Novelink #411 - It's you!
#411 - It's you!
A bright moon, like a silver plate, hung high in the night sky, its cool light pouring down. The night was as cool as water, covering the desolate village with a layer of frost-like tranquility.
In the desolate village, Yan San Niang stopped crying and slowly walked out of the simple dwelling.
She stood quietly on the land of the desolate village, raised her head to look at the boundless night sky, her heart filled with confusion, not knowing whether she should follow the warriors who had already left and embark on the road home.
At this moment, Meng Wei walked over with hurried steps, his face carrying a hint of anticipation and desire:
"San Niang, come back to Yan Mountain Stronghold with me."
"Our Yan Mountain Stronghold is now at its peak, with heroes and brave men from all over the world gathering here."
"I'll take you to meet some heroes of the Green Forest, accumulate more connections, which will be of great benefit to your future development."
The wound on Meng Wei's face had been bandaged properly. Although the wound looked shocking, for him, a sixth-rank warrior, this little pain was just a piece of cake.
It's just that the swelling at the wound was still present, making his originally handsome face look a little ridiculous.
Yan San Niang shook her head gently when she heard this, her eyes revealing firmness and persistence:
"When I came out this time, I promised Grandpa that I would definitely make a career for the people of Chang Prefecture."
"If I don't achieve this goal, I will never give up."
Meng Wei couldn't help but feel a little anxious when he heard this.
He knew that the time he had left for this mission was running out, and he would have to return to Yan Mountain Stronghold soon.
If he couldn't persuade Yan San Niang to go with him, then there might be no possibility between him and Yan San Niang.
He had finally met such a desirable woman, how could he easily let go?
Moreover, Yan San Niang was outstanding in every aspect, whether it was her appearance, figure, martial arts, or family background. Meng Wei naturally didn't want to miss such a near-perfect partner.
Immediately, Meng Wei once again earnestly persuaded:
"But San Niang, this time's robbery of official silver is obviously a trap set by others."
"If we don't leave here and escape as soon as possible, we won't be able to escape when the experts from the government come."
"Everyone has already dispersed, let's go first."
"As for doing things for the people, there are plenty of ways to do that in my Yan Mountain Stronghold."
Yan San Niang remained unmoved when she heard this.
Her beautiful eyes slowly turned to the simple dwelling where Liang Jin and the others lived, and she muttered to herself:
"Yes... everyone has dispersed, and they have all noticed the possible danger."
"But why are Song Yingxiong and the others still staying here, unwilling to leave?"
Yan San Niang's pretty face was full of confusion, and she couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Meng Wei felt a burst of nameless fire in his heart when he heard Liang Jin's name.
If it were within the sphere of influence of Yan Mountain Stronghold, he would have asked his own father to deal with this Liang Jin long ago.
But now this place is far away from Yan Mountain Stronghold, not his territory, he can only temporarily swallow this anger and has no way to take revenge on Liang Jin.
After thinking for a while, Meng Wei was about to speak.
"Whoosh--!"
A gust of wind suddenly howled in the desolate village without warning.
The strong wind raged, blowing sand and dust everywhere in the village, making it impossible for people to open their eyes. Yan San Niang and Meng Wei couldn't help but raise their hands slightly to shield themselves.
This inexplicable gust of wind came and went quickly, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye, only the whistling wind could still be faintly heard in the distant night.
"What a strange gust of wind."
Meng Wei couldn't help but complain.
Yan San Niang was slightly stunned, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes:
"Just now, there seemed to be a figure in the wind... Did you see it?"
Meng Wei shook his head quickly when he heard this.
He only thought that Yan San Niang's eyes were playing tricks on her. If there really was a figure moving with the wind, how could he, with his martial arts and alertness, not notice it at all?
Yan San Niang couldn't help but rub her eyes, her eyes full of uncertainty. She also began to suspect that she might have really seen it wrong.
...
After the warriors who robbed the official silver left the desolate village, they formed groups and went their separate ways.
A group of warriors walked together on the road to the west, all dejected, their faces full of unwillingness and helplessness.
"What bad luck, running so far, tossing and turning for so many days, and in the end, we didn't rob even a tael of silver, and only got this little food."
"Yeah, it's too uneconomical, I would have known I wouldn't have waded into this muddy water."
"The main thing is that the leaders are not good. That Yan San Niang is young and has no wisdom, Meng Wei is reckless and arrogant, and Ji Yan is silent and taciturn. How could we succeed with these three people leading us to do things?"
"Hey, why don't we find a wealthy family along the way to rob, which can be regarded as making up for a little loss."
"I agree with this, no matter what kind of family it is, rob them if they have money and food. That Yan San Niang just doesn't allow robbing ordinary people, she's so great, but our brothers can't starve to death!"
...
The group of warriors discussed one after another while walking listlessly.
Just then, they heard a burst of rapid hoofbeats behind them.
The warriors first gripped the knives in their hands warily and quickly looked back, but when they saw who was coming, they immediately relaxed.
When the person got closer, they all respectfully saluted:
"Brother Ji!"
"Are you also going in this direction? Why not join us and travel together."
The person who came was none other than Ji Yan, whom they had discussed earlier.
Ji Yan approached, dismounted, and had a smiling look on his face, looking very kind.
Everyone gathered around, but after getting closer, they frowned in unison.
"What a strong smell of blood, where does it come from?"
"Huh? Brother Ji, why is there so much blood on you? Are you injured?"
Several warriors just started asking.
Suddenly!
Ji Yan swung the 'Face-Blocking Old Man' in his hand fiercely. The copper pipe of the smoking pipe hit a warrior's head heavily with a whistling sound, instantly smashing his head into a dent, and blood and brains splattered out.
Just as everyone was terrified and surprised, and hadn't reacted yet, the mouth of the smoking pipe stabbed out like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, accurately hitting a warrior's acupoint.
The 'Face-Blocking Old Man' weapon itself emphasizes surprise and unpreparedness, especially since Ji Yan is an expert in using this weapon.
In his hands, the techniques of splitting, smashing, lifting, buttoning, hanging, hugging, strangling, and dragging with the pipe; and the techniques of poking, pointing, picking, pushing, and blocking with the mouthpiece, were all brought into full play, showing amazing lethality.
These warriors hadn't figured out what was going on, and couldn't understand why Ji Yan suddenly attacked them, when Ji Yan had already knocked them down to the ground one after another.
In the horrified eyes of several warriors who had been hit in their acupoints, Ji Yan's face was covered with hideous killing intent, like a demon from hell.
"Don't blame me when you go down below."
Ji Yan said coldly:
"Blame yourselves for being greedy and wanting to rob the official silver."
After Ji Yan finished speaking, he immediately waved his hand and killed all these warriors. Blood spread on the ground, dyeing the surrounding soil dark red.
After solving everyone, the killing intent on Ji Yan's body became more and more intense, as if an invisible haze enveloped him.
He turned over and mounted his horse, continuing along the road, the sound of hooves gradually fading away.
After Ji Yan's figure disappeared, a strong wind suddenly howled.
In the wind, a figure landed steadily in place like a ghost.
The person who came was Liang Jin.
Liang Jin glanced at the dead bodies lying in disorder on the ground, frowned slightly, then looked in the direction Ji Yan left, and muttered to himself in a low voice:
"It really is you."
After Liang Jin heard that the intelligence about this robbery of official silver came from Ji Yan, he became suspicious of Ji Yan.
As for what Ji Yan said about the Wind-Catching Pavilion that sells intelligence, Liang Jin simply didn't believe it.
All the information was conveyed to Yan San Niang and her group by Ji Yan, so naturally, Ji Yan was the most suspicious.
Therefore, Liang Jin secretly followed him to investigate.
As expected, Ji Yan quickly revealed his true colors.
He rode his horse to continuously catch up with those departing martial artists, and cruelly assassinated them one by one.
Obviously, Ji Yan was well aware that once these people dispersed to various parts of Changzhou, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven to hunt them down again.
Therefore, taking advantage of the fact that they had just separated tonight and the group had not yet gone far, he couldn't wait to kill them and silence them.
As for Yan San Niang and Meng Wei, the two masterminds, Liang Jin believed that Ji Yan would not kill them so quickly.
Firstly, with Liang Jin and others in the desolate village, Ji Yan didn't have the guts to kill people; secondly, these two masterminds had to be kept around for a while to let the incident continue to ferment, so that the conspiracy behind the scenes could become more deeply rooted in people's hearts.
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Now that Ji Yan had killed people, then next he would probably go to see his master.
Liang Jin immediately moved, rushing towards the direction Ji Yan left in with the wind, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.
… …
Ji Yan whipped his horse onward, hooves kicking up clouds of dust.
From midnight to dawn, he rode non-stop, until the sky began to turn pale, and he finally stopped in an open area.
Before him was a dreamlike yet extravagant scene.
A large expanse of magnificent tents stretched endlessly, the uniform pink curtains gently swaying in the breeze, looking from afar like a beautiful rosy cloud fallen from the sky, exuding an unspeakable delicacy and flamboyance.
As he gradually approached, Ji Yan saw that the paths between the tents were actually paved with thick, precious carpets.
Each carpet was made of fine and exquisite material, with intricate weaving, exuding a high-profile and luxurious atmosphere.
Stepping on them was soft and comfortable, as if stepping on clouds.
Ji Yan couldn't help but curse inwardly:
"What a damn rich man!"
He knew in his heart that the value of one foot of this carpet was enough for hundreds of households in Changzhou to survive a famine year and gain a chance to live.
But now, so many precious carpets were merely used to pave the ground in the wild, for people to trample on at will, which was simply a waste of resources and an outrageous extravagance.
Moreover, these carpets were only used once, and once they were soiled, they would not be cleaned. After each outing, they would be ruthlessly burned.
They would rather turn into ashes than give them to the poor people struggling in the famine.
Within the tents, maids dressed in exquisite clothes moved lightly, like shuttling butterflies, carrying various utensils back and forth on the carpets.
Around the tents, a large number of soldiers patrolled back and forth, their postures upright and their expressions vigilant.
If one observed carefully, one would notice that the military uniforms worn by these soldiers were completely different from those of ordinary soldiers of the Daqian Dynasty.
Strictly speaking, they were not real soldiers, but guards specially protecting the Prince.
After many rounds of weakening the power of the vassals in the Daqian Dynasty, the power of the local princes and lords had been greatly weakened, and they were no longer allowed to have private soldiers, but could only retain guards.
And the number of guards was also strictly limited.
Currently, the prince with the fewest guards in Daqian only had three thousand guards, and the most could not exceed twenty thousand.
These before him were the guards raised by Prince Pingcheng of Changzhou. Prince Pingcheng had a total of nine thousand guards, and at least five hundred of them were present here at this moment.
"Who is it? Stop!"
As Ji Yan approached, a guard immediately shouted sternly, his voice particularly loud in the morning air.
Ji Yan quickly dismounted, respectfully stepped forward, and stated his identity.
After the guard reported, he was allowed to step on the soft carpet and enter this luxurious tent area.
The tents were numerous and complex in layout, like a maze. Without a guard to lead the way, Ji Yan was afraid that he would soon get lost in it.
Finally, Ji Yan arrived at his destination.
The largest tent stood before him, its spaciousness like a magnificent hall.
At this time, the sound of silk and bamboo instruments inside the tent was melodious and lingering, and the dancers dressed in light gauze clothes danced gracefully to the music, their figures graceful and their long sleeves fluttering.
The rich aroma of wine and the tempting aroma of meat continued to waft out of the tent. Obviously, a grand banquet was in full swing.
The maids steadily held trays of delicious delicacies and pots of mellow wine in their hands, hurrying into the tent. Judging from the lively atmosphere, this banquet seemed to be continuing until dawn.
Smelling the aroma of wine and meat, Ji Yan couldn't help but swallow hard, his stomach growling.
In this year of great disaster, he couldn't remember how long it had been since he had eaten such good wine and meat.
Ji Yan endured his cravings and stepped into the tent, instantly dazzled by the bright lights.
Above the main seat sat a woman, her face slightly flushed, her cheeks flushed, adding a bit of charm.
She wore extremely gorgeous clothes, embroidered with gold and silver threads, inlaid with countless dazzling gems, each of which was large and round, emitting a dazzling light.
Her whole person was surrounded by an innate noble temperament, making people awe-inspiring.
Her skin was as white as snow, delicate and smooth, with a soft jade-like luster in the light, as if it was carved from the finest mutton fat jade, without any flaws. Her delicate nose was straight, with beautiful and smooth lines, like undulating mountains, appropriately embedded in that delicate face.
Such delicate skin and soft figure could only be possessed by those pampered people who had never been exposed to the scorching sun or engaged in any labor.
Seeing this, Ji Yan's heart tightened, and he immediately knelt on the ground in fear and saluted, his voice trembling slightly:
"Ji Yan pays respects to the Princess!"
This woman was Zhao Chuxia, the daughter of Prince Pingcheng.
As Ji Yan spoke, the originally noisy tent instantly quieted down, and everyone's eyes focused on him.
Zhao Chuxia gently put down the crystal wine glass in her hand, the wine in the glass gently shaking, like flowing rubies.
She sat up straight and waved her hand gracefully.
In an instant, the dancers stopped dancing, the musicians also stopped playing, and filed out of the tent, leaving only a group of guests.
Ji Yan secretly glanced at those guests, his heart suddenly contracted, almost stopping beating.
He saw that these guests were wearing pointed hats, white leather boots, brown clothes, and small sashes around their waists.
It was actually the uniform of the Jishi Factory!
Especially the one sitting closest to the princess, it was not difficult to judge from the exquisite official uniform on his body that he was a Dangtou of the Jishi Factory!
This was a powerful and frightening big shot!
Ji Yan immediately withdrew his gaze, not daring to look any more.
Everyone knew that the Jishi Factory had ruthless methods, eating people without spitting out bones. Once they were provoked, the end would be worse than death.
At this time, Zhao Chuxia on the main seat finally spoke, her voice crisp but with a hint of laziness:
"Was the matter handled well?"
Ji Yan did not dare to hide anything, and quickly replied:
"Reporting to the Princess, except for the bandit leader Yan San Niang and the bandit Meng Wei of Yanshan Village, everyone else has been silenced."
Zhao Chuxia nodded in satisfaction.
Ji Yan carefully added:
"However… some people outside the plan were involved."
Hearing this, Zhao Chuxia frowned and snorted coldly.
This Ji Yan was becoming less and less capable!
If someone outside the plan was involved, just kill them to silence them.
Did this kind of trivial matter even need to be reported?
Ji Yan bit the bullet and continued to explain:
"Those few people, this subordinate does not have the ability to deal with them."
"Because they are Song Jiang, the famous giant bandit 'Timely Rain' of the Green Forest, and his two brothers!"
Hearing this, in the originally calm tent, everyone's expression finally changed slightly, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.