In this era, from Suzhou and Hangzhou to Xiaoxiang, it takes at least more than a month to take the land route, and there are still difficult mountain roads along the way, and there are even more bandits.

It is obviously more convenient and faster to take the waterway.

Of course, there are also water bandits on the Yangtze River.

However, due to the prosperity of the waterways and the importance of commercial taxation, the Southern Dynasty, which had a chaotic administrative system, also had several temporary water inspectors stationed on the Yangtze River.

They also patrol every day.

Although in Shen Qiu's opinion, those water bandits and imperial court sailors who were making trouble on the Yangtze River were completely in a trap, as long as they paid some "road money" along the way, and with a little bit of help, it was really much easier to take the waterway.

Shen Qiu is not upright, and when he sees the bandits, he will shout and kill.

Spending money to buy peace, he can both understand and accept, take a step back and say, he doesn't need to pay for the money along the waterway.

When he received more than a dozen boxes of brocade dart goods, the shopkeeper of the brocade shop had already handed over the extra expenses to him, and the shopkeeper only wanted the goods to be delivered to Changsha safely, and the conditions offered were so generous that Shen Qiu couldn't help but be surprised.

He was quite suspicious of this, but he had also seen the goods, that is, the exquisite brocade, and the shopkeeper was also a friend of Uncle Liu for many years, and he had opened a store in the back street for decades, so he could be trusted.

There was nothing wrong with him thinking about it, so he could only put that slight uneasiness back in his heart.

However, after reconciling with Qingqing Girl, Shen Qiu's mood was extremely relaxed, and he had never even been so relaxed when he came to this world.

The secret of the heart is the fermented poison, and the longer it is hidden, the more toxic it becomes.

Secrets always come at a price, but if you share them, the pressure is much less.

Today is the ninth day of the dart, and Shen Qiu and his party have set off from Yueyang the day before yesterday and are walking on the land of Hunan, heading towards Changsha.

There were more than a dozen large boxes on several carriages, all of which were properly kept brocade goods, which were transported by mules and horses, Shen Qiu and Qingqing were guarding the front of the convoy, and Xiao Tie and a few Mo family men were guarding around and behind the convoy.

On each car there is a small flag of the Lujia Dart Bureau, triangular, which looks a little funny, but it is necessary.

Walking darts is different from walking the rivers and lakes.

Darts are done to make money.

Since it is to make money, it is necessary to avoid fearless casualties, bandits who know the rules of the rivers and lakes, when they see the dart flag on the vehicle, they will not take the initiative to ambush, but will pull out the road on the road, in order to negotiate with the dart masters.

But the ignorant thief naturally doesn't pay attention to this set.

"Senior brother, there are people in the woods."

Qingqing pulled the reins of the horse and whispered to Shen Qiu, who was riding a horse with his eyes closed:

"I'm afraid it's ill-intentioned."

"Well, ignore them."

Shen Qiu didn't open his eyes either, and said casually:

"It's just three or four homeless people, they don't dare to do it."

"How do you know?"

The young girl was surprised and said:

"Could it be that you have ears to the wind?"

"Smack"

Shen Qiu's fingers curled up and hit Qingqingya's head, and he said:

"The set of internal skills I taught you, so that the true qi can circulate quickly, you will be able to see clearly, your five senses will be sharp, and if you listen with your heart, you will be able to hear.

This high-grade exercise, cultivated to the depths, is the ear of the wind on the rivers and lakes. ”

"Oh."

Qingqing responded, and the senior brother said don't care, it doesn't matter.

She was riding on a horse, holding the reins with her left hand, the fingers of her right hand moved, and a small flying knife was spinning between her fingers, just like the trick that Shen Qiu performed for her when she was in Taihang Mountain.

But this girl just can't be quiet.

It didn't take long for her to look back at the convoy behind her, and said to Shen Qiu mysteriously:

"I saw Xiao Tie practicing martial arts last night, he was holding a wrought iron stick, dancing like a tiger and a tiger, it seems to be a set of powerful stick methods."

"You stupid girl."

Shen Qiu chuckled lightly, and he said:

"Xiao Tie is not using a stick technique, but a sword technique."

"Huh?"

Qingqing's eyes widened, and she said:

"How can anyone use a stick as a sword?

And it's not like I've never seen people dance swords, they are all very chic and beautiful, and they take a light path, just like the mountain ghost brother. ”

"Xiao Tie's swordsmanship is not the Central Plains martial arts."

Shen Qiu explained:

"I told him that although he was limited to the rules of the master and couldn't tell me too much, his swordsmanship was not the same as the swordsmanship you knew.

But it is indeed swordsmanship, just taking a fierce path.

Before leaving, I looked for a blade with him on the qintai, and the sword he needed would not be able to make it for a while, so he could only make do with a cooked iron rod, but fortunately, Xiao Tie was born with divine power, and it didn't hurt to use a stick. ”

Qingqing was amazed.

She is interested in any secret affairs of the rivers and lakes, and she has also heard the joke say that some chivalrous men make Qimen blades, but this is the first time she has seen it with her own eyes.

"Senior brother, that Xiao Tie's martial arts must be very high?"

The little junior sister asked again: "I still see him practicing internal strength." ”

"Martial arts, it's also the first glimpse of the door, in terms of moves alone, it's similar to my senior brother."

Shen Qiu said:

"But Xiao Tie has little experience in fighting, and his mood is also mild, and he can't harden his heart, if he really wants to fight, he is not my opponent. But it must be more than enough to deal with the thieves along the way. ”

Shen Qiu's words were not said casually.

After the Broken Iron Boy faded the toxin and his true qi was reborn, Jian Yu resonated with him and put the phantom of the Broken Iron Boy into his dream, and when he fell asleep, Shen Qiu really fought with this young man.

The power of that set of heavy sword sword style is amazing, and the internal strength and mental method cultivated by the young man are also quite wonderful, it is indeed that he has too little experience in fighting, and he is easily broken by Shen Qiu.

And after this temporary phantom was broken, Shen Qiu also got the memory of the iron boy practicing martial arts.

But scattered and scattered, it is just a few heavy sword sword styles, which rely on the phantom obtained by touch, after all, it is not as comprehensive as the phantom after killing.

Fortunately, the martial arts memories that can be obtained every time you break them are different, just like fragments.

Theoretically, after multiple breaks, these fragments can also be pieced together into a complete martial arts.

Shen Qiu was lucky, the internal strength of the iron boy "Iron Heart Decision", after several breaks and collections, was barely recovered by Shen Qiu.

That set of internal skills was also quite wonderful, but Shen Qiu was now practicing the fish intestine skills with all his might.

Before the completion of this Five Elements Sect's primary internal strength, he didn't have the energy to concurrently cultivate another internal martial arts mental method, and these two sets of mental methods had completely different true qi circulation.

At the same time, if something goes wrong, it will be a fatal problem.

"That's right, girl."

Shen Qiu held the reins with his black-gloved hand, and he asked in a low voice:

"You and Xiao Tie are trapped in that demon dungeon, hasn't he told you about his background?"

"Didn't say much."

Qingqing shook her head and said:

"Xiao Tie is a stuffy gourd character, you know, I just heard him say that he was going to go to the Central Plains Qilu Land to find relatives, saying that when he was a child, he was picked up by the master from there."

"There are also hundreds of thousands of people in this land of Qilu, isn't he looking for a needle in a haystack when he goes alone?"

Shen Qiu shook his head and said:

"Xiao Tie thinks about this matter too simply. This is not my hometown, and you can find the exact person by typing a few characters. ”

"Then let's talk about it, senior brother."

Qingqing rode on the horse, playing with the small flying knife, and asked with great interest:

"Yanjing still has such methods?"

"It's not Yanjing, uh... Forget it, these things don't mean much, and I'll tell you the story of the peerless master Hulk with infinite power. ”

Shen Qiu was really angry, and there was nothing else to do, so he told Qingqing those bizarre stories again, and the girl was also amazed to hear them.

"That giant, isn't it true that he has been poisoned by a miracle and has learned a miracle skill, and he can make his strength continue to grow! Senior brother, you say, is there such a magical martial art in the rivers and lakes? ”

The two of them talked and laughed, and walked on this road, and in the blink of an eye, at noon, the convoy stopped at a roadside tea shop, and in the distance on the fork in the road, they could barely see a village.

The land of Xiaoxiang is not as prosperous as Suzhou, but the geographical location is very important, and together with the four directions, it is an important trade route, so it is not considered a withering people's livelihood.

Shen Qiu and others traveled all the way, and there were many villages and towns on both sides of the road, and the people's livelihood was coarse and safe.

However, the more important reason for the pacification here is that it is close to the righteous sect in the land of Xiaoxiang, and the famous Xiaoxiang Sword Gate on the rivers and lakes is on the shore of Dongting Lake dozens of miles away.

This neighborhood is the sphere of influence of the Xiaoxiang Sword Sect, and these righteous sects value reputation.

Once there is a vicious case, he will take the initiative to assist the local government, or even send his disciples to solve it, which is regarded as a training in the rivers and lakes.

Therefore, except for some small thieves, there are no long-eyed gangsters who dare to do "business" here.

The group drank tea at the tea stall, and Shen Qiu asked Xiao Tie and Qingqing to go to the village to buy some food, and then set off again, but after walking a few miles, they encountered a little trouble.

"Senior brother, there is a gang of thieves robbing the road ahead!"

Qingqing looked up on the horse, and there was a fire dozens of feet away.

Dozens of ragged bandits, armed with bamboo guns and knives, were besieging a caravan.

They were babbling, shouting the local vernacular, fierce in appearance, but noisy, without discipline, just rushing and attacking indiscriminately.

It's a complete rabble.

On the other hand, on the caravan side, although there were few people, less than ten people, they were neatly dressed, dressed in black, and the spear in their hands was also cone with red tassels, and the caravan vehicles were arranged in an arc and guarded by the side.

There were also a few people on horseback, constantly attacking the group of homeless mountain bandits from the side, and the fight was impressive.

"Let's go help."

Qingqing happily pulled out the flying knife on her waist, during this time the girl practiced the secret weapon technique, although she was not very proficient, but she also wanted to give it a try.

Shen Qiu didn't mean to help.

He said:

"Those outcasts are no match for these caravans, we don't need to interfere, just be patient.

As you told me before, we are walking darts, not walking in the martial arts, and when the road is uneven, we have to draw a sword to help. ”

"Oh."

Qingqing was a little discouraged, but what the senior brother said was right.

She put the flying knife back into her waist, and watched the fierce battle in front of her with great interest, and after a while, Qingqing's eyes suddenly widened, and she grabbed her senior brother's hand.

She pointed to the caravan in front of her and shouted:

"Senior brother, look, is the flag in the caravan the flag of the Li family's pharmacy? And that stupid big guy on horseback, doesn't he look like Li Yijian's rammer? ”

More than a dozen zhang away, Shen Qiu couldn't see it really.

However, he has practiced the Lei Gong Heart Method, opened up the acupuncture points in his eyes, made his eyesight better than ordinary people, and he used his true qi, and the scene in front of him was clearer.

Sure enough, the caravan that was fighting was flying with a red pennant with the word "Li" written on it.

It is indeed the flag of the Li family's pharmacy.

Shen Qiu and Qingqing are still the young owners of the Suzhou branch of the Li family pharmacy, this is their own family.

"Xiao Tie, come with me!"

Shen Qiu took the reins of his horse and shouted behind him, and the tall iron-folding boy answered, grabbed the black five-foot iron rod from the car, and followed Shen Qiu forward.

The young man was not good at riding horses, but he was lucky, and he jumped far away, followed behind Shen Qiu, and in the blink of an eye, he rushed to the caravan that was fighting with the bandits of the homeless mountains.

"Li Yijian, the Guiyan Sword Method is not used by horse warfare!

Dismount and fight! ”

Shen Qiu pulled out the Hongming knife at his waist, and the knife slashed forward obliquely, the blade shook, and a knife shadow was separated, cutting a mountain bandit holding a bamboo gun to the ground.

He shouted to the bald boy who was brandishing a knife and rushing around to kill, and he hadn't seen him for a long time:

"I'm here to help you!"

"Senior Brother Shen Qiu!"

The bald young man who was holding a sharp blade, swinging left and right, raised his head, and saw Shen Qiu rushing into the rear of the mountain bandits, with the long knife in his hand dancing wildly, and the knife shadows flying, killing the bandits on their backs.

He was happy to see his old friend, and saw that behind Senior Brother Shen Qiu, there was a tall man, wielding a black iron rod and killing into the crowd, and his pride surged for a while.

He jumped off his horse, wiped the blood from his face, and shouted to his fist-struck companion behind him:

"Little Tiger! We are also on it, Senior Brother Shen Qiu's divine soldiers descended from the sky, this group of shameless bandits is definitely not our opponent! ”

"Be careful, owner!"

Li Yijian's companion stepped forward behind him, and punched the bandit who was trying to sneak attack in the chest, knocking the man down, the bald boy didn't care, holding the slender knife in his hand, exhaling and slashing forward.

Blood splattered.

Shen Qiu's side also dismounted, and the Hongming knife in his hand waved at will, and the shadow of the knife flickered, and the other hand made the wind and thunder in the gap.

As long as it is pointed, it is a blood hole, how can those bandits who only rely on malicious intentions in their hearts stop such means?

Compared with Shen Qiu's neatness, the iron boy is much kinder.

He holds the stick in both hands like a sword, but he does not use such murderous methods as slashing and stabbing, but only struck with the stick, which does not hurt anyone.

It's just that the young man who folds the iron is born with divine power, and this stick is quite heavy, and if he sweeps it, even if it is not fatal, it will fly out upside down.

Broken bones and muscles, difficult to fight again.

This gang of mountain bandits was originally improvised, and they came to rob the road, and they could not be called determined at all.

The besieging caravan was repulsed several times, and he knew that this was a difficult bone to gnaw, and he already had the intention of retreating, plus Shen Qiu and Zhetie came to help in the battle, but after a while, they left a corpse behind, scattered in a hurry, and fled in all directions.

When the young girl saw that the opportunity was coming, she also ran over, shooting out the flying knives in her hands one after another, and also shot a few unlucky eggs who couldn't escape to the ground.

It's a handful of chivalrous addiction.

"Senior Brother Shen Qiu, thank you so much this time."

Li Yijian saw that the thieves were scattered, so he strode to Shen Qiu's side, with a happy face, and was about to clasp his fists and salute, but he felt weak and dizzy, and he was about to fall to the ground, and was held by the young man who folded the iron.

"It's okay, it's okay."

The bald boy laughed, he rubbed his forehead, and said pretending to be arrogant:

"It's just that the fight is urgent, and it's just a little out of strength."

"Hey, ramming."

Qingqing rode a horse, she sat on the horse, and said to Li Yijian, who was pretending to be brave, with a smile:

"You're bleeding."

"Huh?"

Li Yijian looked down.

Sure enough, the sleeve of his right arm was already covered with blood, and he was actually stabbed during the fight.

Seeing that the young owner was injured, the frightened steward in the caravan immediately opened up and treated the young master, his family was originally a drug dealer, and the steward also knew medical science.

Li Yijian was injured and needed treatment, and it was inconvenient for Shen Qiu to leave like this, so the two caravans joined together and found a roadside high ground to rest for the time being.

And in the forest not far away, a slender figure hid in a tree, watching this scene.

She dragged her left arm, her face was pale, her long skirt was stained with blood, and she carried a long sword with a sheath behind her, the hilt of which was quite simple and atmospheric, not like a mortal thing.

She wanted to leave.

But I saw the caravan steward take out the medicine from the carriage and heal Li Yijian's wounds.

She pursed her lips and stroked the wound on her body, and she bared her teeth in pain.

The girl looked back.

A moment later, the figure fell silently to the ground, limped and staggered, and dived towards the caravan.