Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 38 Women
"Just lead the way, don't ask any other questions." Liu Daogui said with a serious face.

"Old man, since you are refusing like this, could it be that you are in cahoots with Sun Yizhi?" Liu Zun said without hesitation.

He does not mean that.

A flash of lightning flashed through Liu Daogui's mind. It was not certain who this Du Shunu belonged to.

Liu Yi didn't have such a great ability to ambush a secret agent next to the Zhongbing Canjun...

In fact, he arrived only two or three months earlier than Liu Daogui. Before that, he was working in Southern Xuzhou and was also a corrupt official of the ninth rank. Later, the court activated the Northern Palace Army, and the Huan family followed suit to win over the various families in Jingkou.

The Liu family of Pei County was famous, and Liu Yi made friends with many famous scholars, so he was recommended to the General Zhenglu's mansion.

Du Shunu had been an old soldier in the military office for twenty or thirty years.

It can't be Liu Yi's man.

The Tianshi Dao became rampant in Jiangzuo after Xie An resigned from office, that is, in the past five or six years.

Xie An took the initiative to hand over power to Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao, which led to the decline of the Jin Dynasty, the displacement of the people, and the rapid expansion of the Tianshi Dao.

An old sly like Du Shunu, who thrives in the military government, would not join the Tianshi sect because there is no benefit in it.

If the Tianshi Dao had the foresight and strength to plan the deployment of the General of the Conquering Army twenty years earlier, they would have already taken down the entire Northern Army and overthrown the Sima family...

But if he is not Liu Yi's man, it is terrifying to think about it carefully.

"Do you really want to join the army?" Du Shunu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"If it's not steamed, could it be boiled? Lead the way." Liu Daogui looked up and down at the unremarkable old soldier with a crooked mouth, and there was a slickness about him from head to toe.

“Okay…”

Du Shunu led the way with a hunched back.

Liu Zun and Liu Heibin followed on the left and right.

Liu Daogui thought about it and asked Liu Zhen to go into the house to get a ring-handled sword. These days, a sword is indispensable for doing anything.

There was fog in the early morning, and most of Guangling City was covered by it.

But those who are struggling to make a living have already started to get busy. In the fog, shadows of people are seen hawking their wares along the streets.

As a thoroughfare between the north and the south, Guangling has been a prosperous place since ancient times.

During the Former Han Dynasty, King Liu Bi of Wu established his capital in Guangling. He dug the Han Canal, connecting the Yangtze River and the sea, opened mountains to smelt copper, boiled the sea to extract salt, and became the richest man in the world. He then provoked the Rebellion of the Seven Kings and launched a counterattack on Chang'an...

Datong Mountain in the northwest of Guangling and Yandu County in the east originated from King Liu Bi of Wu.

During the Jin Dynasty, Guangling was still a place where merchants from all over the world transported goods.

There is not only a market for merchants, but also grain, livestock and silk from all over the country are sold here.

There is also a straw market for the common people, where they sell straw sandals, straw mats, mountain products and aquatic products.

Another type of market was the "military market" run by the army. In those days, soldiers did not receive military pay, so the court allowed them to engage in commerce. They sold food, vegetables, fine wine, clothing, and even swords, bows, spears, and halberds...

Although the city was in chaos, it was full of vitality.

As the cold morning wind blew against his face, Liu Daogui's thoughts became clearer, and he had a vague idea...

Du Shunu walked very fast, as if he wanted to get rid of the people behind him.

But Liu Zun and Liu Heibin were both strong men, and Liu Daogui and Gao Xun were no ordinary people either. They followed closely behind them, not falling behind at all.

After about an hour, they left Guangling City and stopped in front of some old willow trees.

Du Shunu pointed to a new tomb at the bottom of the slope and said, "Here, that's it."

There are ten large characters engraved in official script on the tombstone: Tomb of Sun Yizhi, a military officer in Jinzhong.

Below is his birthplace, life story, and the date of his death.

The fact that this tombstone could be erected shows that Sun Yizhi's family background was not simple. When ordinary people died, they were just buried in a pit, and they were not even willing to wrap them with a straw mat.

"Langya Sun Family." Gao Xun read the official script above.

"Dig." Liu Daogui pointed at the grave.

Everyone was stunned.

Liu Zun said in a muffled voice, "We don't have any deep hatred for him, so there's no need to be so cruel, right?"

Gao Xun also advised: "Taoism says that death is the greatest thing, and burial is the best way to rest in peace..."

"You can't join the army. The person is already buried. There will be retribution for disturbing his peace..." Du Shunu hurriedly stepped forward and blocked the grave.

Whether Sun Yizhi is dead or not is very important. It can also prove Liu Daogui's suspicion. "If he's alive, I want to see him. If he's dead, I want to see his body. If there's retribution, it's on me. Dig!"

Liu Zun and Liu Heibi rushed forward without saying a word and started digging the ground with their ring-handled swords.

Liu Guangzhi looked at Du Shunu, then at Liu Daogui, who also went up to dig the grave. Gao Xun, disdaining the bad luck and the dirt, stood aside, but his eyes were fixed on the grave.

A few strong men dug up the grave in a few moves, revealing a thin coffin inside.

Liu Daogui drew his sword and stepped forward, preparing to pry open the coffin when a mournful woman's cry came from the surrounding mist. "My cousin, you died tragically. Even after you're gone, your grave is still being dug up..."

"Ghost, ghost..." Du Shunu howled, making the atmosphere tense.

"Oh my god..." Liu Zun threw down his ring-handled sword and crawled to hide behind Liu Daogui.

Liu Heipi's expression also changed.

Early morning, mist, and mournful cries, making one's hair stand on end...

However, Liu Daogui didn't believe in ghosts and gods at all. If ghosts and gods really existed, during the Five Barbarians Invasion of China, hundreds of thousands and millions of Jin people died under the hooves of the barbarians' horses, and no one suffered retribution.

The Sima family killed so many people and almost cut off the Chinese people's influence, but now they are still living a good life?

"Liu Daogui of Pengcheng is here. There's no need to play tricks. Come out!" Liu Daogui held a knife in his hand.

Even if there really is a ghost today, I will have to take two stabs before leaving.

Several white shadows gradually appeared in the fog.

"My cousin is dead, why bother disturbing the peace, General Liu?"

The voice was soft and charming. Liu Daogui felt like he had heard it somewhere before. "Who are you?"

"My humble name is Yunxiu, and I'm honored to meet General Liu."

A woman walked out of the white mist. She was dressed in mourning clothes, but her graceful figure could not be concealed. The beauty mole under her left eye gave her a unique charm.

"It's you!"

Liu Daogui was stunned. Wasn't this the woman who came to Liu Daogui's house to save the beauty after Liu Daogui and Liu Zun killed and robbed people in Jiangjin, Jingkou that day?
Sun Yizhi is her cousin, so she is also a member of the Tianshi Dao...

"It's rare that Liu Lang still remembers me. It's worth our acquaintance."

She was tearful just now, but in the blink of an eye, her face was full of smiles and her eyes were full of watery peach blossoms.

"Ahem..." Gao Xun beside him looked at the woman and then at Liu Daogui.

Several other people also looked at him strangely.

It’s no wonder that people misunderstand it. “Lang” is usually a nickname a woman uses to refer to her husband.

"Am I very familiar with you?" Liu Daogui frowned.

But the woman had already come close, standing two or three steps away, her breath as sweet as orchid. "Liu Lang, why don't you give me some face? How about we stop here today? I will repay you with my life..."

"Don't think I don't know what you are doing."

"Alas, I've long said that Liu Lang is both wise and brave, but... let's stop here today. Liu Lang had better stay away from this matter, otherwise he will be killed. Guangling is not like Jingkou..."

The woman puffed out her chest, and although her words were frivolous, her expression was very serious.

"If I kill you and then destroy the bodies, won't I be able to avoid the danger of being killed?" Liu Daogui was also very serious.

“Hehehe…” She actually laughed, “It’s not necessarily us who want to kill you.”

Liu Daogui was shocked. The imperial court, the Huan family, the Tianshi Dao, and various other forces were intertwined and dangerous from all directions...

Just by becoming a soldier, I have already entered the game...

There is no use in avoiding or retreating. Even if it means death, Liu Daogui does not want to be a fool.

"The imperial court, disregarding the lives of the people, levied heavy taxes and collected those 3,000 dan of grain only to brew wine and indulge in drunkenness. It would be better to distribute it to the refugees north of the Yangtze River and give them a chance to survive. Do you agree, Liu Lang?"

"Huh, is your Heavenly Master Dao for the people, or for yourself?"

In the decades after Yongjia, people continued to use the Tianshi Dao to stir up trouble and rise up in rebellion.

"The world is in the hands of the Sima family, so it's better to change it."

"How dare you! Don't be bewitched by her." Gao Xun couldn't bear to listen any longer.

"Forget it, forget it. Liu Lang is determined to do what he wants, and I can't stop him. If you run into trouble, it won't be too late to come and find me, the Heavenly Master."

Yunxiu took two steps back, glanced at the people around him, turned around and retreated into the mist.

Liu Daogui took a deep breath and said, "Why are you all standing there? Now that we're here, let's open the coffin."

The coffin was opened, and as expected, it was empty.

In other words, Sun Yizhi is not dead.

(End of this chapter)