The snow in Longzhong has long dissolved, and in a blink of an eye, it has arrived in the spring of March, where warblers are crying everywhere, and it has been more than half a year since Liu Sicheng came here.

To this day, the scene of Chinese New Year's Eve is still vivid. But not long after that incident, Liu Sicheng encountered a crisis.

When Liu Sicheng and Jiajia met again, Jiajia took the initiative to ask the real reason why Liu Sicheng left early on Chinese New Year's Eve.

Could it be that Jiajia heard something about it? As for what Jiajia knows, Liu Sicheng naturally has no way of knowing, so he has to choose to tell the truth. So Liu Sicheng said frankly:

"I was afraid that Tingting would be very lonely at home, so I returned early......"

When Jiajia heard this, her facial expression was extremely cold, and Liu Sicheng didn't even dare to look into her eyes, just like a student who made a mistake didn't dare to face the teacher's gaze.

"Really?" Jiajia narrowed her eyes into a line, dragged a long tone, and asked.

"Yes, yes." Liu Sicheng replied.

Seeing Liu Sicheng like this, Jiajia suddenly laughed, and then patted Liu Sicheng's arm and said:

"Sicheng, you're doing the right thing. How can Tingting be left alone at home for the holidays? As for the reason for your early departure, Tingting has already told me everything. I'm glad you can confess everything to me. ”

It turned out that Jiajia already knew everything. She asked knowingly, just to test whether she was honest. Wouldn't it be a lie if I had lied just now...... Liu Sicheng secretly pinched a cold sweat.

It's so dangerous, I escaped!

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On this day, Tingting took the initiative to look for Liu Sicheng, and seeing her serious appearance, Liu Sicheng knew that there must be no good thing.

"I want to talk to you about one thing, this matter has something to do with Jiajia." Tingting took the initiative to speak.

"Jiajia? What's wrong with her? Liu Sicheng asked.

Tingting listened, first frowned, and then asked as if displeased:

"Recently, there was a big incident in Fancheng, you didn't know?"

Liu Sicheng spread his hands and put on a helpless expression.

"I don't know. There is no network here......" Liu Sicheng said modern words again for a while, and hurriedly changed his words, "Oh~~ What happened?" ”

Tingting glanced at Liu Sicheng, and said angrily:

"A gang of thieves has appeared in Fancheng!"

"Thieves?"

"Yes. There were about twenty of them, lurking during the day, looking for objects, and coming out at night to loot and plunder. They relied on the strength of the crowd, and robbed three manors in a row in seven days, and encountered the private soldiers in the village several times, all of which were private soldiers who suffered losses. This gang of thieves not only retreated, but also killed and wounded dozens of private soldiers, endangering everyone in Xiangyang and Fancheng. I've heard rumors that the real identity of these thieves is the Yellow Turban Remnants. Tingting introduced to Liu Sicheng.

"The matter of theft can be left to the local government, what does it have to do with me?" Liu Sicheng leaned back slightly, and then replied with his hands outstretched.

"Do you know whose manor it was?" Tingting asked.

"I don't know." Liu Sicheng shook his head.

"They are the manors of the famous Liu family, the Cai family, and the Kuai family in Jingzhou!" Tingting said in a deep voice.

Liu Sicheng lived in Longzhong for a period of time, and under the teaching of Kong Ming, he naturally understood the political pattern of Jingzhou.

There are seven major families in Jingzhou, namely Pang, Huang, Cai, Kuai, Ma, Xi, Yang, plus the Liu family of Jingzhou Mu Liu Biao, these eight families exist like calling for wind and rain in Jingzhou, who dares to break ground on Tai Sui's head?

At that time, the mainstream of society was the manor economy, and the major high-ranking families bought farms and houses in the countryside; However, urban life is too strict due to the "lifang system" and "curfew", and there is no rural life as enjoyable. Therefore, the high-ranking families preferred to live in large estates on the outskirts of the city rather than confined to mansions in the city. This situation was not until the abolition of the "lifang system" in the Northern Song Dynasty, and urban life was improved.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to frequent wars, many of the manors of the Gaomen Wang clan have been docked and fortified, and high walls and watchtowers are built on all sides, and it is not easy for ordinary thieves to break in. This gang of thieves was able to rob three estates in seven days with only 20 people, and these estates belonged to the most powerful families in Jingzhou, and their methods were extraordinary. Liu Sicheng only knew the seriousness of the problem at this time.

"Even so, what does this matter have to do with Jiajia?" Liu Sicheng wondered.

"Aren't you chasing Jiajia?" The corners of Tingting's mouth raised, and she smiled mysteriously, "I heard that Tian County Ling is very unhappy because of your identity as a cloth, and now such a big thing has happened in the land under his jurisdiction, if you can help him settle this matter, it will definitely make him look at you with admiration!" ”

didn't expect Tingting to care so much about the progress of her relationship with Jiajia, which couldn't help but make Liu Sicheng puzzled. He asked, suspiciously:

"Why do you care so much about me and Jiajia?"

Tingting glanced at Liu Sicheng, shook her head and sighed:

"You wooden head, if I stand by and watch, I'm really worried that you'll mess things up."

Seeing that Tingting was so concerned about herself and Jiajia, Liu Sicheng didn't know why, and you felt a sense of loss. He squinted downwards and muttered in a whisper:

"Do you really want me and Jiajia to achieve a positive result?"

"What? If you have something to say, please speak up! Tingting tilted her head and asked.

Liu Sicheng naturally didn't dare to easily expose his true thoughts, so he quickly changed the topic:

"Well, what are you going me to do?"

Tingting didn't continue to get to the bottom of it, only to see her stretch out a finger and shake it in front of Liu Sicheng's eyes, and then pretended to be relaxed:

"It's very simple, you just need to patrol the outskirts of the city at night and wait for the gang of thieves to be subdued."

Tingting's arrangement made Liu Sicheng dissatisfied, and he immediately protested loudly:

"One to twenty, aren't you worried about my safety?"

Tingting patted Liu Sicheng's arm and said with a smile:

"If you have an accident, it's a big deal to celebrate the New Year's holidays, I'll help you burn some more paper money."

Liu Sicheng snorted coldly, unwilling to quarrel with Tingting.

In fact, Liu Sicheng is not worried about fighting alone, after all, he has learned the "Shaoyang Style", if he really can't fight, he always has the ability to escape. It's just that Tingting's tone of voice made Liu Sicheng very unhappy.

Forget it, just go and make a big news. On the one hand, I eliminated violence and peace, and on the other hand, I also made those who were not optimistic about me impressed by my strength. Liu Sicheng secretly made up his mind.

But then again, although the city of Fancheng is not big, but the jurisdiction of Fancheng County is very large, how can Liu Sicheng alone know the location of the next crime of this gang of thieves? So he asked Tingting:

"Tingting, the territory of Fancheng is so big, if I am aimlessly patrolling around, how can I meet this gang of thieves?"

Tingting's eyes narrowed into a straight line when she heard this, and then sighed helplessly:

"Looks like you're such an idiot!"

"Tingting, it's good to say foul language!" Liu Sicheng protested.

"Who told you to wander around aimlessly?" Tingting said impatiently, "Won't you predict where the thieves committed the crime?" ”

"How can you predict?" Liu Sicheng wondered.

"Jingzhou famous ......," Tingting reminded angrily.

"Oh, I see!" Liu Sicheng slapped his thigh and responded.

After Tingting's thoughts, Liu Sicheng's thoughts suddenly brightened. Since the targets of this gang of thieves' three consecutive robberies are Jingzhou Famous Manor, if you calculate from this, the place where the fourth crime was committed is most likely still Jingzhou Famous Manor. Except for the Liu, Cai, and Kuai families, which have been robbed, the other five are within the scope of alternatives. But even so, the scope of the target is still a bit large, can it be narrowed down further?

By the way, it seems that the few companies that were robbed before are the hottest real power factions in Jingzhou. Among them, it is needless to say that Liu is the lord of Jingzhou, and the Cai family and the Kuai family are the two major warrior clans that Liu Biao relies on the most. If this gang of thieves is targeting the strength rankings of several major families in Jingzhou, then the next target is very likely to be the Huang family! Because Jiangxia Taishou Huang Zunai, the representative of the Huang family, is the general of the army that Liu Biao relies on, and the strength of the family is just behind the Cai family and the Kuai family.

Thinking of this, Liu Sicheng said confidently:

"I'll go to the vicinity of the Huang Manor tonight!"

Tingting glanced at Liu Sicheng, and said angrily:

"Looks like you kid can still be saved."

From Tingting's tone, Liu Sicheng already knew that the other party agreed with his guess.

But then again, why did this gang of thieves choose to commit crimes in Fancheng? And the targets chosen to start are the most influential and famous manors in Jingzhou. If they are really fearless, the manor on the outskirts of Xiangyang is more luxurious and should be the first choice. Most of the manors in Fancheng are the courtyards of these famous families in Jingzhou, and the head of the family himself generally does not live in them.

Could it be that their purpose was not to rob? And to create unrest?

For one, although the manors on the outskirts of Xiangyang were luxurious, they were more heavily defended because they were close to the political center, and the cost of robbery was higher.

Second, most of the manors in Fancheng are other courtyards, and the defense is relatively lax, and Fancheng is separated from Xiangyang by a river, so the news is very easy to spread to Xiangyang.

Third, the robbers are all the most influential families in the upper echelons of Jingzhou, and the deterrent effect on the upper echelons is stronger.

From this point of view, this gang of thieves is not simple, and I am afraid that there should be ulterior political motives behind it.

Without further ado, Liu Sicheng decided to eat early, then changed into the coarse cloth clothes and pants he wore when he practiced, put on his square head and cloth shoes, and immediately set off for Fancheng.

Not long after leaving, Liu Sicheng suddenly found that someone had been following behind him, that person was similar to Liu Sicheng's outfit, and he was also wearing a coarse cloth shirt and pants of natural color.

Liu Sicheng stopped abruptly and stood in place waiting for Tingting to catch up. Seeing this, Tingting no longer concealed it, and Dafang took the initiative to show up.

"Didn't you worry about my safety before? Why are you coming with me now? Liu Sicheng said sarcastically.

"I'm just sorry for my paper money." Tingting glanced at Liu Sicheng and snorted coldly.

Depend on! Dead Tingting, there is no good word on her lips. Liu Sicheng sneered.

But I couldn't beat her by myself, and there was no other way than to swallow my anger.

Tingting, who was beside her, saw Liu Sicheng looking indignant, and hurriedly urged:

"Don't waste any more time, be careful of missing out on opportunities!"

Liu Sicheng hummed in his mouth, so the two of them concentrated on hurrying and didn't think about it.

Hurried all the way, and finally before nightfall, the two successfully arrived at the Huang manor on the outskirts of Fancheng, and then hid behind a large bluestone on the side of the road.

There was a long bell ringing in the manor, presumably it was time for dinner. At this time, a noisy human voice sounded in the manor, and according to Liu Sicheng's estimate, this gang of thieves must wait until the dead of night before they will do it.

At the moment, when he was idle, Liu Sicheng asked Tingting beside him softly:

"Tingting, why didn't you come here on horseback?"

When Tingting heard this, she poked Liu Sicheng's head with her finger and reprimanded softly:

"You're stupid! How big is the movement of the horseback patrol! Besides, if I keep my horse on a leash somewhere and I'm afraid of being stolen, that horse is my treasure! ”

"That's just as well." Liu Sicheng replied.

Tingting listened and shook her head to express helplessness.

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Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were scarce, quiet and windless, and the two of them took advantage of the night to secretly patrol around the manor.

As expected, around the time of arrival, the two found the group of thieves. They were pressed against the wall, and they approached the side door of the manor quickly.

There were twenty-six thieves, each with a knife in one hand and a shield in the other, masked and wrapped in yellow scarves, which at first glance looked like the remnants of the Yellow Turbans. Unexpectedly, the Yellow Turban Army, which once swept the sea, actually did the business of robbing homes and houses. Liu Sicheng couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart.

Suddenly, I heard a crisp birdsong in the quiet air, and the side door of the manor creaked open.

Liu Sicheng saw it in his eyes, and he was shocked in his heart, presumably this gang of thieves must have an internal response if they were able to quickly attack the manor.

At this time, the world was in turmoil, and a large number of displaced people from the north poured into Jingzhou, and the big families in Jingzhou took the opportunity to recruit the displaced people as slaves to enrich their own strength. Therefore, if the Yellow Turban remnants sent people to disguise themselves as homeless people in advance and blend into the manor, it may not be a difficult thing.

Just as Liu Sicheng was thinking, Tingting's voice came to her ears, and she whispered to Liu Sicheng:

"Don't get entangled with it, play to your speed advantage, knock one down and run; Then lure them into chasing you, and see the right moment to break each one, do you know? ”

Liu Sicheng patted his chest and replied confidently:

"Know, you have the right to watch the show!"

After saying that, Liu Sicheng jumped out of the shadows, raised his hand and pointed at the gang of thieves and shouted:

"Just take it, thief!"

Liu Sicheng's shout attracted the attention of the thieves, and they all followed the sound of Liu Sicheng, until they saw that there was only one person coming, and there was a burst of laughter among the thieves.

I saw that the thief at the head raised his hand and pointed at the two subordinates, and said angrily:

"A hairy boy dares to be strong, you two went to kill him!"

As soon as the words fell, the two strong men pounced on Liu Sicheng with knives together, and their movements were as fast as jackals that had found their prey.

Seeing this, Liu Sicheng's body sank, but he still stood in place without moving. The strong man who rushed to the front let out a sneer, and immediately raised his knife to slash. In the eyes of the other party, Liu Sicheng, who was alone, was already a dead man at this time.

What happened next was far more than the man had expected. I saw Liu Sicheng dodge sideways, easily dodging the sharp blade, and then punched the man in the abdomen with his right hand. The brawny man was hit hard by this, and he couldn't help but stumble back a few steps, just as he happened to bump into his accomplice behind him. The companion was naturally defenseless against this change, and was instantly knocked into a crooked manner, and his steps were messy. Liu Sicheng took advantage of the situation to bully him, and cleanly punched the two of them to the ground.

Seeing that Liu Sicheng knocked down the two companions without much effort, the leader of the thieves was shocked to realize that the comer was not good.

"This kid is not simple! Brothers, give me all the way! The leader of the thieves commanded with a wave of his hand.

So, when the thieves heard this, they rushed up, and the momentum was about to kill.

Liu Sicheng saw that the opponent was so powerful that it was inconvenient to fight with him, so he immediately used guerrilla tactics and ran away.

Seeing this, a cold light flashed in the thief leader's eyes, and he snorted coldly:

"If you want to run, it's not that easy!"

Then he commanded his subordinates to chase after him all the way.

In the pursuit, the distance between the thieves became larger and larger, so Liu Sicheng saw the opportunity to stop his body, and then quickly counterattacked the lone pursuers, and so on, and put down five thieves in a row.

Just when Liu Sicheng was secretly proud, he was unexpectedly blocked between the corner of the barn and the courtyard wall.

It turned out that the leader of the thieves saw Liu Sicheng's superb martial arts, so he immediately divided his troops into two ways and blocked Liu Sicheng, who was fleeing around the courtyard wall, in a dead corner.

The leader of the thieves, who thought he had succeeded in his treacherous plan, laughed at first, and then persuaded him:

"Kung Fu is good, boy. How about joining our Yellow Turbans? Join us in the big deal! ”

Liu Sicheng waved his arm and categorically refused:

"Hmph, you thieves, do something hurtful. I don't want to be with you! ”

The leader of the thieves laughed again, and replied with a slight mockery:

"Hurt nature? Is it really so unbearable for us to do so? The people we rob are all rich officials, the people we kill are all dog officers and soldiers, and these beasts are all rich and unkind, oppress the people, and fish and meat in the country. We had enough of their torture in our hometown, and since the 'sky' connived at them, let our 'yellow sky' punish them! Is this kind of righteous act also a harm to nature? ”

After listening to what the leader of the Yellow Turban Army said, Liu Sicheng's heart suddenly fluctuated, and this group of thieves was obviously different from what he expected.

"There is some truth in what you say, but it is too absolute." Liu Sicheng retorted loudly, "There are indeed too many corrupt officials and illegal profiteers in this world, but not all officials and rich people are guilty, aren't you afraid of hurting the innocent when you act like this?" ”

The leader of the thieves looked at Liu Sicheng with disdain, and said impatiently:

"The Tao is different, not the same. Since you are obsessed, don't blame me for being rude! ”

"Come on!" Liu Sicheng said calmly.

Obviously, the other party's words did not intimidate Liu Sicheng, I saw that he sank his body, held his breath, and was ready to fight.

But seeing the leader of the thieves smile, he slowly raised his right arm and said in a deep voice:

"Crossbow ready!"

When the thieves heard this, they all pulled out the small crossbow hidden in their sleeves.

Seeing this, Liu Sicheng's heart sank, and he couldn't imagine that this gang of thieves actually had long-range weapons, and his face couldn't help but sink.

In an instant, the eighteen sleeve crossbows were wound, and the sharp arrows pointed at Liu Sicheng one after another.

Seeing this scene, the leader of the thieves pointed to Liu Sicheng's face with his hand, and said proudly:

"Although the power of the sleeve crossbow is small, you can't avoid it in a narrow place, so let you taste the taste of being shot by eighteen sleeve crossbows!"

As the other party said, even if you carry the "hard qigong" yourself, it is impossible to resist arrows from different directions at the same time. Liu Sicheng shouted in his heart that it was not good.

At the moment of crisis, Tingting, who was hidden in the shadows, suddenly appeared behind the leader of the thieves like a ghost.

By the time the leader of the thieves found Tingting, the two were already less than two steps apart.

"What? You, you still have a helper? The leader of the thieves was really startled by Tingting, so much so that his voice trembled.

Before the other party could react, Tingting's heavy punch had already hit. The leader of the thieves was defenseless, and he was punched hard in the chest, and his body flew far away like a kite with a broken string.

The thieves around were immediately intimidated by Tingting's proud kung fu, and stopped firing arrows for a while.

Liu Sicheng decided to seize this opportunity, and attacked Tingting back and forth, and in a few moments, he knocked all the thieves to the ground.

The sound of the fight outside the manor attracted the private soldiers who guarded the garden, and they kidnapped all the thieves who fell to the ground and screamed, and Liu Sicheng and Tingting were sent to the county order in the city overnight by the private soldiers of the garden because they carried the waist card of Tianfu.

After some briefing, Tian County, who was still sleepy-eyed, suddenly brightened his eyes, and naturally praised Liu Sicheng and the two of them for their righteous deeds. Tingting does not take credit, and all of it is attributed to Liu Sicheng alone.

In troubled times, those who are strong in martial arts can always make people look high. Tian Xianling's impression of Liu Sicheng has changed greatly, which can be detected from his demeanor and words.

Jiajia also rushed out of the inner room when she heard the news, and at this time her hair was scattered, and she was only wearing a plain nightgown, which showed how hurried she was.

Jiajia had already heard about Liu Sicheng's deeds from the servants, and couldn't help but take Liu Sicheng's big hand, jumping and jumping and shouting that Liu Sicheng was a big hero in Fancheng. Liu Sicheng couldn't help but blush when he saw this, and looked at Tingting on the side as if asking for help.

Tingting shook her head and took the initiative to bring Jiajia, who was still excited, back to the room, which was regarded as helping Liu Sicheng to relieve the siege.

After some tossing, it was past the beginning of Yin, and Tian County Ling decided to leave Liu Sicheng in the house for a short rest, and then leave after dawn.

Liu Sicheng readily agreed to this kindness, so under the guidance of a servant, Liu Sicheng was led into a guest room on the west side.

In the guest room, daily necessities such as pillows are naturally readily available, and Liu Sicheng casually took off his robe and lay on his back on the couch.

Liu Sicheng closed his eyes, but what the leader of the thieves said made him toss and turn, and he couldn't let go for a long time.

At this time, the door creaked open, and Tingting slipped in in a single dress and trousers, with her hair scattered, and a silk soft pillow in her arms.

Liu Sicheng was shocked when he saw this, and hurriedly asked:

"Tingting? What are you doing here? ”

"I'm sleeping with you!" Tingting couldn't help but say, and got into Liu Sicheng's brocade quilt.

Liu Sicheng was shocked when he heard this, he never expected Tingting to be so active, and he was surprised and happy for a while.

"Don't get me wrong. Jiajia, this girl grinds her teeth so hard at night that I really can't sleep, so I came here for one night. Tingting explained.

After that, keep a one-foot distance between your body and Liu Sicheng.

"Really?" Liu Sicheng asked.

"And what else do you want?" Tingting said whimfully.

I don't know if Tingting's words are true or false. But since Tingting was lying beside him, Liu Sicheng decided to pour out the confusion in his heart to Tingting.

"Tingting, I have something to ask." Liu Sicheng took the initiative to speak.

"But it doesn't hurt to talk about it." Tingting responded.

"What the leader said tonight woke me up to when I had thought things too simply." Liu Sicheng said frankly.

"How?" Tingting asked.

Liu Sicheng took a deep breath and confided:

"I used to think that all thieves were bad people and should not be tolerated. But now I realize that I was wrong, and not all thieves are bad people. Perhaps before they became thieves, they were just ordinary people, but due to the frequent wars, they lost their livelihood and were eventually forced to become thieves. Theft and robbery are not entirely malicious, but helpless in troubled times. As long as this troubled world does not end, more people will be forced to become thieves or be forced to despair. These are all facts that I can't bear to look at directly, but I have to face them squarely......"

After listening, Tingting was silent. Liu Sicheng continued:

"I now truly understand that ending the troubled times is the responsibility of all people in this era, and I cannot and will not shirk it anymore. I've been trying to figure out whether I can end the chaos through peace, but I still don't have a clue. Is war the only way? ”

Tingting sighed for a long time, and responded softly:

"Sicheng, other people's words can cause you to think deeply, I have to admit that you are a very good person. In fact, I have been thinking about how to end this troubled world. ”

"It turns out that you also have this idea, but I didn't expect us to be people on the same road!" Liu Sicheng exclaimed.

"Listening to your tone, you seem to be quite happy." Tingting smiled slightly, and responded with a relaxed tone.

"Well, yes." Liu Sicheng blurted out his debut.

As soon as the words fell, Liu Sicheng clearly felt Tingting hugging him tightly from behind, and he couldn't help but blush and his heart was pounding.

Tingting...... It's good to be like this......" Liu Sicheng muttered.

"I just want it!" Tingting responded coquettishly, and then hugged her arms tighter.

Liu Sicheng was surprised and delighted for a while, but he didn't know what to do, so he could only let her.

The two of them were so tightly pressed together, silent.

Suddenly, Tingting's voice broke the silent air, she was close to Liu Sicheng's ear, and exhaled like a land:

"Sicheng, your heartbeat is so fast!"

Tingting's words were like a thunderbolt, which made Liu Sicheng feel embarrassed, so he quickly broke free of the other party's arms and turned over to stay.

Seeing this, Tingting suddenly sat up, looked at Liu Sicheng with a sly face, and said with a smile in her mouth:

"Is it ...... that my heart is beating so fast when I hug me?"

"Hey, Tingting! Don't, don't guess......" Liu Sicheng was nervous, and his voice became slurred.

"Sicheng, confess!" Tingting's expression at the moment became more and more proud, as if she had grasped Liu Sicheng's handle.

"I, I didn't ......," Liu Sicheng argued stubbornly.

"Don't lie it to me!" Tingting looked like she was chasing after the victory, and she had the potential to smash the Yellow Dragon.

"Don't make a fuss, I'm sleepy and need to sleep! Go back to Jiajia's room! Liu Sicheng couldn't compete with her, so he couldn't help but drag Tingting off the couch, and then lay back on the couch by himself, rolling up the entire quilt, not giving Tingting a chance to make a comeback.

Seeing this, Tingting shook her head helplessly, and then quietly left with a pillow. Looking at her departing back, Liu Sicheng felt a wave of loss in his heart. Do you really hope that she can stay? No, at the moment, I am staying in Tianfu, what if I am found by Jiajia? Liu Sicheng pondered.

After Tingting's fuss, Liu Sicheng was unsettled and could no longer sleep, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

Alas, it will be no good to meet her!