Seeing this period of peace and speed, he roared urgently, as if he was carrying a hundred thousand urgent military intelligence. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was there only to ask if the Taoist priest from the Shangqing Palace had come-Rao is Duan An asked so clearly, Bao Chuxiong still felt that he didn't understand just now, and couldn't help but confirm:

"Hall Master Zhang, which Hall Master Zhang are you talking about?"

"Ahem... It is the Shangqing Palace, the head of the Shangqing Palace, sent by Lingxu Zhenren, to assist the adults in suppressing bandits, Zhang Xingyan of Sihai Hall, and Zhang Tang Master ......"

Duan An, who was panting, said this sentence in fragments.

"Oh, it's him. Hall Master Zhang, he's already here!"

Bao Chuxiong pointed to the awakening words standing next to him.

Xingyan also came to salute at this time:

"Below is Zhang Xingyan. I wonder what you're looking for me?"

Before he finished speaking, Duan An hurriedly said:

"Thank God! I can catch up, huh~"

Taking a slight breath, Duan An continued:

"My lord, I'm afraid that you have already set out on the expedition!"

As soon as he heard this, Bao Chuxiong suddenly became nervous and asked hurriedly:

"Isn't there a change in feelings?!"

"It's not. In fact, Lord Duan wants to send you on the expedition in person. He was afraid that you had already set out, so he asked me to come over on a fast horse and say hello. ”

"Oh, I see. ”

When Bao Chuxiong heard this, he immediately put his heart back in his stomach, and he said in his heart:

"That's right. These days, I sent scouts to spy on the side of Huoyun Mountain every day, and I didn't see any changes in that area. ”

As soon as he thought of this, Bao Chuxiong seemed to suddenly remember something, and asked Duan An a little strangely:

"I said Duan An, didn't Lord Taishou tell me that as soon as the head of the Shangqing Palace arrives, I will immediately lead my troops to set off without delay?

"I don't know. However, judging from the small one, Lord Duan also made a temporary decision this time. ”

That Duan An is also smiling wryly now:

"Two or three days ago, Lord Duan received a message from Shangqing's flying pigeon, and it didn't seem to be much, but he was very happy. Yesterday, I saw the adults leisurely, discussing poetry and tea with a group of literary friends during the day, and entertaining a few visitors at the banquet at the mansion in the evening, and it seemed that nothing happened. But early this morning, you will come and drag me up from the bed, and I will gallop on my horse, and tell you to go out slowly, and entertain Hall Master Zhang well, don't be lazy-"

When Duan An said this, including himself, everyone's eyes suddenly looked at Xingyan with a "huh"-

Bao Chuxiong pondered:

"Isn't there something big about this young man, otherwise how could he let Lord Taishou be so favored?"

"Hmm...... Thinking of it, Lin Daochang just said, in fact, it has not been long since this hall master entered the Shangqing Palace, and he only left Horseshoe Mountain three or four months ago - could it be that Ma Ye of Horseshoe Mountain, which member of the court is he? Strange, I have never heard of such a number one person. But I don't know many senior officials......"

Bao Chuxiong was suspicious here, and Lin Xu's disciples of the Heavenly Master Sect thought:

"No wonder the Heavenly Master Zhenren mentioned that the Qing Palace and the imperial court on Luofu Mountain are very closely connected. Unexpectedly, the young hall master at such a young age would let the Taishou Lord, the head of a county, come all the way to pay. In this way, the power of the Shangqing Palace in the court has become bigger and bigger. Alas!"

Thinking of the people of his Heavenly Master Sect and the grievances of those officials he had suffered, all of a sudden, the faces of these Heavenly Master Sect disciples became a little unnatural.

Not to mention that these people have their own hearts, but after listening to the period of settling down, he then explained:

Duan Taishou said that he would be able to arrive at Jieyang early in the morning. The small ones ask Lord Bao and Hall Master Zhang to wait patiently for one night. ”

"By the way, Lord Duwei, can you give the little one a drink of saliva first?

As soon as he heard this, Bao Chuxiong hurriedly arranged for Duan An to rest in a camp tent, and ordered someone to send a large scoop of water.

Although Duan An is just a servant, he is Duan Taishou's henchman, and he does not dare to slack off on him.

There is a reason why the lieutenant of a county is so respectful to the slaves who are too guarded. Originally, the rank of the military rank of the lieutenant was not low at that time. But at this time, the world is a little peaceful, and the status of warriors has dropped a lot. In the Central Plains, many of the county soldiers have even been abolished, and even if they are still retained, the position of lieutenant is often held by the Taishou alone. Only in an uncivilized Lingnan barbarian territory like Nanhai County, because the people are fierce and bandits breed, the original squad retains the military establishment of the lower county to protect the territory and the people.

However, although the commanders of the Lingnan counties were still held by martial artists, they were subject to too much moderation. Therefore, although Bao Chuxiong, the current county governor, was very dissatisfied with Lord Taishou's sudden tossing, he still maintained a smile on his face and arranged the accommodation of Duan An and the Taoist leaders.

Nothing was said all night.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Xingyan waited with Bao Chuxiong, Lin Xu and others in the Chinese military tent for the arrival of Taishou.

The 300 county soldiers under Captain Bao were also preparing for various matters before the battle at this time, and they just waited for the order of Taishou and Lord Duwei, and then they went to Huoyun Mountain to suppress the bandits.

It's still early in the morning, and it's just after the rooster crows twice. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Bao Chuxiong and Xingyan, Lin Xu and others introduced in detail the specific situation of the thieves suppressed this time.

It turned out that this group of bandits who had been secretly helped by demons had their nest on Huoyun Mountain, which borders Longchuan County in the southwest of Jieyang County, and was camped according to the danger, and it was called Dafeng Village. The owner of Dafeng Village is named Jiao Wang, and because of his yellow hair, he got the bandit name "Golden Retriever Tiger".

This bandit leader Jiao Wang, although he is nicknamed mighty, his kung fu is actually average. It's just that although Jiao Wangqi is five big and three thick, he belongs to the thick and thin characters. People who have dealt with him all say that he is cunning on the outside and cunning on the inside, and he is really scheming.

Because of this, this golden tiger Jiao Wang was able to lead the bandits under his command to avoid the pursuit of the county soldiers again and again, and there was still room to annex the grass robbers in the nearby mountains, so that the number of people in Dafeng Village increased more and more, and finally there were two or three hundred people.

These bandits came and went like the wind, looting like fire, and made the people of nearby counties miserable. The Huoyun Mountain group has become a big problem for the henchmen of several counties in Jieyang.

However, it is in line with the saying: "People are afraid of being famous, pigs are afraid of being strong". The bandits in this gale village gradually became more and more popular, and gradually attracted the attention of officials at all levels in Nanhai County. Finally, more than three months ago, when Dafeng Village looted somewhere in Longchuan, because the villagers resisted, they slaughtered more than a dozen households in the village, resulting in a monstrous bloody case, and Hejun was shaken. When the news spread, the governor was furious and severely reprimanded the Taishou of Nanhai County to do his best to eliminate the murderer, otherwise he would report to the imperial court and remove him from the official position.

In this way, Duan Xuanhuai, the Taishou of the South China Sea, was naturally overwhelmed, and under the urging of the upper and lower levels and the surging emotions of the masses, he strictly ordered Bao Chuxiong, the county governor, to go all out to eliminate the thieves in Dafeng Village. So, under the fierce beating of the county soldiers led by Bao Chuxiong, the range of activities of the bandits in Dafeng Village became smaller and smaller, and finally retreated into the old nest Huoyun Mountain. At the same time, the number of bandits is getting smaller and smaller, and now it is estimated that there are only about 100 people left.

Huoyun Mountain, where the bandits of Dafeng Village are entrenched, is also a scene in Jieyang County. It is the mountain that is as its name suggests, the rocks of Huoyun Mountain, all of which are fiery red. From a distance, the whole ochre-red mountain stands under the blue sky, like a flaming mountain, and even the white clouds that fly over the top of the mountain are reflected in a red color, just like a fire burning red glow.

And Huoyun Mountain is not only like fire, but even the grass and trees on the mountain, its branches and leaves are also showing a fiery red color. There is also a legend among the locals about Huoyun Mountain, which said that this mountain was once the hunting place of the long-extinct South Vietnamese royal family. However, this statement is just the talk of the mountain people near Huoyun Mountain, as long as others see the strange appearance of this mountain, they are not willing to believe that this mountain farm really has any hunting value.

However, although the appearance of this Huoyun Mountain is peculiar, the mountain is not precipitous, and it is only a matter of time before these bandits who have temporarily escaped into the mountain are exterminated by these ruthless county soldiers.

It's a pity that just when Bao Duwei chased and fought all the way, intending to capture the Gale Bandit Village in one go, the demon who set fire to the trouble appeared. Every time the soldiers attacked the mountain, they would be blocked by the raging flames rising from the flat ground. And when chasing a small group of bandits who went down the mountain in search of water and food, every time they were about to succeed, they would be blocked by a sea of fire.

Several attacks, all in vain. There was no way, Bao Chuxiong had no choice but to lead his troops back, and asked Tai Shouyan to invite a master to help him hoe the demon and break the bandits.

Speaking of this, Bao Chuxiong slammed his fists and palms fiercely, and said to the few Daomen disciples in front of him who were listening to the gods:

"The bandits in Dafeng Village are really hateful! this time, with the help of several Dao Masters of the Heavenly Master Sect and the help of Hall Master Zhang, we will definitely be able to wipe out these rats!"

Hearing Bao Chuxiong's colorful introduction, several people also felt the same way, and their blood boiled when they heard it, and they couldn't wait to set off with the army immediately.

Just when everyone was gearing up, about the end of the hour, they suddenly heard the noise of the original sergeants outside the tent, and suddenly fell silent. Then a herald sergeant came into the account and reported:

"Taishou-sama is here!"

As soon as they heard this, several people in the tent jumped up and hurriedly walked out of the big tent to greet Lord Taishou.

When he came to the tent, he saw an official in a uniform stepping out of a carriage. In the morning light, it was clear that Duan Xuanhuai Duan Taishou in Bao Chuxiong's mouth was about fifty miles away, with a thin figure, a square face, a majestic attitude, and a lock of beard under his chin, which was swaying in the wind.

Duan Taishou got out of the carriage and walked towards this side. Seeing this, Bao Chuxiong hurriedly greeted him and said:

"Be careful, my lord—the weather is hot, why do you come to see the army off in person?"

"Hehe, Chu Xiong, you don't know. This time, the old man came to Jieyang, one is to send the master on the expedition, and the other is to prepare two small gifts, which he wants to give to the master of the Shangqing Palace, and talk about my Nanhai County's gratitude for his great help. Where is Hall Master Zhang? Hurry up and take me to meet him!"

Duan Taishou said the first half of the sentence calmly, but at the end, his tone became quite urgent, and Bao Chuxiong was stunned, not knowing why.

Seeing that Lord Taishou mentioned himself, he didn't need to wait for Bao Chuxiong's guidance, so he hurriedly stepped forward, took a deep look, and said:

"Xiaomin Zhang Xingyan greeted Lord Taishou. ”

"No need to be polite, no need to be polite! You are Hall Master Zhang?"

"Exactly. ”

Hearing this, Master Duan began to look up and down carefully.

Just when Xingyan was inexplicably looked at, he saw Duan Taishou raise his beard under his chin and laugh repeatedly:

"Sure enough, sure enough!"

"Huh?"

"-Sure enough, it's a hero out of a boy!"

"Taishou-sama has won a prize!"

"Master Zhang doesn't have to be humble, you deserve the old man's words. ”

Duan Taishou, who was originally very powerful, seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of Bao Chuxiong and others at this moment, so he just smiled all over his face and spoke to Xingyan wholeheartedly:

"This time, the old man came here, and there were two things to give to Hall Master Zhang. Someone!"

At the beckon, a warden next to him stepped forward, holding a red lacquered tray in his hand, with a piece of aqua-blue silk fabric stacked on the plate, and beside it were two tails decorated with feathers, all dyed golden yellow.

"What is this?"

"This is going to suppress the bandits, Hall Master Zhang is the main force, how can he not use the banner to help his prestige? This water blue bird floating golden flag, it is the old man who ordered people to rush to make it overnight, and it is now given to the hall master, I wish the hall master Zhang a victory when he goes to the flag!"

When he said this, there was already a retinue of soldiers next to him, and he took a green bamboo pole, and Duan Taishou unfolded the flag with his own hands, put it on the head of the pole, and then tied the two feathers firmly at the head of the pole.

Lord Taishou's actions made Bao Chuxiong, the leader of the bandits next to him, even more grinning.

At this time, the pole flag has been unfurled in the cool morning breeze. Everyone looked up and saw that on the rattling blue flag of deep water, a golden Vermilion Bird was being painted. The pattern of the sacred bird is simple in shape, but it is extremely expressive, like a living creature.

Everyone looked up, only to see the golden sparrow on the flag, fluttering in the wind in the morning shadow, wings spread, proud, as if about to fly down from mid-air in a trance.

"I heard that the hall master's quiet room is built on the cliff of Luofu Mountain, and there must be many rare birds and exotic birds, and the Xuanniao Vermilion Bird is the holy spirit that guards the south, and the lord is peaceful, so the old man took it upon himself to order the painter to paint this pattern, I don't know if the hall master Zhang is satisfied?"

"Of course!"

Awakening words are now like falling into the clouds, how can there be no reason to say badly. And Qiong Wei beside him, looking at the lifelike golden bird on the flag, was even more impatient, if it weren't for the fact that there were so many living people in front of him, maybe he would have jumped up to take a closer look.

It doesn't seem to be over yet. Listen to that passage Taishou continued:

"I don't know if Hall Master Zhang has a suitable mount for this expedition?"

"I have a mount, I once bought a donkey in Chuanluo County, although I have lost a little weight, but my foot strength is not bad!"

"Ha~ Hall Master Zhang said with a smile, how can you ride a donkey when you go out to fight?

Duan Taishou shouted again, and saw a horseman turn out of the back of the carriage, holding a white horse with a divine posture in his hand, and "kicked" towards this side.

"This white horse, named 'Feixue', is the most majestic horse in our government. Now let's talk about the 'flying snow' gift to Hall Master Zhang, and I wish Hall Master Zhang a success in this expedition!"

"This ...... Lord Taishou is too gracious, and the younger generation may not be able to bear it. ”

At this time, not only Bao Chuxiong grinned, but Xingyan also felt that it was a little inappropriate, and hurriedly excused himself.

"Haha, where did the virtuous nephew come from~"

Seeing that Xingyan called himself a "junior", now this title of Taishou has also changed, only to hear him say:

"The virtuous nephew traveled hundreds of miles, all for the benefit of the people under my rule. The old man is only a lip service, and the virtuous nephew doesn't have to refuse!"

"Okay, then it's better to be respectful than to obey your fate, and wait for this battle to return before you will deal with it. ”

Xingyan saw that Duan Taishou looked resolute, and knew that it was not easy to shirk for a while, so he temporarily accepted his generous gift.

And from Duan Taishou's words, he finally understood why Lord Taishou treated him so politely:

"It turns out that it's all for the sake of ruling the people—— Lord Duan is really a wise and good official who loves the people like a son and is a corporal of courtesy!"

I was admiring in my heart, and suddenly heard the Xuanhuai Duan said:

"Huh, this sword behind the virtuous nephew is quite peculiar. Can you lend it to the old man?"

It turned out that it was Duan Taishou who saw Xingyan's nameless ancient sword without embellishment, revealing a dark and rough hilt from his back.

Although he was a little unclear, Xingyan hurriedly took down the nameless sword and handed it to Duan Taishou.

Duan Taishou flipped the blunt sword in his hand slightly, and then said with a smile:

"Wake up and say that this sword is quite heavy, I am afraid that it is not very easy to use; seeing that this blade is dull, it seems that it has not yet opened, how can it defend against the enemy in front of the battle? ”

As he spoke, Duan Taishou handed the blunt sword back to Xingyan, and after he re-memorized it, he untied the sword at his waist, handed it to Xingyan with the sheath, and said:

"The virtuous nephew can draw his sword and take a look. Although the old man is a civil official, this portable sword is not a famous sword, but it is always light and sharp. ”

Xingyan had already drawn out the sword in his sheath at this time, and put it in front of him to take a look - I saw that the blade of the sword was sharp, and the cold light was flickering, it was really a sharp weapon!

When I was looking at it, I only listened to the Taishou earnest teachings:

"As the saying goes, 'If you want to do your job, you must first sharpen your tools'; killing the enemy in battle is not a child's play, and whether the blade is sharp or not cannot be ignored. ”

"This ......"

"How can you dare to covet your adult's sword? ”

Although he knew that Lord Duan's good intentions were out of diligence and love for the people, he still felt that he couldn't bear it, and he couldn't even accept it.

Lin Xu and the others next to him, witnessing this scene, were stammering and in mixed moods, while Bao Chuxiong and Bao Duwei began to expand the scope of consideration, trying to recall whether there were any high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the court called "Horseshoe Mountain".

Seeing the excuse, the scribe-turned-county guard said:

"As the so-called 'sword to hero', Zhang Xian's nephew is young, and it is natural for the old man to give a sword...... Ahh

As soon as he said this, a few people nearby suddenly felt a flash of black light in front of them, and then they saw that the inconspicuous iron sword behind Xingyan was now soaring into the sky, like a swimming dragon, flying around everyone's heads, buzzing, and then rushing down!

I only heard a soft sound of "click", like an axe into a rotten bamboo, and this flying sword had gently cut the Taishou saber in Xingyan's hand into two pieces;

Before everyone had time to figure out what was going on, they saw the iron sword that flew down just now, and with a "swish", it had already burrowed into the scabbard of the young man's left hand impartially!

Now, the nameless sword that caused the accident was revealing its still ordinary sword handle from the golden tiger-swallowing dark green sharkskin scabbard of Taishou. It's just that at this time, no one thinks this sword is dull and simple.

"It's over, this sword is not too early or too late, but at this time, it will be a big disaster!"

Xingyan lamented in his heart, and was about to confess his guilt, but found that Lord Tai Shouduan, although he saw that his sword was cut off, not only was he not angry, on the contrary, looking at that look, it seemed that he was very happy about the breaking of his sword:

"I didn't expect that the sword of the virtuous nephew was such a sharp weapon! Virtuous nephew, you see, the old man's scabbard is exactly what the sword intent is. Now that Guijian has chosen his residence, the virtuous nephew should not refrain any more. ”

Duan Taishou only thought about giving away the scabbard, but Lin Xu, Zhang Yun'er, and Sheng Hengtang were all shocked by Xingyan Fangcai's extremely agile flying sword technique. Just as everyone's faces were changing color, the equally surprised Lieutenant Bao Chuxiong opened his mouth and asked:

"Hall Master Zhang, didn't you say yesterday that you don't know your faction's flying sword skills?"

"Heh~ Don't hide it from Captain Bao, I really don't know how to control the sword. It's just that this sword is a little weird, and it often flies into the air by itself without waiting to be driven, which is really a headache!"

"It turned out to be a psychic treasure!"

Everyone suddenly realized, and at the same time, they were all envious. The three Heavenly Master Sect members who also belong to the Dao Sect, and when they saw the Divine Sword of the Awakening Words, they now also have other thoughts-

Zhang Yun'er looked envious:

"Wow! I can't imagine that Brother Zhang Dao's sword is so magical~ There are so many treasures in Shangqing Palace!"

Lin Xu was secretly unhappy:

"I can't imagine that the Shangqing Palace, in order to win the blessed land of Horseshoe Mountain, not only promised this young man the position of hall master, but also gave him such a treasure, it is really everything!"

Sheng Hengtang shook his head a little:

"Alas, treasures belong to treasures, but this young man doesn't know how to drive them yet. It's a shame......"

Not to mention the thoughts of the people. After Duan Taishou sent these things to the awakening, he ordered Bao Chuxiong to gather his troops and horses, he said something to boost morale on the high platform of the soldiers, and then ordered Bao Chuxiong, the county governor, to officially lead the army to the battle.

The boy said that he was finally going to embark on an unknown journey.

;