Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 16: Horse Thief [Seeking Follow-up Reading]

The sky and earth are vast and filled with dust.

The closer you get to the border, the fewer people there are and the harder the roads become.

However, after riding at full speed, Jiang Xuan and his companions arrived at the northern border in just over two days.

At this time, the three of them were dressed as ordinary rangers, equipped with swords and riding horses, passing through the border city of Yuncheng.

The officers and soldiers guarding the city originally wanted to step forward and ask for tolls, but after secretly revealing their identities, the three men passed through the border smoothly, and even the captain of the city guard came to see them off in person.

Officials from the capital are three levels higher than those from the capital. Although Jiang Xuan is only a general flag, it is not worthy for a general of a thousand households to be so humble, but don't forget that the organization he belongs to is the Jinyiwei, which is known as the "Emperor's Personal Army".

Even though the Jinyiwei is now suppressed by the Dongchang and its status is not as high as before, there is still a huge difference between them and the officers and soldiers of these local garrisons.

If they offended the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they would find any excuse to report them to the higher authorities after returning to Beijing, and the consequences would be something that these local officials would not be able to bear.

Therefore, when dealing with officials from the capital, no matter how high or low their official rank, these local officials were very cautious and polite, adhering to the principle of "less trouble is worse than more trouble".

After leaving the city.

Xu Longqing said, "Sir, according to what the captain of this city said, if we continue to the northwest or north, we can reach the Jinglu Tunbao. The distance is not much different."

"However, if we go northwest and leave Yanyang Pass, we have to go through a desert. If we go north, it's mostly mountainous and hilly, and the road is difficult to travel. Which direction should we go?"

This place is close to the Western Regions. As long as you pass Yanyang Pass in the northwest and cross a desert that is nearly a hundred miles long, you will reach the Western Regions.

The northern area was the region that was plundered by foreign races in the past. It had a complex terrain and was sparsely populated. It was mostly inhabited by bandits and horse thieves, as well as underworld forces. The imperial court's orders were difficult to reach, and there were even very few officers and soldiers garrisoning there.

Originally, we needed to continue north for about seventy miles to reach Jinglu Tunbu, which was considered the border line.

But given the chaotic situation in the north, they are actually crossing the border by passing through Yuncheng.

If you leave this city, your life or death will be uncertain.

Jiang Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go north."

Although there are few people in the desert, they are too conspicuous. If you are surrounded by horse thieves, you won’t know which direction to run even if you want to. It is even more dangerous to get lost.

Although the environment to the north is more complicated, if you really encounter danger, you can use the terrain to maneuver around and then go to the nearest government office for help.

"Yes."

Xu Chu and the others had no objection.

Then, the three of them continued forward, heading due north.

It was nearing dusk, and the setting sun hung in the sky like blood. The three men rode their horses along a dilapidated path, and their journey became increasingly difficult.

In the past, they had only heard about it from others, but it was not until they actually arrived at the border that the three of them felt more directly how desolate and chaotic this place was.

After leaving Yuncheng, they walked for nearly an hour and did not see any human habitation. Even if they passed a village, it had long been abandoned. White bones could be seen on the roadside from time to time, which was frightening.

The three of them felt heavy in their hearts, and they continued on their journey in silence without saying a word.

Finally, at the last moment before the sun set, they climbed over the hill below them and a small town came into view. It looked like there were quite a few houses and they could vaguely see flickering fires.

Xu Longqing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Looks like we don't have to camp outdoors tonight, sir. Let's go to that town to rest for a night and continue our journey tomorrow."

"Let's go." Jiang Xuan nodded.

He has no masochistic tendencies, so naturally he wouldn't object if he could live more comfortably.

Soon, the three of them climbed down the hill and headed towards the town.

By this time, it was completely dark. To prevent their horses from stumbling, the three men slowed down and lit torches to illuminate their way forward. However, just as they walked out of the woods and before reaching the town, they heard movement ahead.

A fire appeared at the end of the mountain path, and faint shouts and yells could be heard from the fire in the distance.

At this time, there is still such a commotion in this wilderness, which obviously means trouble.

The three of them had a premonition that this trip might not be peaceful, but they didn't expect to encounter it so soon.

Xu Longqing frowned and looked at Jiang Xuan: "Sir?"

Jiang Xuan looked back and saw that the road he came from was pitch black, and there was only one road ahead heading north into the town.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Xuan said, "Keep going and don't meddle in other people's business."

"Yes!"

Xu Longqing and the other man nodded and continued to ride forward, but their expressions became more cautious. They also moved their swords to a different position so that they could touch them at the first moment.

After a while, the three of them approached the fire and saw that the fire was actually in a small wooden house built on the side of the road.

By the light of the fire, I saw a group of people on horseback standing on the road, all carrying weapons and holding torches, and they were teasing a man.

The man stood in the mud, dirty like a beggar, and with only one arm, he was bumped around by the horsemen around him. He shouted angrily, but these people did not let him go. Instead, they shouted excitedly, as if they were teasing an animal for fun.

After seeing the situation clearly, the three people's faces changed.

"Sir, it's a horse thief!" Xu Longqing said, subconsciously grasping the hilt of the knife.

Jiang Xuan frowned, glanced at the man who was being toyed with by the horse thieves, then looked at the burning cabin nearby, and probably understood the situation in the scene.

Jiang Xuan sighed inwardly and shook his head, saying, "Let's go, just pretend nothing happened."

At this time, the group of horse thieves also discovered Jiang Xuan and his two companions.

"Boss, someone is coming!" A minion came to the leader of the horse thieves and reported in a low voice.

The leader of the horse thieves was a man with a pale face and blue eyes, like a ghost. He frowned when he heard the words, turned to look at Jiang Xuan and the other two, his eyes flashed slightly, and then he led his men to surround them.

"Three of you, where are you going?" the white-faced man spoke first.

Jiang Xuan glanced at Xu Longqing, who understood and stepped forward, clasping his fists. "Brothers on the road, we are from the south and are heading north to visit a friend. We are passing through here and plan to stay overnight in the town ahead. Please be kind and find a way for us to pass through."

It turns out he was a wandering man.

Seeing the attire of Jiang Xuan and the other two clearly, the white-faced man narrowed his eyes slightly, then waved his hand, signaling the surrounding bandits to make way, and said, "Let's go."

"Boss?" The horse thieves around him looked at the man in confusion.

"Shut up!" The white-faced man waved his hand and said, "Make way!"

Jiang Xuan and the other two were not surprised by this.

With their eyesight, they could naturally see that these horse thieves were just ordinary people, not even at the third-rate level.

The leading guy had a weak look on his face, but there were calluses on his palms from holding a knife, and his joints were wide and his temples were full. He should have some martial arts skills, but he was probably not that powerful.

If you really have the ability, you won't be a horse thief.

"Let's go."

Seeing the bandits in front of him make way, Jiang Xuan felt relieved, waved his hand, and rode forward.

With the skills of the three of them, they could deal with this group of horse thieves, but it is better not to take action if possible.

A group of horse thieves just watched Jiang Xuan and the other two swaggering past them, and the atmosphere was a little tense.

It wasn't until the three men walked away that one of the bandits couldn't help but look at the white-faced man and asked, "Boss, these three guys are from the south. They must be wealthy. Killing them would be enough to buy us several business deals. Why don't you do it?"

"Shut up! Are you telling me what to do?"

The white-faced man stared at the backs of Jiang Xuan and the other two, and whispered, "Since they dared to come here from the south with only three people, and even dared to ask for permission to pass through us, do you think they are afraid of us?"

There are two types of people in their line of work that you should never mess with.

One is a government official, and the other is a wandering thug.

If you become an official, you may be surrounded and attacked by the imperial army at any time, and your body will be wiped out.

As for those who travel around the world, if they are unlucky enough to meet a master, they will die without knowing how they died.

The white-faced man was certainly not an idiot. Seeing that Jiang Xuan and the other two dared to travel in the dark, and were all armed with swords and weapons, and that they dared to come up and borrow his way, it was obvious that they were not ordinary people, and there was no need to take risks for a few silver coins.

The storm seemed to have subsided.

But at this moment, the man with the broken arm who had just been teased by the bandits suddenly rushed forward, blocked Jiang Xuan and the other two, and knelt down.

"My three heroes, this group of horse thieves are committing crimes and harming the people. Please show mercy and eliminate this harm for the people!" The man with the broken arm shouted in grief and anger.

The group of horse thieves' faces suddenly changed, and they quickly rode their horses to catch up, surrounding the three men and the one-armed man.

"You idiot, you're looking for death!"

The white-faced horse thief cursed at the one-armed man, then looked at Jiang Xuan and the other two, his face gloomy as he said, "Three of you, this matter has nothing to do with you. It's best not to meddle in other people's business."

Seeing the miserable appearance of the one-armed man, Chu Mo couldn't help but feel pity. He turned to look at Jiang Xuan, wanting to say something but stopping himself: "Young Master?"

If there are outsiders present, you cannot call him "Sir" directly.

Jiang Xuan frowned and was about to speak when the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the side.

"Boss, why waste time talking to them? These three pretty boys, I don't believe they can be that powerful. Kill them and all the stuff will be ours..."

The horse thief who had just made a proposal to the white-faced man shouted and rushed towards Jiang Xuan and the other two with a knife.

"Stop, wild boar..." The white-faced man's face changed slightly, and he wanted to stop it but it was too late.

laugh--

A dazzling flash of a knife flashed, and the horse thief's body stiffened, broke into two, and fell off the horse with his eyes wide open.

"Looking for death!" Xu Longqing, holding a long knife, glanced coldly at the horse thief's corpse, then looked at Jiang Xuan and asked murderously: "Sir?"

Jiang Xuan shook his head and sighed, knowing that this could not end peacefully. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He drew the sword from his waist and said, "Leave no one alive!"

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(End of this chapter)