Seeing the hesitation on Yunyun's face, the old and refined Fifth Master immediately understood and continued: "This is Jiang Yuan, the young master of the Da'an Chamber of Commerce. This time, the dart was hired by the Daan Chamber of Commerce, and the original task was to purchase furs and medicinal herbs in a very ordinary way, and Sihai was responsible for protecting the escorts along the way. Such darts receive not 1,000 darts every year, but also 800. With Sihai's prestige and status in the rivers and lakes, it stands to reason that there should be no danger, so the old owner of the Daan Chamber of Commerce asked the young master to come out to experience it, and by the way, he was also familiar with the operation of the Chamber of Commerce.

But this time something happened. Everything went smoothly from Hengcheng, but we were attacked seven times less than 800 miles away from our destination, Ping'an Town, and the thieves who shot were all masters, and they were not afraid of life and death. More than half of my sons were killed or wounded, and even I was seriously injured, so I couldn't shoot in a short time.

finally fought to the death to get to Ping'an Town, but found that the dart bureau was empty in the town. So we didn't dare to wait for backup in the town, so we had to recruit some strong people to force the way back. You're a clever kid, and you should be able to guess that this gang of thieves won't just go for this bit of goods and fight for their lives. Their purpose is to come to the young master of the Daan Chamber of Commerce.

I don't know where they came from, but they must have been there in the game or even in the convoy, or they would have come up every time I had just changed course and attacked us when we were sleepy and weakest in our defenses. So I didn't dare to use the dart game, and from what I've observed, at least three of the eight new recruits also had impure motives. ”

Yun asked puzzledly: "Then why don't you arrest the three of them and interrogate them?"

The fifth master smiled bitterly: "First, there is no real evidence, in case you wronged others, it would not be good." Second, I don't know how many thieves are in the convoy. Now at least these 300 miles are mountains and forests, and it is easy to hide and escape, so it is relatively safe. After these 300 miles, there is an ice field of Pingchuan, and if they want to do it, they should also do it there. However, once the thieves are forced to act in advance, we don't even have time to prepare, and the gains outweigh the losses. What a young man, I admire you, so I'll make an exception to give you a chance, and if you want to leave now and go back the way you came, there should be no danger. If you promise to escort Young Master Jiang, then tomorrow we will change the course and create opportunities for you. But you have to think about it, from tomorrow the dart team will not allow anyone to leave.

Yun just groaned for a moment and then nodded simply: "Fifth master, as the saying goes, wealth and wealth are sought in danger, and I took the job of escorting the young master." ”

Sure enough, it's a hero out of a teenager. I'll repair the book and bring it to the head of the dart. Then I will inform Zhang Bao, and say that my injuries are aggravated and need you to take care of them, and that from tomorrow you will live in my carriage and not show your face. In the past few days, recuperate and listen to my arrangement, and leave at any time. ”

Now that the decision has been made, Yun happily accepted the arrangement of the fifth master. Stayed in the carriage from the next day. The fifth master also arranged for the convoy to change the route of travel, trying to bypass the ice field and travel mostly in the forest.

"Fifth Master", after a day of hurrying, Jiang Dashao finally couldn't bear the loneliness and asked: "Why don't we find a place to hide and wait for backup?"

The fifth master smiled bitterly: "There are spies in the team, if we stay in one place for too long, we may be exposed, and if we are surrounded, I am afraid that the whole army will be wiped out." ”

"Then why don't we both leave first?" Jiang Dashao asked with another frown. "If I'm gone, I guess this gang of thieves won't be able to wipe out the dart team. ”

"No, your safety is the most important thing. On the eve of leaving Ping'an Town, I had already sent a message to the dart bureau for help, and the longer we delayed, the better the chance of your support. I reckon in five days the team will have to enter the ice field, and you will leave in three days. We'll continue west, and you'll go east as fast as you can through the ice fields. Once you pass through, don't stop and enter the mountain immediately, with the experience of Xiao Brother Yun's hunter, it shouldn't be so easy to catch up. Eldest young master, you don't have any experience in the rivers and lakes, and you haven't suffered much, so you must obey Brother Yun's arrangement in everything and go back to Hengcheng safely. Don't let me and my sons die in vain. ”

Listening to the fifth master's advice, Jiang Da Shao choked, and Yun couldn't help but redden. The old man used himself as bait, knowing that he was more than lucky, but he still stood tall and went on the road, which has to be admired. It seems that this Four Seas Dart Game is really about credibility and morality.

In order to dilute the sad atmosphere, Yun Yun asked: "Old man, tell me about the Four Seas Dart Bureau and the head of the dart." ”

When it came to the dart game, the fifth master's eyes lit up. Revealing deep remembrance and reluctance, he said slowly: "It has been more than 40 years since the establishment of the Four Seas Dart Bureau, and the first chief dart head is also the founder of the Four Seas, and Hu Wei, the famous founder of the rivers and lakes. When the old master relied on a pair of meat palms to beat all over the north and south of the country, he rarely met opponents, and was respected as one of the top ten masters in the rivers and lakes. Under his leadership, Sihai has developed from a small dart team to one of the best darts in Jiangbei. It's a pity that 20 years ago, at the invitation of Guo Zixing, the commander of the Red Turban Army, the old boss assassinated the marshal of the Mengyuan Army, and was seriously injured and died.

"The current head of the dart is the second son of the old dart head Hu Biao, the eldest son was weak and sick since he was a child, and died of illness before he was twenty years old. But the second son is a martial arts material, at the age of thirty-six, he practiced the iron sand palm passed down by the old dart head to the ninth level, and now it should be the peak of the ninth level. When he was in his twenties, he had accompanied Xu Da to fight in the Quartet and made great achievements, and after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, he was unwilling to be an official in the court, so he returned to the field to continue to operate the Four Seas Dart Bureau. Because the Hu family is loyal to the martyrs, the old dart head was deeply appreciated by Emperor Taizu, and we walk the rivers and lakes all over the world with great morality, and everything is based on benevolence and righteousness, so in the past few years, both black and white have tried to give us convenience. But this time he was frantically chased and killed, and if he wanted to come, the other party must have a great background.

Listening to the old man telling about the past of the rivers and lakes, Duan was also aroused by interest and asked: "Fifth master, what are the top ten masters?"

The fifth master said with a smile: "The top ten masters are the most outstanding people in the rivers and lakes every ten years, and at the beginning, they were just idle and boring comments by the children of the rivers and lakes as a topic of conversation after tea and dinner. Later, as the weight of the characters on the list became heavier and heavier, it became more and more valued by people in the rivers and lakes. In the past 20 years, the two selections have violated the original intention, setting off one bloody storm after another, and the various martial arts sects in the south and north of the Yangtze River are pouring into each other, and everyone wants to be one of the top ten in their own sects, which has both face and deterrence. Now there are five years left before the next selection, and all the sects are ready to move, and I don't know how many people will die. ”

"What is the criterion for the selection of the top ten?" Jiang Dashao was also interested.

"In the past, they all served the public with virtue, and the people who were elected were all respected celebrities, and no one could compete for them. But these two sessions have changed their taste, everyone has selfishness, so they only pursue force as the ultimate, and the selection depends on the performance results. As a result, there were a series of bloody battles, and dozens of sects of all sizes were wiped out. ”

"Doesn't the government intervene?" asked Yun puzzled.

"It turned out that the Mongols ruled, and the Han people fought each other, so they didn't care, but fanned the flames everywhere, and the more people died, the happier they became. Although the rule of Meng Yuan has been overthrown now, Emperor Taizu was born in the rivers and lakes, advocating the rule of force, and does not exclude sectarian fighting. There were also many ministers who secretly supported various factions in order to consolidate their own power, so this struggle not only did not stop it, but intensified. When we first set off, we also got the news that the two major forces in Jiangnan and Jiangbei fought bloody battles one after another, and four more sects were removed. We are all over the world in business, and we pay attention to harmony and make money, but we are in the rivers and lakes, and it is inevitable that we will have some entanglements with the major forces, and I am afraid it will be difficult to be alone. The head of the dart is still worried about this. ”

"Then how are the forces of the various sects divided?" Yun asked more and more curiously the more he listened.

The fifth master took a sip of water and continued: "It is roughly divided into two major forces, Jiangnan and Jiangbei, with the Yangtze River as the dividing line. The top ten masters accounted for seven in Jiangbei last year. However, each sect has its own policies and opposes each other, and the industries they operate are generally based on dart games, casinos, brothels and other side doors. The Sky Wolf Gang is the dominant family, and Lei Zhen, the leader of the Sky Wolf Gang, is known as the first person in the rivers and lakes. With one hand, the sword is running thunder and slashing all over the world, and there is no invincible opponent. It's just brutal, moody, and destroys people at every turn. The three sons, Lei Long, Lei Hu, and Lei Leopard, are even bullying men and women, and no one dares to care. Because the Sky Wolf Gang is strong, the seven top ten Tian Tian Wolf Gang accounts for four people. Therefore, all factions dare to be angry and dare not speak, so they can only cling to and curry favor with the Sky Wolf Gang. ”

"Jiangnan is rich, and the industries operated by various forces are mainly silk, private salt, furs, medicinal materials, restaurants and other businesses, and business alliances have been formed. On the surface, it seems that they are very united in supporting each other. In fact, it is also an open and secret fight, to put it bluntly, interests first.

For example, this time, we kept the Da'an Chamber of Commerce to buy furs and medicinal materials, which was entrusted by the Jiangnan Business Alliance. But it seems that this time the Daan Chamber of Commerce is going to lose all its money. ”

The fifth master looked at Jiang Dashao with a wry smile, and the latter shook his head helplessly: "It's good to be able to save your life and go back, money is something outside the body, don't worry about it." ”

The fifth master all regretted: "I can't imagine that the old man has kept the dart for half his life, but this time he can't keep you and his brothers." Okay, let's not mention the unhappy things, the old man continued. The current leader of the Jiangnan Business Alliance is Dongfang Aotian of the Oriental Family, which is an ancient family with a very deep heritage. The head of the family, Dongfang Aotian, is said to be a martial arts wizard, second only to Lei Zhen in strength among the top ten. He was also very business-minded and had a rich family background, and when he was against the Yuan Dynasty, he secretly funded Emperor Taizu's large amount of military salaries, grain and grass, and was greatly praised by Taizu. Now he is a brother and sister to a large number of officials in the DPRK and China. Therefore, the Oriental family can operate the most profitable private salt, while the yamen of the imperial court is very laissez-faire when it just turns a blind eye. I heard that the Oriental family supports a large number of offerings, and its strength is not much inferior to the top ten.

In addition, his younger brother Dongfang Zhentian was ruthless and had extremely high martial arts, and when he was young, because he was a concubine, he did not have the right to inherit the head of the family, so he broke the family and established the Shura Gang on his own. After years of operation, it has become one of the best gangs in Jiangnan, and it can be said that it is strong. He also supported the Shadow Poison Sect to become the biggest killer sect in the rivers and lakes, and he did things without principles, only recognizing money and not people. But the brothers are inseparable, because Dongfang Aotian has no heirs and is old, so Dongfang Zhentian has always coveted the position of the head of the family.

In terms of military force, Jiangbei has a certain advantage, but Jiangnan has extremely wide financial resources and connections. So the two parties have been stuck all these years, although they both have the heart to dominate the rivers and lakes, but they have no power to eradicate each other. It's just that they penetrate each other, and the friction between the big and small is constant, which makes the entire martial arts people panic. In particular, small and medium-sized sects were used as cannon fodder by the two sides to attack each other and suffered heavy losses. ”

"Oh, thank you for your advice. "The cloud now has the concept of rivers and lakes in my heart.

In the next two days, the fifth master gave a detailed introduction to the clouds of the big and small sects on the rivers and lakes, the old man went south and north to see a wide range of knowledge, and he also heard a little about some secrets, and saw that the clouds were interested in this and liked his calm and daring temperament, so he not only introduced the pattern of the rivers and lakes, but also passed on the experience of walking the rivers and lakes to the clouds over the years, which benefited him a lot.