Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 42 Mobeike

Leaving the mountain bend just now, head straight south.

They stopped and rested little along the way, and arrived at Xihua City two days later.

It was getting late in the evening, and Zhou Yiben was planning to find an inn to stay at.

But soon after entering the city, he heard a horrifying story!
Four days ago, more than 30 members of a wealthy family surnamed Zheng in the city were killed or injured. If several masters in the city had not arrived, the Zheng family would have been almost wiped out.

What is unbelievable is that Zheng Tai, the head of the Zheng family, has a good relationship with the Yellow River Gang, and someone in the Central Plains actually dared to kill them.

It is said that the person who attacked has strange martial arts and extremely high swordsmanship!
Zheng Tai is a top-notch player and is definitely a well-known figure in Xihua.

On the night of the incident, he barely struggled and was killed by a sword!
I heard that the Zheng family and the Dajiang family had conflicts before.

It seems to be because of the liquor business.

The Dajiang Society is one of the Eight Gangs and Ten Associations and is quite powerful, but the Yellow River Gang did not cause them any trouble because of this.

Because even if the Dragon and Tiger Kings of the Dajiang Society took action, it would be impossible to kill Zheng Tai easily, let alone kill and injure so many people.

This incident hung over the entire Xihua City like a dark cloud.

After hearing this, Zhou Yi left the city at the speed of light.

Nine times out of ten, it was done by someone from the Demon Sect.

If they are the group of people who have practiced "The Heavenly Demon Strategy", it is better to stay as far away from them as possible for the time being.

After leaving the city and walking a few miles, I felt the oppressive atmosphere dissipate.

They ran through a small bamboo forest, waded through two small rivers, and walked eight or nine miles.

Zhou Yi pushed aside a clump of branches, stopped on a small hill, and looked ahead.

At this time, I let out a long sigh and relaxed my mind.

I saw dusk pressing down on the mountain, distant trees painted in ink, and a village looming at the foot of the mountain.

Suddenly, I heard the sounds of cocks crowing and dogs barking, and saw a wisp of smoke curling up, breaking through the haze.

As if a landscape ink painting comes into view.

He likes this kind of pastoral scenery and small village people very much.

If I have some spare time, I really want to sit on this hill and paint a simple picture.

Seeing the dusk gradually deepen, I don't want to catch the moon.

Zhou Yi walked along the small path at the foot of the mountain towards the village. The house with smoke rising from it was at the entrance of the village.

All I saw was the uneven fence and the half-open wooden door.

He was about to knock on the door, but the person inside seemed to be very sensitive to footsteps and walked out directly.

He was an old man with a face full of wrinkles. When he saw Zhou Yi, there was surprise in his eyes at first. After looking him up and down, the surprise in his eyes quickly faded.

"Sorry to bother you, old man."

Zhou Yi said in a gentle voice, "I'm passing by here and would like to exchange my copper coins for some hot rice and hot water. Is that convenient?"

After saying this, he took out a dozen five-zhu coins.

"That's convenient," the old man pointed to a worn low table in the yard, "Please sit down."

Zhou Yi looked around and saw a small vegetable patch in the yard.

It didn't take long for the old man to bring out two bowls.

One bowl contained hot water and the other contained something like corn paste.

"Eat."

Zhou Yi casually placed the copper coins on the table. Seeing this, the old man stroked his white beard.

"After Emperor Wen died, the world was in chaos. I've seen many passers-by asking for water and rice, but it's rare to find someone as generous as you."

The old man continued, "You look so young, are you going to travel around like those wanderers?"

Zhou Yi blew the hot air off the water and said, "That's about right."

The old man shook his head: "This is not good."

"I have a grandson who is a few years older than you. He went to Yanzhao with a group of people from the Jianghu and never came back."

Zhou Yi didn't see any sadness on the old man's face, perhaps it was buried under the ravine-like wrinkles.

He comforted her casually:
"Right now, the Sui army and the rebel army are engaged in a chaotic battle, making it inconvenient for us to travel. Perhaps when the chaos ends and peace reigns, your grandson will return to his homeland."

The wrinkles on the old man's face were squeezed into a pile. "How can you speak so warmly, kid? If he were like you, I would worry less."

Zhou Yi drank the water in one gulp. "By the way, what's his name? If I go to Yanzhao in the future, can you help me find out?"

The old man hesitated for a moment and said, "No need. I'll just assume he's gone wild and doesn't want to go home."

Zhou Yi nodded: "In this colorful world, there are many wild boys like this."

After he finished eating the corn porridge, the old man served him another bowl.

After finishing the second bowl, the old man asked him if he wanted more.

Seeing Zhou Yi shaking his head, the old man picked up the copper coins on the table and stuffed them into Zhou Yi's hand.

"Although the world is in chaos, there is no shortage of these two bowls of porridge and rice."

Zhou Yi held the five-zhu coin in his hand and looked at the old man again. He was looking towards the north. "This wild kid is all alone. I hope he can meet a good person."

"Don't worry, there are still many good people in this world."

Zhou Yi then asked, "Old man, it's getting late. Can I stay here for the night?"

"Of course, it wouldn't be a problem to stay a few more days." He picked up the dishes and walked into the house.

That night, Zhou Yi slept in the wooden house on the side.

The wooden house is kept clean. I guess the old man has been leaving it to his grandson.

Early on the second day, it was bright and clear.

Zhou Yi got up early and left a stack of five-zhu coins on the bedside table in the room.

It is counted as food and lodging expenses.

As soon as he pushed open the wooden gate of the courtyard, the old man came out two steps.

He did not intend to keep the guest, but asked, "Are you going to hurry on your way?"

"Yes."

The old man pointed in a direction: "Go straight to the end of the village, there are carriages over there. It's near our Tusi Temple, and Master Zhang's carriage is the fastest."

Zhou Yi was slightly stunned.

He had no interest at first, but when he heard the old man say that this man's carriage was the fastest, he became curious.

After saying goodbye to the old man, Zhou Yi went to the end of the village.

Tusi is just a small village with only a few dozen households. It won’t take long to reach the end of the village.

After turning a mud wall, I saw a dilapidated earthen house covered with thatch.

There was a jujube tree on the left side of the door, and another on the right. The right tree was thicker, with a small shed attached to it, which served as a simple stable. A horse was grazing, and a man of moderate height was standing beside it, feeding it with grass.

From time to time he reached out and patted the horse's head, and the horse rubbed his hand from time to time.

The man turned around when he heard footsteps.

Zhou Yi saw that he had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a simple and honest face, "Master Zhang?"

Master Zhang smiled sincerely, "That's right, young man, if you want to save some effort, take my carriage. It's open in the morning, and I won't charge you any more."

Zhou Yi heard that he spoke with a sense of chivalry, so he asked with a smile: "I heard that your carriage is the fastest in Tusi."

Upon hearing this, Master Zhang turned a little serious and asked, "Where are you going, young man?"

"Go straight south."

"Go south," Master Zhang replied. "More than two hundred miles south, you'll reach Shangcai City. Is that the direction?"

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "I'm curious about how fast the carriage can go."

"How fast do you want it?"

"Of course the sooner the better."

Master Zhang frowned and said, "It's been a long time since anyone has spoken to me like this. Please get in the carriage."

At this time, he didn't even talk about the price, as if he had forgotten about it.

Zhou Yideng stepped into the carriage and saw Master Zhang take out tung oil and brush the connection between the hardwood wheel hubs.

Then he walked to the front of the car, hugged the horse and patted its head.

“Yuyu~!!”

A strange thing happened. The horse that was eating grass suddenly left the trough, kicked its hooves high, and neighed loudly.

Seeing him turn his horse around and get on, Zhou Yi couldn't help but ask:

"Master Zhang, what did you do before?"

Master Zhang's expression was calm:
"I have seen the setting sun sink into the vast wilderness. Endless yellow sands rolled over the branches of the Hutong trees. I have also seen a solitary wild goose drifting over the desolate hills."

He said, and then said to Zhou Yi:

"Young man, please sit tight."

Zhou Yi felt confused and impressed.

This is no ordinary driver!
Another whip sound was heard, and the gray horse neighed loudly.

At this time, smoke signals rose from the main road at the entrance of the village!
The plain-looking gray horse galloped out quickly, faster and faster, with its mane standing upright!

There was a rumbling sound all around the carriage, and outside was the sound of Master Zhang urging his horse to go. At the bend in front of the village, the elm shaft of the carriage almost gave off sparks on the bluestone slabs!
Fast in corners is real fast.

"drive!"

"..."

In less than half an hour, Zhou Yi got off the carriage.

We have already traveled halfway from Tusi to Shangcai.

During this time, we crossed rivers, passed through villages, and crossed hills.
If he didn't have a superior internal energy, he would probably have been shaken to death.

If it keeps running, the carriage will probably fall apart.

I dare not imagine that this is a carriage. If Master Zhang were riding a horse, he would definitely be the best.

At this time, the honest-looking middle-aged man was leading his horse to the river to drink water.

Zhou Yi looked at the man and walked towards the river.

Master Zhang shook the reins and said, "Ten copper coins isn't too much for such a long distance, young man."

"Of course it's not expensive," Zhou Yi said curiously. "May I ask Master Zhang's full name and what he did in his previous career?"

"I don't deserve it. I'm Zhang Chi."

His voice was deep and deep. "When I was young, Zhang once fought in the northern desert. There are many horse thieves in the land beyond the Great Wall. It's hard to survive without superb riding skills."

Recalling the past, Master Zhang felt a touch of pride:
"Back in Urudus, in the northern frontier, a group of horse thieves once chased me for three days and three nights. In the end, I rode my horse into the vast expanse of yellow sand. Hahahaha, the horse thieves were so confused that they lost track of me!"

"At that time, my colleagues called me Fengyan, saying that Zhang was a wild goose in the wind, and even the bandits couldn't reach me."

Eurydus?

Isn't that Bayinbuluke?
Zhou Yi praised: "Master Zhang is a remarkable man."

"I'm ashamed," Master Zhang smiled and waved his hand.

He stared at Zhou Yi, feeling a little emotional:
"When passengers ride in a carriage, they seek stability. It's been a long time since I've ridden a horse like this. It reminds me of my youthful recklessness."

Zhang Chi pointed towards the hill ahead:
"After crossing that high slope, you will reach the border of Ruyang County. Although my horse is a good one, it is too heavy to pull a cart, so I can only take you so far."

"Ryuheji is ahead. I heard there have been a lot of troubles there recently, so you must be careful, young man."

Seeing Zhou Yi nod, he couldn't help but ask another question.

"Young man, would you mind giving me a name so I can remember you?"

Zhou Yi wanted to give a fake name at first, but seeing the big man's sincerity, he bowed and said, "My name is Zhou Yi."

And said:

"Brother Zhang is here. I have something important to attend to. So, I'll say goodbye now."

"Okay, farewell."

Master Zhang was stunned for a moment, then quickly clasped his fists.

Zhou Yi?

I feel like I've heard this name somewhere.

I couldn’t remember it for the moment, and I felt like I was being scratched by a cat.

When Zhang Chi looked up, he saw that the young man named Zhou was halfway up the hill.

Suddenly he was shocked, thought of something, and clapped his hands vigorously!
It turned out that a girl from Tusi Village was caught by thieves in Fule. Her family was heartbroken and thought she would never come back. Unexpectedly, she miraculously ran back home by herself!

It is said that he was saved by a hero.

Zhang Chi was very pleased to hear this. He looked towards the hill with excitement in his eyes.

Zhou Yi, that Zhou Tianshi!

That’s right!
It's him, it must be him!
Zhang Chi was filled with admiration and quickly caught up with him. He bowed and shouted towards the hill:
"I was once a guest from the northern desert, but now I'm an idler. I'm a wild goose in the wind at Tusi Temple, and I know a little bit about horse riding. If you miss me, Master Zhou, please come find me anytime!"

The middle-aged man saw the man on the hill turn around and smile, his charm was indescribable.

"See you later."

The young man leaped over the hill and disappeared from sight again.
……

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(End of this chapter)