After the unitary time, the color is already pitch black. Just as the city gate was about to close, an officer in armor led fifty armor soldiers through the main street and walked quickly in the direction of the city gate. The group was all dressed in rhino armor, with long swords at their waists, and longbows and quivers. It's strange that each person has a burden. During the march, the baggage shook from time to time, and the contents inside seemed to be light.

At this moment, the door Yin official is inspecting the soldiers on duty at night. In the past, after closing the gates, he would linger for a while to ask the soldiers if any strange or suspicious people had entered the city recently, and so on. Today, however, he was not in much interest, and was bent on going up to the castle tower as soon as possible after closing the door. The cat sleeps beautifully in the warm bed.

It's a damn autumn night, it's so cold.

He counted the hour, wondering if anyone would leave the city again. Looking in the direction of the inner city, he let out a white breath and rubbed his hands. "Shut the door early!"

Since Inochu built an urn castle outside the north gate. The guards at the north gate of the inner city were all transferred here. Whenever Menyin went back to rest, he had to walk an extra distance. Thinking about closing the city gate early, it's not a big deal. It's all dark like this, who can tell the specific time?

At this moment, the city gate was just halfway covered, and Men Yin's ears suddenly moved. The faint sound of footsteps came from afar. The dense footsteps were accompanied by the orderly grinding of metal and leather, getting closer and closer. It reverberates in the narrow urn city.

The sound was all too familiar. Men Yin hurriedly said:

"Open the gates!"

Before coming to Yunmeng, he was the gate Yin of the East City Gate in Qicheng. I have been working as a gatekeeper for almost a decade. Hearing and distinguishing things, hearing and distinguishing the ability to distinguish is familiar over time. He could even make out that the metallic sound was coming from the blade of the scabbard rubbing against the leather armor of his body. Because if it is a spear, the soldier will not make a sound in his hand when he is marching fast, and his steps will be messy.

Menyin frowned. After a while, a dark shadow appeared. A large number of armor soldiers hurried towards this direction. Such gorgeous and extravagant equipment was the first time he had seen it in his life. It's a bit too generous. Men Yin's face was full of envy, staring at the swords on everyone's waists, and he couldn't close his mouth in shock.

A three-foot sword of water. I'm afraid that the tiger guards of the Zhou royal family are not so extravagant. Men Yin was greedy and swallowed saliva. When he saw that the officer leading the army was an old acquaintance, he hurriedly stepped forward and asked politely.

"Wear it is on the long side! Leaving the city so late, could it be that something big happened in the north? ”

The officer's name is Wei Dai, surnamed Ji, and he is a long. It is famous in Yunmeng's garrison. This person's martial arts are extraordinary and have the power to move forward, and he can become a long-term leader completely by relying on a sword and a sword. The selection of officers in the Beishu Army was extremely strict. In addition to outstanding military achievements, it also requires outstanding martial arts.

When fighting in battle, the high morale of the infantry soldiers was mostly maintained by the bravery and charisma of the junior officers. They have to lead the charge and be killed by the enemy if their martial arts are too poor. Then the civilian soldiers or slave soldiers led behind them will immediately fall apart. Therefore, when selecting officers, they need to pass the skill assessment in the army, and this person is the chief officer who is the chief candidate. Although Wei Dai's official position is not high, if it is about martial arts, no one in the army is dissatisfied. After all, such a thing as lifting a tripod is not something that can be done with good kung fu.

At this time, in order to show their own strength, the martial artists like to raise the crown. For example, hundreds of years later, King Wu of Qin won the swing, and in order to show his bravery, he went to Zhou Wangji to raise Wang Ding, but unfortunately died of exhaustion.

Wei Dai stiffened his face, walked quickly, and bowed his hand to the door. The footsteps did not stop, and he hurried out of the city with just two words.

"Ask less."

Men Yin was very embarrassed, and he was not angry when he lost face in front of his subordinates.

"Something must have happened in the north. Cheer up tonight. ”

He then ordered the guards on duty to close the city gates. In the distance, after traveling five miles, the armor soldier of this deviation stopped in a dense forest. They still did not light the torches, and in the dim darkness of the night, everyone opened the packages that accompanied them and began to quickly change their clothes. They put the night walkers on leather armor, wrapped them tightly, and then tied them carefully. Subsequently, two people were left behind. The rest of them made rapid progress in the direction of the song.

In the middle of the night, the door to the dungeon of Nozaifu was suddenly opened. The light of the torches illuminated the dark cell. Many of the people who had previously participated in the disturbance woke up from their sleep. They are being held here, and they have been left unattended. Being arraigned so late seems to be a bad thing. People can't help but start panicking. It wasn't until they saw that the person who was taken away was actually Wei Chang that they relaxed and fell asleep again.

Tonight's Nozaifu is another brightly lit scene. The brazier stretched from the entrance of the house to the lobby of the palace. Occasionally, you can hear the crackling sound of firewood burning, and the swaying of the flames blown by the autumn wind.

On the large copper table in the front hall of Zaifu, there is a baht scale. The baht scale has gold at one end and yard baht at the other. Straight and balanced there.

Ji Lan sat high in the hall, a little lazily wrapped in a white fur coat. The plush collar brings out the girl's slight youthfulness. Wei Chang knelt respectfully under the hall. There was a little hay on the top of his head and on his robes. The unkempt appearance looks extremely haggard. After a long while, the girl smiled and spoke.

"Hmmm! This baht scale is really good. ”

"If Childe likes it, just stay."

"No! How can this son win people's love? After all, this baht scale is worth a lot of money, which is worth three baht of gold. ”

Wei Chang bowed down again and again.

"Man is guilty. Please Gongzi for the sake of my uncle Wu Situ's face, and let people go. ”

Actually, it's not a big deal. Even if he admits to cheating people out of money, it is nothing more than taking a few strokes of the board and losing more money to the old man. As for the son-in-law in front of him, he actually has no right to ask. Wei Chang was just hindered by the identity of the other party's Wang Ji. Plus being arraigned so late, in case there is any routine in it. He can't reason with the royal family as a commoner.

"The boy took it. But it won't be in vain. ”

Ji Lan waved her hand, and the maid came to Wei Chang with a wooden plate. Ten taels of gold were placed in a wooden platter.

"Childe, what do you mean?"

"You'll be gone early tomorrow morning as if nothing had happened. Ignorance... Can? ”

Wei Chang stood up abruptly and glanced at Ji Lan.

"As long as Gongzi orders, Wei Chang will not dare to disobey, but this matter is absolutely impossible. On that day, in order to save his wife, he wanted to get rid of me. With such a vicious heart, I will never let him go. Don't listen to people's words, merciful and sinister, don't indulge. ”

"Hahaha, very good. is worthy of being the head of Situ Mansion. Two days later, Ben Gongzi ordered the heads of Ye Zai and his wife to be sent to Si Kou's Mansion to settle the case. After you return, wait for me to greet Wu Situ. You can accept the ten gold, and some gifts in the city are all due to the son's heart for Wu Situ. ”

Wei Chang's heart suddenly bloomed. It seems that his uncle's name is still reliable. After all, among the facial features, Situ has the highest status. It is natural for Wang Ji to want to make friends and win over. He knew that the three brothers and sisters of the Ji family had not been treated well by the king. If it weren't for the doctor, Zhang Sima would speak for them, I'm afraid that even their freedom would be restricted. Now that I intend to show favor to myself, I guess I want to use myself to get to know my uncle, and I have the intention of wooing him.

Situ is in charge of the money, and Sima is in charge of the soldiers. In this way, these three siblings can compete with the king. Thinking of this, Wei Chang couldn't help but admire this woman's intelligence. Especially the decisiveness and ruthlessness of doing things.

In his opinion, if the other party really intends to protect Yezai, he is helpless. After all, he is still alive, and there is no verification that Ye Zai gathered a crowd to murder official one.

After Wei Chang thanked him for his kindness, he was taken to live in a pavilion outside the house. Wang Ji even prepared a comfortable upper room for him with a maid to accompany him to the standard of receiving foreign guests.

Early in the morning of the second day, all Wei Chang's followers were released. Ji Lan kept her promise and imprisoned Nano Zai and his wife and the people who participated in the troubles in the dungeon, and at the same time, he also ordered the scribes of the Cousin Baisi Mansion to set up a banquet in the field to entertain everyone. Since the banquet began in Shenshi, Wei Chang took the ten gold gifts from Wang Ji and made a lot of purchases in the city. The carriages that came with it were fully loaded.

Until the afternoon, a group of people swaggered to the banquet. When I walked into the second floor of the restaurant, I was stunned by the scene in front of me. One of Wei Chang's three men exclaimed in surprise.

"Wow! My lord! I'm afraid the minister's banquet is nothing more than that, right? ”

The other two chimed in.

"Yes! Musicians, dancers, and maidservants. has lived for so long, and now it can be regarded as an eye-opener. ”

Several people patted Wei Chang's sycophants one after another.

"It's an honor to be able to follow you. Aren't you? ”

"yes!"

Wei Chang's face turned red and he coughed dryly. Sigh:

"Hey! It's a pity that I'm Brother Hu. ”

"The adults value love and righteousness, and they will definitely avenge Brother Hu."

He looked around and clenched his fists fiercely. Then, his face showed a fierce face.

"Rest assured, brothers! Ah Hu will not die in vain. I will certainly take the head of the dog of the Nozai and his wife and sacrifice him as a sacrifice. ”

The crowd applauded. Wei Chang told his subordinates to send two gold to the family of the big man named Ah Hu after he went back in front of everyone. He also promised to take good care of his family's life in the future.

The master and servant are deeply affectionate. is a good drama of fans, and the effect of buying people's hearts is excellent. Wei Chang learned all these methods from his uncle.

The Wu family originated from the side branch of the Zuo clan that was separated from the surname Jiang of the Qi State. Whether it is in Qi or Weiguo, it can be called a famous family. However, the male family of the main family is thin, and Wu Situ only has two young sons. His old father was the patriarch of the Wu clan, and in order to train the next generation, he selected a few juniors in the clan to serve in the Situ Mansion. On the one hand, it is to find suitable retainers for the future of the grandchildren, and on the other hand, it is to cultivate the younger generations of the clan by the way.

A big clan like them is naturally not bad, especially the educational resources of the lineage. The old patriarch passed the school examination and cherished his talent. It's just that this junior's temperament is not calm enough. The old man intended to cultivate, so he gave him such an important position as the head of the house. The purpose is to let Wei Chang circle in the house, through heavy housekeeping, to hone his mind.

After several years of training, Wei Chang has also shown the style of a general in dealing with things. It's just that in the face of a crisis, it's hard to maintain. He has lived in Wangcheng Chaoge for a long time, and there are many powerful people there. Wei Chang is cautious, and he can be described as a man with his tail between his legs. Maybe it's because he was born poor and depressed for too long, whenever Wei Chang goes out, he always causes trouble everywhere under the name of Situ Mansion.

His hometown is in Muyi, not far from the royal city. After working in Situ Mansion for a few years and learning the skills, he thought about setting up his own business. So, he found some ruffians in Muyi to do things for him. The four loyal servants had previously been well-known local bullies, calling themselves tigers, leopards, and jackals. The dead scar man is the most capable of fighting Ah Hu among the four. Now, his body has been buried in Yunmeng Mountain Zheng

At this moment, several officials from the Hundred Divisions Mansion led everyone into the table and sat down. Wei Chang and his three subordinates were arranged to sit in the main seat, with servant girls helping Bu Cai beside them. The eight sabber guards were two people in a case, lined up in the guest seats. And the ragged coolies would not be treated like this, and the four of them were scattered to the host and guest seats to both sides to the last seat. I saw the unruly groping pig hands of the three leopards groping around on the maid. Everyone vented their envy and jealousy on the wine and food, and ate and drank nonsense.

The wine has passed three rounds, and the dishes have passed five flavors. A clerk of the Hundred Divisions Mansion of the Cousin spoke:

"Ladies and gentlemen! Childe ordered me to prepare some small gifts. After the banquet, we will walk with you all the way back to the national capital. ”

"Thank you, Childe! Childe's good intentions, Wei Chang will definitely tell Lord Situ. There are all the cousins of the Hundred Divisions. ”

"Huh? Brother Chang is the head of the Situ Mansion, how dare I afford to be called an adult? ”

For the sake of Wang Ji's face, Wei Chang will speak out to praise the other party. After all, the cousin Baisifu is directly responsible for taking care of Wang Ji's fiefdom. Although these gangs, like him, are not in the official system of the country, showing favor to them is tantamount to selling Wang Ji's face.

Unexpectedly, the three scribes in charge of the reception, although they couldn't bear it in their mouths, but they called "Brother Chang" very kindly, which made Wei Chang feel that calling them "adults" seemed to be angry. So, Wei Chang put down the shelf and smiled, and pushed the cup with them to change the lamp.

An hour later, the banquet ended. Everyone walked out of the restaurant drunk. Three scribes from the Cousin Baisifu drove a carriage full of grain and accompanied them out of the city.

Six wagons, laden with goods, slowly marched at the front of the procession, while the crowd followed behind the procession with bamboo baskets on their backs. The group of people was mighty, and the end was nearly 100 meters apart. If they don't stop halfway, it is expected that the rooster will be crowing at 10 minutes tomorrow and they will arrive at Chaoge City.

After walking for two miles, the color gradually darkened. The lit torches scattered dotted on the barren field, like a galaxy obscured by clouds on an autumn night. Everyone had drunk, and although they did not feel cold during the night, the drunkenness and tiredness made them walk more and more slowly. The convoy and the people on foot gradually distanced themselves. Ah Leopard sat in a carriage with Wei Chang, and he occasionally looked back at the team behind him. The sparse light of the fire made him a little worried, and he slowed down his drive.

"My lord! Everyone is tired. Why don't you find a place to rest for the night? Tomorrow again? ”

Wei Chang yawned and replied drunkenly:

"Where is this village coming from? Let everyone bear with me. ”

"Detached from the brigade, caries will be dangerous."

Wei Chang staggered up and stood in the carriage, looking at the crowd behind him. Maybe after another half an hour, I am afraid that the torches of the crowd behind will not be able to see clearly.

"These untouchables. Ay! ”

Ah Leopard moved his body and stuck to Wei Chang's side. He gently reined in the horse's reins, and the carriage came to a slow stop. Wei Chang's body shook slightly, and he pressed his hand on Ah Leopard's shoulder to stabilize his figure.

Among the four subordinates, Wei Chang's favorite person is Ah Leopard. Although this son's martial arts are not as good as Ah Hu, he is smart. Perennial competition with others, it can be done without hanging the lottery, which is also a skill. It's not that Ah Leopard is afraid of things and always hides behind people. Rather, he is endowed with extraordinary gifts and is always aware of potential dangers.

Born as an Orion, Ah Leopard followed his father into the mountains to hunt since he was a child. A keen instinct to perceive danger is like instinct. Wei Chang was very satisfied with his subordinate's reminder, and he patted the other party's shoulder in approval. A leopard jumped out of the carriage and surveyed his surroundings. Then he raised his head and looked up at the night sky. After a moment, he pointed to a clearing not far away, and said:

"My lord! Or don't go. There's a wasteland there. We'll connect the carriages end to end, and we'll all gather around them and build a bonfire, and we'll be going to spend the night, right? ”

"Hmmm! You arrange. ”

After Wei Chang agreed, Ah Bao immediately waved his torch and signaled the carriage and the crowd behind him to gather in the slightly bulging open space on the side. In his opinion, not far from the royal city is the hinterland of the country, and there are no poor mountains and bad waters for bandits to hide except for Yunmeng Mountain. Even if there are gangsters who come to rob the road, the number of people will not be too large.

In these years, people generally do not have enough to eat, and encounter disasters or military disasters. Nuisance will run rampant. Sometimes, even the lowly villages are not capable of protecting themselves. Overnight, entire villages were slaughtered. Of course, this does not preclude the secret annexation of land between clans, using some dirty means.

For the sake of prudence, Ah Leopard did not choose to camp in dense forests or low-lying terrain, but chose a wilderness with a wide view. After the camp was set up, he divided eight sabber-armed guards into groups of four and took turns to guard them.

In the middle of the night, the light on the wilderness gradually dimmed. The darkness of the night was like two big hands slowly pressing towards the wasteland. The sound of snoring echoed through the camp. Suddenly, a faint wolf howl could be heard in the distance. The voice was empty and lonely.

Ah Leopard was sleepy, his eyelids drooped heavily, and after a while, he narrowed out a slit.

He was extremely nervous tonight, and occasionally had inexplicable heart palpitations. I always feel that something is wrong, and I don't come out for a while. It wasn't until the wolf howled three times that he snapped his eyes open. It seems to realize something. Ah Leopard propped up his tired body, slowly got up, and walked towards the guards on duty outside the camp.

When he came to the guard, he saw that the other party was snuggling in the carriage and napping. Ah Leopard coughed lightly a few times, but the other party still didn't react, so he stretched out his hand and slapped the guard crisply.

"Wake up! How can you sleep? Cheer up. ”

The guard's body was stunned, and when he saw that the person who came was A Leopard, he stood straight in an instant. Maybe it's because I'm far away from the charcoal fire, my hands and feet are a little sore, and my posture is really stiff.

"Brother Leopard!"

A leopard nodded.

"You go and call two people, bring torches and come over."

Soon after, the guards arrived with two sleepy-eyed men.

"Let's go! Come with me into the woods. ”

The two of them held torches and followed behind Ah Leopard and walked towards the dense forest a hundred paces away. An eerie forest, full of the smell of plant corruption. When you go to the perimeter, you can occasionally see the traces left by the charcoal fire. Presumably, it was caused by passers-by resting here and using dead leaves and branches to make fires.

After entering the dense forest for a hundred steps, the guards immediately became nervous. The two of them leaned close to Ah Leopard, their eyes vigilantly watching the movement under their feet. It's a sparsely populated area, and the fallen leaves that have accumulated over the years can already cover the surface of your feet. They were afraid of stepping on something dangerous. The body couldn't help but tremble slightly, and the feeling of numbness on the scalp became more and more violent. At this moment, three soft, then coarse, and two shrill and trembling birdsong were heard.

"Nope! No! No! No, no! No, no! ”

The two guards held their breath, their souls almost gone. After a moment, he realized that the voice was coming from beside him. They looked confused and looked at the leopard brother next to them, who was puffing out his cheeks and concentrating on imitating birdsong. The bird's call is a vivid imitation.

The two couldn't help but sweat profusely. I don't let people sleep in the middle of the night, could it be that I called them to come to catch birds? A voice asked:

"Brother Leopard! What do you mean by that? ”

Ah Leopard did not answer, and called three more times. Every time I screamed, my expression became heavier.

The owl in the guard's mouth, the scientific name is the collared horned owl, which is a bird that comes out to hunt at night. At this time, the ecology has not been seriously damaged, and the dense forest with various trees can be seen everywhere, which provides a natural habitat for this bird. Because the collared horned owl does not build a nest and prefers to live in tree cavities or other birds' nests**, it is widely distributed. It can be almost everywhere in the territory of the Great Zhou. There is also a reason why this bird breeds in large numbers. Due to their small and light size, the brisk flight is extremely difficult to capture, and the unusual ability to sound Minfu at this time, there seems to be no way to affect the breeding of the collared horned owl at this time, except for destroying their habitat.

At this moment, Ah Leopard finally understood. What is that inexplicable nervousness and palpitations? His father did.

"You remember! If there are wild animals at night, the owls in the vicinity will not chirp. ”

After they set up camp in the wilderness, the dense forest was surprisingly quiet. I thought that the owl was frightened by its own people, so it didn't roar the sword until I heard the wolf howl, and the uneasy emotions and inexplicable fear accumulated from the deepest part of my heart, little by little. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and decided to go into the jungle to investigate.

After walking 100 meters and imitating the female and male birds several times, Ah Leopard faintly felt a feeling. I'm afraid I won't be able to go back. He was about to open his mouth for the guards to extinguish the torches, when the sound of "whooshing" wind was heard in his ears. The feather arrow pierced Sanrao's throat. A leopard covered his neck, and blood gushed out. He wanted to scream and send the danger signal out. But the throat could only make a soft whining sound. He struggled desperately. At this moment, the blood-stained mouth was covered by a large hand. He could feel the thrust of his palm, and he could even hear the crisp click of the bulging cheekbones on his face.

In his frightened pupils, countless black shadows enveloped him like night.