the riverside water.

"This generation is the inhabited area of ​​southern Xinjiang." Hou Song continued to introduce: "Although they are slender, they live in the deep mountains and jungles all year round, living with poisonous insects and beasts. Their folk customs are quite tough, and they are also proficient in poisonous poison. People in the Central Plains don't dare to provoke them. If you are in the city, try not to come near this place."

While talking, everyone turned and walked out of the southern Xinjiang area. After not walking far, they came to a building made of stone with mainly red and white walls. You can see some complicated decorations on it, and you can often see... I saw some high tower altars with religious characteristics.

"This is the living area of ​​the highlanders..." Hou Song introduced: "They attach great importance to religion and must obey the teachings of "Ming Wu Tian" everywhere in their lives. Most of the highlanders are quite kind, but the premise is not to offend them. Religious taboos...especially not to offend their monks. These monks are the highest-ranking among the highlanders and are their spiritual leaders...Well, there is one over there!"

Following the direction indicated by Hou Song, everyone saw a dark-skinned and red-skinned monk wearing a robe and clasping his palms together under a high tower, giving a sermon. Many highlanders were kneeling below, all of them tall and tall. , has a strong physique and is not easy to mess with at first glance, but in front of the monks, he is as submissive as a child.

“What a diverse city…” the students exclaimed, “it must be interesting to live here.”

"It was still very fresh when I first came here." Hou Song said with a smile: "But after living for a long time, I still feel that my hometown is convenient... But there is no way, someone has to work here..."

As they were talking, the team had already arrived at the urban area where people from the Central Plains were dominated. Not long after, they arrived in front of a large courtyard. There was a plaque on the door with the three characters "Bainamen" written on it.

“Here we are, here is the sect's office in Yunzhou!” Hou Song walked in first: “Here, come out and help carry the luggage!”

 (End of this chapter)

Chapter end