The sound of horse hooves came from far away, and a group of people and horses stopped in the smoke and dust two feet away from Zhao Rang and Jin Sanliang.
Zhao Rang took a cursory glance and saw that there were about fifty people on the opposite side.
There were more than fifty people and a horse team. This was no longer the scale of ordinary robbers. And judging from the momentum displayed by this group of people, they must be a well-trained team, comparable to the elite escorts of the Admiralty Escort Bureau.
Zhao Rang gently lifted the corners of his blouse, which would allow him to draw the sword faster.
The faster you go, the safer you will be.
Although Jin Sanliang told him not to rush into action, in Zhao Rang's opinion, this situation could not be overcome by just scattering some money.
When the smoke and dust on the opposite side cleared, Jin Sanliang took a step forward, cupped his hands, and said in a sonorous voice:
"My dear Jin Sanliang from the Admiralty Escort Bureau. On this vast Gobi Desert, there is no wind without waves, and there is no wave that never touches our face. I wonder which path each hero took? Which shirt did he wear? Which bowl of rice did he serve?"
Zhao Rang's eyes lit up when he heard this.
There are not many opportunities to hear such authentic Jianghu cuts!
Walking, dressing, and eating all refer to the business on the opposite side.
Just like the escort bureau has a lot of rules when it comes to conducting escorts, the gangsters who rob the escorts also have various rules.
Some only travel by water and rob boatmen, and they are called water bandits. Some are entrenched in the mountains and collect "tolls" from passers-by. They are bandits. Mountain bandits will not go into the water, and water bandits will not go up the mountain. This is an established rule.
As for those who specialize in robbing homes, killing people, setting fires, and looting caravans and escort bureaus, they are beyond this category. There must be a group of people and very hard work.
"The deputy chief escort of the Jinzhong Escort Bureau, Jin Sanliang?"
The middle man among the robbers opposite looked at Jin Sanliang and said.
"Do you recognize me as a hero?"
The robber smiled and said:
"Why don't you recognize him? Vice President Jin is a well-known bodyguard all over the world. He is just a lot fatter than the last time I saw you. It seems that the life of the bodyguard agency is still very leisurely!"
This person used the words "vice" and "leisure" very seriously, as if he did it deliberately to stimulate Jin Sanliang's emotions.
As the words fell, Zhao Rang noticed that Jin Sanshuang's body was full of energy, but it soon died down, calmed down, and slowly said:
"Since we are old friends, everything is easy to talk about!"
Then he changed the topic and said:
"My escort trip is tight and the journey is long, so I can't spend too much time chatting with the heroes. This is five hundred taels of cash, so I, Jin, will treat you as an apology for being disrespectful and treat you all to a drink!"
After saying that, he turned his head and motioned to Zhao Rang to hand him a cloth bag tied to the side of the carriage.
After Zhao Rang took off the bag, in front of all the robbers, he poured out all the money inside and shook it clean. Then he packed it piece by piece and threw the bag away.
Jin Sanliang couldn't help but approve of Zhao Rang's actions.
If you throw the bag directly over, the other person will definitely not touch it.
Who knows whether your bag contains silver or poison and firearms?
But if you expose it and see clearly, you can avoid this misunderstanding.
But these thieves didn't even look at this bag of white silver. Instead, they picked it up with their scabbards and threw it back. They used their strength so well that it happened to fall in the gap between Jin Sanliang and Zhao Rang. .
"Vice General Jin, the bodyguard, only has five hundred taels of silver to send one person away."
This is very straightforward.
This means that if money is to be used to pave the road, each of the fifty or so people present will need five hundred taels.
Jin Sanliang could endure this politeness for the sake of peace and quiet for a while, but he would not satisfy the other party's desires without any bottom line. He immediately focused his eyes and said:
"It seems that you want to confront me head-on!"
The person opposite heard this and laughed loudly:
"Everyone named Jin in the Jinzhong Escort Agency wears a golden bell. I'm not that ignorant. I want to go head-to-head with the best martial artist in the world."
As soon as these words came out, Jin Sanliang was also a little confused.
The other party neither wants the money nor wants to do anything, so is it possible to waste it like this?
"I want to be alone!"
Zhao Rang subconsciously looked at the Taoist priests surrounded in the center. Except for one thin, slightly short Taoist priest who was a little nervous, the rest looked like they were not worried about anything.
However, since the other party made the conditions clear, Jin Sanliang still asked:
"Except for the Taoist priests from Baihe Mountain, the rest of the escorts and escorts are just ordinary people. I wonder who has such a big reputation to make the hero miss him so much!"
The leader of the robbers raised his arm, pointed at Zhao Rang with his right hand and said:
"it's him!"
Jin Sanliang looked at Zhao Rang in disbelief.
Previously, he only felt that Zhao Rang was tall and heroic. There is a demeanor in his movements that other Jianghu people don't have. He must have some background, so he is polite to him based on the principle of not offending him and making friends as soon as possible.
People who want to be escorts are most afraid of not having enough friends. If you have more friends, you will have more ways to go!
Normally, if Zhao Rang is a hired charlatan, and the reward has already been paid, and if the other party wants to hand over someone, then he will hand it over.
But after thinking about it, Jin Sanliang decided not to be reckless before he knew Zhao Rang's identity and background. If a very important person or force is offended, then the entire Admiralty Escort Bureau will not be in trouble, so he will simply be tough to the end and said:
"Although this brother is not from my Jinzhong Escort Bureau, he is my brother on the same escort trip. The hero's request is like asking Jin to cut off his limbs. It is difficult to obey!"
The robber on the other side was silent for a moment, and then said again:
"I asked Jin Sanliang, are you out of your mind? His master put such a big cuckold on you back then and you don't even remember it?"
Hearing this, Jin Sanliang turned around and widened his eyes, looked at Zhao Rang, and asked word by word:
"Are you Shang Shiyi's apprentice?"
Zhao Rang was confused.
Of course he had heard of the name Shang Shiyi. He was a famous third-level martial arts grandmaster in the north. With his own eleven sword techniques, he is known as the King of Swordsmen in the North.
But Zhao Rang has nothing to do with this person, and has never even met him, let alone become his apprentice.
In desperation, they didn't know how to defend themselves, but they heard the leader of the robbers say:
"Look at his knife!"
Zhao Rang's Western Region saber was obtained after killing Mr. Zheng's henchman in Ye Sanniang's inn.
Jin Sanliang didn't pay attention before, but now he took a closer look and found that the sword had no scabbard and was hanging on his waist.
Everyone knows that Shang Shiyi used a Western saber without a scabbard.
Jin Sanliang was on the road from Baihe Mountain to Yangguan. Along the way, people were talking about this fledgling successor to the King of Swords. They said that on the first day he entered the world, he took a place that had been entrenched in Taishang Hexi for more than 20 years. The water bandits killed them all. And like his master, he used a Western saber without a scabbard.
"I am not Shang Shiyi's apprentice."
Zhao Rang finally came to his senses and explained.
Jin Sanliang obviously didn't believe it.
The unsheathed Western saber hanging from his waist was ironclad evidence, more useful than any explanation.
How many people in the world would carry a knife without a scabbard? And then he happened to be hired by the Admiralty Escort Agency as a Jianghu guest and went to the Western Regions for escort?
It cannot be said that this kind of coincidence does not exist, but it does not exist at all!
Jin Sanliang's eyes when he looked at Zhao Rang changed several times in an instant.
How could he forget that incident many years ago?
As long as you are a man, you will never forget such a thing until your death!
But Jin Sanliang looked at the Jinzhong Escort Bureau vest that Zhao Rang was wearing, then at the escorts on the carriage behind him and the group of Taoist priests from Baihe Mountain, and then he sighed heavily and said to the robbers on the opposite side:
"To pass or to die?"
The leader of the robbers was slightly stunned.
According to the rules of the arena, both parties must choose one person to challenge each other. To pass one's life, everyone steps forward to fight in a melee.
After weighing for a long time, the leader of the robbers snorted coldly:
"Okay! Let's give the Admiralty Escort Agency some face today, but the escorts will eventually run out!"
After saying this, the man tightened the reins and turned the horse's head. The horse's hoofs kicked up a burst of thick smoke.
When the escorts saw the robbers preparing to leave, they were all relieved and their swords were sheathed.
"careful!"
Zhao Rang suddenly shouted loudly.
Immediately afterwards, his body dwarfed, his blouse flew up, and the Western Region saber without a scabbard at his waist was already in his hand, and he slashed dozens of knives towards the smoke-shrouded place in front of him.
The sword light condensed and never dispersed. It formed an airtight net in mid-air and enveloped it forward.
Even smoke and dust are no exception.
The gravel was cut into smaller particles, and under the force of the knife, the spill area became wider.
Zhao Rang closed his eyes slightly to prevent sand and dust from entering his eyes, and only used his ears to observe the surroundings.
Soon, three miserable howls reached his ears.
Zhao Rang heard that only two of them were real.
Anyone who is hit by a knife will not feel pain at the first moment, and will even feel a warmth emerging from the wound.
When the pain comes like a tide, the throat has already tightened due to the severe pain, so the real screams are hoarse and intermittent. Only the fake screams will be as loud as the third one.
Zhao Rang didn't know what his purpose was in pretending to be stabbed, he just thought he was stupid.
When sight is obscured by smoke and dust, ears become eyes. Any sound made at this time will reveal his location.
With almost no need to react, Zhao Rang slashed towards his right front.
A cloud of blood exploded out of the smoke.
The fine gravel became heavy because it was stained with blood, and fell one after another, and his vision gradually returned to normal.
Jin Sanliang, who was standing at the front, saw three corpses lying behind him.
The chests of two of them were neatly split open, and their ribs and hearts were all turned into two halves.
Another person's head fell at his feet, with blood still gushing out from his chest.
"Okay, let's keep walking?"
Zhao Rang slowly wiped the blood on the knife on his blouse, turned around and walked towards the team.
The corner of Jin Sanliang's mouth twitched slightly, then he took a sharp breath, punched the golden bell carried by the hand three times in a row, and said with the melodious sound of the bell:
"Set off!"
