The night of early spring was very cold, and until late at night, the fog that covered the whole world, making it impossible to see the movement of twenty paces away, still permeated the lake and the woods like a tangible substance, and blocked everyone's view.

Yang San and the others watched the night gradually deepen, and people relaxed. In fact, over the years, they have relied on all the conveniences provided by the Min Mansion, whether they are outsiders or do shady things, they are invincible, and they have almost never encountered danger. Therefore, even Yang San only felt that he could be careful, rather than acting nervously when he really had a sense of crisis. After such a while, they fell asleep one by one, only Yang San held on for a while, but before the early hours of the morning, he had fallen asleep.

Not long after they fell asleep, there was a small sound of water on the surface of the lake, and several dark shadows came out of the thick fog. The shadows came to the innermost ship and moved for a while, then quietly retreated.

They came and went, and the boatmen who had slept early in the morning were unconscious, even Yang San, and they only prevented anything from being abnormal in the lake road, and slept on the outermost boat, and naturally they didn't know anything.

Just when those black shadows retreated about two pillars of incense, suddenly, in the mountains and forests, from far to near, there were piles of fires.

Just when fifteen or sixteen piles of flames were burning in the woods within a radius of twenty miles, suddenly, a drum sounded!

The drums started out at four or five, and in the blink of an eye they became a dozen or so. "Knock-knock!" "Knock knock!" Knock - knock! Burst after burst, the rapid and encouraging sound of drums came from the mountains and forests behind the docked ships, shaking the heavens.

This kind of rapid, murderous drum beating, even in an army of millions, can be heard by everyone, let alone in the quiet of the night? What's more, it was not just a drum that sounded, but more than a dozen giant drums sounded at the same time, as if thousands of troops and horses were hiding in the mountains and forests!

Rao slept soundly, and the boatmen and Yang San also woke up after a cold sweat at this time. As soon as they opened their eyes, they saw the jungle behind them, the flames rising into the sky, and from the dense fog of the mountain forest, there was the sound of drums. This terrifying drum beat is so murderous!

When Yang San stood up in a panic with a white face, several boatmen had already rushed in and shouted, "The boss is not good, we have encountered an ambush!" ”

Not only them, at this moment, Yang San also has only one thought: we have encountered an ambush!

With so much fire, so many drums, could it be someone from the government?

But whether it is from the government or not, they can't cope with the dozens of people on their ship alone!

At that moment, he immediately made a decision and hissed and shouted: "Open the boat!" Sail! ”

At the sound of his roar, the boatmen, who had come to their senses, hurriedly untied their chains and began to prop up the boat and leave.

After the outermost boat where Yang San was sailed out of dozens of steps, the second boat also sailed out. But when the boatmen on the third boat went to row, they found that the boat seemed to be stumbling over something, and they were already terrified when they listened to the drums that were getting closer and louder, and when they held on so hastily a few times without moving the boat, they saw that there was nothing to see in such a heavy fog, and they saw that the two boats in front of them were gradually disappearing from view. I don't know who shouted, "Abandon ship!" Escape with your life counts! As soon as the voice fell, the man jumped into the river and swam sharply towards the boat ahead.

With the man in the lead, the rest of the boatmen jumped out of the boat with a plop.

Yang San was not clear about the abandonment of ship later. On this night, when the fog was so thick that it was impossible to see what was going on twenty paces away, Rao is two big boats walked one after the other, and they couldn't see each other clearly. In order not to expose themselves, they did not dare to light the torches, and could only rely on the experienced old boatmen, relying on their instincts to march in the dark foggy night.

After Yang San escaped thirty or forty miles in one go, Yang San gradually felt that something was wrong......

Why is it that after so long, the fire behind it is still the firelight, the drum is still the drum? No voices at all?

Wrong! That's not right!

At that moment, Yang San shouted: "Light the torch!" ”

"Torch light—"

Amid the loud shouts of several boatmen, two cargo ships, which were five or six miles apart, lit torches one after the other.

Looking back at the torch light behind him, Yang San's face changed, and he shouted, "What about another boat?" Calling this, he shouted, "Wait, why is there a boat missing?" It was a question that the man in the same boat with him could not answer.

At that moment, the boatman stopped moving at Yang San's signal. Seeing the other ship getting closer and closer, getting closer and closer.

When the two boats approached, Yang San shouted, "What about another boat?" ”

On the opposite boat, several boatmen who were drenched up and down were crying and stammering: "Chief, we didn't drive that boat, it can't move." Seeing that Yang San's face was very terrifying, the other hurriedly shouted: "Boss, there is really something wrong with that boat, we can't row it." ”

Yang San glanced at the place where the flames were still shining and the drums were beating in unison, and then gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go back." "The cargo on this ship is so important that the loss of a ship is equivalent to the loss of a third of the property! If there is really trouble, it's just a false alarm, the main family will not spare him Yang San!

Gritting his teeth, Yang San ordered: "All the people get on this boat, you, you, you, a few of you drive that boat aside and wait for our news." ”

"Yes."

After all the people on the second boat came up, Yang San asked people to hide the second boat, and then the boat he was sitting on began to move and galloped towards Pingshui Pass.

When they came, the two boats went in the dark, and they walked very slowly, and when they went, they lit torches, and although the fog was still there, the speed was much faster.

Not for a while. They returned to Pingshui Pass.

The cargo ship swung swiftly towards the flat water.

When they came to the place where they had just anchored, one of the gondoliers glanced ahead in the darkness and stammered, "Chief, it's gone, the boat is gone!" ”

"What?" Yang San was startled, and just as he was calmly facing and preparing to give an order, suddenly, another boatman trembled and shouted: "Head, head, we are surrounded ......"

As soon as these words came out, Yang San and everyone turned their heads in unison. Then they found that behind them, there were hundreds of black-clothed people, dressed in water, who were touching from the lake, and their bodies rose and fell, and the long knives in their hands exuded the blood of the forest under the light of the torches!

Seeing that these people were about to climb onto the boat, Yang San shouted in horror: "Quick, crash over, crash over!" At this moment, another boatman exclaimed, tremblingly, "Deng, King Dengyan! ”

Yang San looked back!

But in the mountains and forests behind him, a group of people were striding forward, and the one walking in front was a young man in black who was extremely handsome. Around the black-clothed young man, hundreds of torches burned brightly, illuminating his handsome face as terrifying as a rakshasa, and those dark eyes could suck people's souls to hell!

It's really King Deng Yan!

All of a sudden, Yang San, who was still screaming and screaming just now, quickly lost all his strength. Just as he was slumped to the ground, all the boatmen also let go of their hands, and the weapons they had just picked up fell to the ground with a bang.

…… King Deng Yan himself came, what else could they do?

Deng Jiulang looked at Yang Sanyi and his party expressionlessly, and ordered with a wave of his hand: "Bring them up." ”

"Yes."

After a while, Yang San and the others were escorted in front of Deng Jiulang.

Lowering his head and looking at Yang San, who was paralyzed on the ground with a face like ashes, Deng Jiulang asked coldly, "What's going on with this fire?" ”

Yang San shook his head.

Deng Jiulang asked a few more words, and after understanding the matter almost well, he waved his hand and ordered his subordinates to escort people up, and asked people to drive this cargo ship to search for another cargo ship, he frowned and groaned.

Seeing that his face was unhappy, a knight stepped forward and said softly, "Lang Jun? ”

Deng Jiulang smiled slowly and said, "It's really good, I met a master this time...... Kun San, you go in person and find out the little beggar who reported to us that there would be an abnormal movement in this direction. ”

"Yes."

After that, Kun Sanying asked cautiously: "What does Lang Jun mean, someone has calculated you and Min Mansion?" ”

Deng Jiulang smiled coldly and said, "Yes, I was used as a knife!" ”

As soon as his voice fell, there was a sound of footsteps, and in the blink of an eye, several knights emerged from the woods. After they saluted Deng Jiulang, one of the knights said, "Yu Lang Jun, someone tied the goat to the tree, and when the goat struggled, it kicked the fixed drum with its hind legs and made a sound. Another knight also said, "Sixteen fires have been found, and the fires are not large, but they are caused by the accumulation and burning of dry wood found on the spot." The third knight said with a smile: "Lang Jun, my subordinates have carefully searched for those footprints, and from these footprints, there are only five or six people on the other side...... Tsk, with five or six people teasing the old rivers and lakes of the dozens of Minfu, it's really amazing. As soon as he said this, he couldn't help but shudder at his own Langjun's eyes, and hurriedly closed his mouth: These five or six people are not only teasing the people in the Min Mansion, they are also teasing their own Langjun!"

A drenched black-clothed man dressed in water strode over, and he interjected: "Lang Jun, this Min Mansion is really fat. Knowing that you are here, you still dare to commit a crime against the wind and traffick illicit salt...... Tsk, the private salt on that boat alone is worth two or three thousand taels of gold, and if there is so much salt in three boats, it will be seven or eight thousand taels of gold. Tsk, this can be regarded as a big case anywhere. Moreover, there was a box of fine jade in the ship......"

As soon as he said this, he saw Deng Jiulang wave his hand, interrupt his words and order directly, "You will preside over the affairs here." ”

After dropping these words, he turned to the people behind him, squinted his eyes and said softly: "As for you, go with me to meet the bandit who dared to calculate the Min Mansion and my Deng someone, and stole a boatload of salt." Well? I've never been teased like this in years! His voice was extremely gentle, but all the knights shuddered in unison, and they all responded aloud: "Yes! ”