Moonlight and wind

"Don't move!" A group of soldiers suddenly rushed into the chicken feather shop, "Arrest the imperial criminals, whoever runs will be killed!"

In the first half of the night, Shan Zimo and Shan Boyu, who were dazed by the smoke, did not fall asleep at all! Not long after they lay down, many ragged people lay on the big bed one after another. From their torn cloth strips, it can be seen that these people are pulling carts, carrying sedan chairs, and doing funerals...

When the two large beds were full of people, you were next to me, I was squeezing you. The haggard shopkeeper and the cook came in, each pulling a rope hanging from the upper board. With a crash, the feather board above their heads pressed down on Shan Zimo and the others, leaving their heads exposed!

"How is it?" Fang Haihan asked with a smile, "It's quite soft, right?"

Shan Zimo had nowhere to put his hands! The wet chicken feathers smelled like chicken shit, and he almost vomited! He turned his head with difficulty and squeezed out an ugly smile to respond to Fang Hai.

Shan Zimo and Shan Boyu lay straight and motionless until the officers and soldiers arrived.

The head constable walked between the two large bed boards, looking at the heads sticking out, like picking watermelons, holding a lantern and patting his cheeks. When he came to Shan Zimo, he stopped and looked at him carefully. At this time, Shan Zimo and the other two were sweating profusely!

"These two are relatively clean," the captain raised his feather board, "Oh, they are not wearing robes, gamblers! Absolute gamblers!" The captain boasted to the soldier behind him confidently, "Tell me, am I right?"

"Your Excellency is right!" Shan Zimo smiled awkwardly, "I should say no to pornography, gambling, and drugs!"

"What the hell!" The captain frowned. "Look, this guy has lost his mind!"

A team of soldiers walked back and forth in the narrow corridor before leaving. Other guests sleeping in the chicken feather shop, including Fang Hai, were already snoring.

Before daybreak, the shopkeeper and the cook came back and pulled up the feather boards covering them. "Get out of here, poor bastard!" The shopkeeper yawned and went back to sleep. The other occupants got up and left the shop, cursing.

Shan Zimo and Shan Boyu stood on the empty street, smelling of chicken shit, not knowing where to go.

"Young Master, there may be a business for Miss Yunfang in Yanyu Town, just like Haiyue Pavilion in Hailan City," Shan Boyu suggested, "Let's go to the place where people listen to brothels and songs, maybe we can meet someone we know!"

"That's a good idea!" Shan Zimo and the other man began to look for a place to have fun on the dark streets.

"Excuse me!" Shan Boyu saw a night watchman dozing off against the wall, "Where can I listen to music in this Misty Rain Town?"

The night watchman opened his sleepy eyes and looked the two down-and-out men up and down. "Hmph," he sneered, "You're already sleeping in a chicken feather shop, and you still have spare money to listen to music? I think you deserve it!"

"No, you misunderstood," Shan Boyu argued, "We went there to look for someone."

"Oh," the night watchman's attitude changed, "Are you so poor that you sold your sisters to brothels? You really deserve to die!"

"Okay, take a rest!" Shan Boyu left without saying a word.

The two of them went around and around and returned to the city gate. The gate had not been opened yet, but many bounty hunters had gathered there. Some of them even slept in the gate hole, fearing that the fifty taels would slip away under their noses.

"We have to make some money," Shan Zimo squatted in a corner and whispered to Shan Boyu, "Without Yu Wenlin, we can't even eat! That guy is probably still running a tea shop in Fengcang Town!"

"You two are here too!" The person who came was Fang Hai. He opened the cloth bag, revealing a slightly smelly doe, and placed it on the ground ready to sell. "I was in a hurry yesterday and didn't have time to ask your names!"

"As for me, I remain nameless and am known as 'The Beggar of the North' Hong Qigong!" Shan Zimo said solemnly, while Shan Boyu looked puzzled.

"You can tell he's a hero!" Fang Hai praised. "Who is this little brother?"

"He is the person closest to me, Guo Jing!" Shan Zimo grabbed Shan Boyu who was about to speak.

"Are you two here to capture the fugitive and collect the reward?" Fang Hai's eyes suddenly flashed with admiration, "That's a lot of money!"

This sentence suddenly woke up Shan Zimo, "That's right!" Shan Zimo nodded, "We are here to arrest the wanted criminal!"

"But," Shan Boyu asked in confusion, "We are all here guarding, how can there be so many prisoners? They will starve to death!"

"Master Guo," Fang Hai explained, "you don't know this. This Yanyu Town is an important node leading to Southern Xinjiang. Although there are several other routes coming from the East China Sea, none of them are as smooth as Yanyu Town!"

As he spoke, he motioned the two men to come closer, "I heard that the governor can release people as long as they pay a little money. Those captured criminals are all stingy people! Why not catch them and exchange them for some silver!"

"Oh, so that's it!" Shan Zimo suddenly realized, "That is to say, some of the wanted criminals on this wall can be caught, and some cannot be caught. Even if they are caught, they will be released."

"Master Hong, that's exactly what I mean!" Fang Hai responded while looking for the buyer of his doe in the crowd.

With a loud bang, the city gate opened. People who had been waiting outside poured in. The bounty hunters in the city gate stood on their stools, eyes wide open, looking for their fifty taels in the crowd.

"Look!" Suddenly a bounty hunter shouted, "Fifty taels!"

In an instant, dozens of pairs of eyes locked onto a man, including those of Shan Zimo and Shan Boyu. The man was startled by the gaze of so many eyes, and then turned around and tried to run!

"Stop him, fifty taels!" the bounty collector shouted, and dozens of people rushed towards the helpless man!

Just when a quick bounty hunter came to the man first, the man pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed the bounty hunter without hesitation!

"Ouch!" The bounty hunter was stabbed in the left shoulder and the wound almost pierced his heart and took his life!

This stab alerted the bounty hunters who were rushing up from behind. They slowed down their pace and tried to surround the man.

"That's it?" Shan Zimo sneered, pushed through the crowd and rushed to the man. The man had no force at all, and waved the dagger in his hand randomly, trying to scare Shan Zimo away.

Shan Zimo raised his hand and grabbed the man's wrist. But Shan Zimo didn't expect that the man would take the dagger with his other hand and slash at Shan Zimo's throat!

The rusty dagger passed in front of Shan Zimo's eyes, and he pushed the man away with a palm. The man proudly tossed the dagger back and forth between his two hands, and slashed the dagger across his chest!

Shan Zimo sneered and suddenly appeared in front of the man. The man looked at him in astonishment. The dagger in his hand was firmly grasped by Shan Zimo, and he could not move at all!

"I let go just now, not because I was afraid of you," Shan Zimo laughed, "I was mainly afraid that your tetanus blade would cut me again!"

Cheers were heard behind them, and the bounty hunters rushed up again, taking the man away and marching towards the yamen.

"Who is he? Why haven't I seen him before?" asked the bounty hunter.

"He is Hong Qigong, also known as the 'Beggar of the North'!" Fang Hai introduced him very proudly, "We slept in the same chicken feather shop last night!"