Looking at the somewhat panicked crowd, Xu Qingchen and Yang Fan looked at each other, and they knew the reasons for each.
The banquet ended hastily, and Xu Qingchen and Linghan walked side by side to their residence. Xu Qingchen was silent on the road, seeming to be thinking about something.
Linghan has a character that can't hide things. Seeing Xu Qingchen's silence, she couldn't help but ask: "Brother Qingchen, what do you think...".
Before Linghan could finish asking, Xu Qingchen nodded: "Well... this should be the best way to deal with it. He has been in the Thorn Sect for so many years and has many friends and subordinates. If he comes to force the Thorns, he will definitely let the Thorns The door is very debilitating."
Ayana tilted her head and asked, "You must have thought about more than this, right?"
"Yes, the position in the service hall is very important. If nothing else happens, it will fall on me in the end."
"Then...do you wish it was you?"
Xu Qingchen shook his head: "I am not a general. I understood this during my trip to Luzhou. I find it a bit difficult to manage more than a dozen people."
"I think it will fall on you."
"Why do you think so?"
Linghan thought for a while and said, "The following are all my wild guesses. Don't take them seriously... Master Shen, there are not many people you can trust. You are one of them."
Xu Qingchen felt something was wrong, so he said, "I don't have any friendship with Master Shen, and we have few opportunities to interact with each other. How can you trust me?"
"You're stupid," Linghan said with a smile, "You were promoted so quickly, do you think it was because of your ability? You have the same goal, and you will not betray her until you achieve your goal... Moreover, you have a good personality. Look It doesn’t look like he has a bone in his bones.”
As Ayana was talking, she heard a burst of slightly rapid footsteps and a slight cough behind her. The two of them looked back and saw that Yang Fan was chasing after them. It seemed that he was in a hurry, which made the noble man cough more and more violently.
"Brother Yang," Xu Qingchen greeted, "Are you okay?"
Yang Fan coughed and waved his hands. It took a long time before he stopped coughing. He looked at Xu Qingchen, then at Linghan, and asked with a smile: "When I tell you something, I don't have to avoid Miss Linghan, right?"
"No need, just say whatever Brother Yang has to say."
Yang Fan took a breath, nodded, and said, "There is movement at the bottom of the mountain, and it seems that they are preparing to run away."
Xu Qingchen understood the meaning of this sentence and asked, "Did you just get the news?"
"That's right, Qingchen, I still have to leave this matter to you."
"Okay, how many people?"
"Three to five... let's do this tonight and talk about it tomorrow."
"I see."
"By the way," Yang Fan finally regained his composure, "if you use the people who went to Luzhou with you last time, they can all be under your command."
Xu Qingchen shook his head: "I just told Linghan that I am not a general. Let's discuss this matter after the year. Everything will be decided by the sect leader."
"Okay, I won't disturb you anymore."
After Yangfan left, Linghan looked at Xu Qingchen and asked in a low voice: "Brother Qingchen... I... can I go with you?"
Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "You don't even know what I'm going to do, so you just said you want to follow me."
"I know!" Ayana raised her voice, "I-I'm afraid you are in danger!"
Xu Qingchen pondered for a while and said, "You probably guessed what I'm going to do. It's also good that you have more experience than me, so you can help me get started. However, we must abide by the three chapters of our agreement."
"I will definitely abide by it!" Ayana looked very happy, but she was not happy at all inside.
If you enter the arena and don't participate in the fighting, you will remain unknown for the rest of your life. What's more, Xu Qingchen is a person who has big things to do, so killing is inevitable. In Linghan's mind, Xu Qingchen is a piece of white paper. Once it is stained with any color, it will be difficult to clean it off. She wanted to keep the paper from getting dirty as much as possible.
…
There were more and more criticisms against Xu Qingchen and Linghan in the Thorny Gate. It's no wonder that others are thinking nonsense. Since the last time she went to Houshan, Linghan has been stuck with Xu Qingchen almost all day long. In the eyes of others, this little girl must be Xu Qingchen.
Linghan has a sweet appearance and an eccentric personality. She has not been in Thorn Sect for a long time and has established relationships with many people. Everyone thinks that this girl is good and can get along well. Xu Qingchen's appearance and temperament are not inferior to Yang Fan's, and his personality is more approachable than the good old Yang Fan. Looking at it this way, the two of them are indeed a good match.
Therefore, when Xu Qingchen and Linghan rode down the mountain early in the morning, others didn't think it was strange - two young people who loved each other were stared at by a large group of people every day, so naturally they couldn't let go. , there is nothing hard to understand about going out to relax together.
Not long after leaving the mountain gate, the two speeded up.
There is a village at the foot of the mountain. The village is not big, with only about ten families. Two years ago, a refugee family moved into this village. There are five people in the family, the old couple and their three sons. The whole family relies on buying firewood to make ends meet. The youngest of the three sons is already in his twenties, but due to poverty, all three brothers are single.
I heard that the family was in trouble again a few days ago. The old man went up to the mountain to cut firewood and did not come back for three days in a row. The villagers organized people to go up the mountain to search for him, and it took him a day and a night to find him. It turned out that the old man encountered a wolf when he was cutting firewood, and the corpse was almost eaten clean. In these days, it is normal to go up the mountain and be eaten by wild animals.
Seeing that the family was pitiful, the villagers helped send the old man away. It was the end of the year, and every household was posting Spring Festival couplets, but this one was deserted.
In a dilapidated courtyard and an even more dilapidated house, a family of four sat around the table, looking at each other.
There was no sadness on their faces, only confusion and horror.
The old lady whispered: "Could it be that the Thorn Gate discovered it?"
The eldest son shook his head: "Not necessarily... Let's not talk about this for now. What should we do? Continue to guard?"
"The contact with Xiaozhu depends on him alone. If he is gone, there is no way for us to guard him."
The younger son said, "We have to find a way to contact the leader. I will go to the city tomorrow and report there."
The other three nodded and had no choice but to do so.
The four people in the room were discussing when suddenly the door was kicked open and two figures, one white and one pink, flashed in. The four people were very shocked. When did these two people enter the yard?
Before they could react, the two of them had already taken action. With one long sword and two short knives, the small room accommodated six people at once, which was very crowded.
These people were not very skilled in martial arts. Originally, they were not doing assassinations, they were just spying for intelligence. In a short time, the three sons were chopped to the ground and looked lifeless.
The old lady trembled and knelt on the ground with a plop: "What kind of hero are you?! Why did you kill my whole family? Please let my old lady live!"
Linghan looked at the old lady, hesitant. Even though they were from Yeyu Xiaozhu, this old lady looked too old...and she cried so sincerely that it didn't look like she was acting. Could it be that they killed the wrong person?
Just as Linghan was stunned, Xu Qingchen suddenly protected her behind him and pierced the old lady's throat with his sword.
Before Linghan could recover from the shock, Xu Qingchen turned around and asked her, "Are you okay?"
As he spoke, he patted her a few times, as if to check if she was injured. For a moment, Linghan forgot about the shock, pushed Xu Qingchen away, and said angrily: "You touched, you slapped your ***?!"
Seeing that Linghan was not injured, Xu Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief and then lectured: "Why are you so stunned? How dangerous was it just now?"
Linghan was a little confused: Danger? Is this old lady considered dangerous?
Xu Qingchen used his sword to open the old lady's cuffs. There was a cylinder tied to the old lady's smooth wrist, which was clearly a mechanism for launching hidden weapons. Linghan saw that the old lady's palms and arms were of two different colors. The palms were rough and covered with wounds from working, but the arms were those of a young woman. She breathed a sigh of relief. Firstly, she was glad that she had not killed the wrong person. Secondly, she was glad that she had not been hit.
When Linghan came back to her senses, she found that Xu Qingchen was still teaching her a lesson.
"You are a veteran, can't you see this trick? If you really have a problem, how can I explain it to my eldest brother and sister-in-law?"
"Why do you explain to them?!
Linghan suddenly became angry, ignored Xu Qingchen, turned around and left the room.
Xu Qingchen hurriedly followed. He didn't understand why Linghan was angry.
There are two reasons for Linghan's anger. First, he uses his senior brother and sister-in-law as excuses for everything he does, as if he is being trusted by him. Two...she hoped that Xu Qingchen had not thrust out that sword, even if she was struck by it.
Seeing the angry Ling Han leaving the yard and riding on her horse, Xu Qingchen followed and did not dare to talk to her.
After following her for a long time, thinking that Ling Han's anger had almost subsided, Xu Qingchen cautiously said, "I'm afraid you'll get hurt, so don't be angry."
"I know."
It seems the anger is still there.
Xu Qingchen asked: "When you were angry when you were a child, how did your senior brother and master comfort you?"
"No need to coax."
Linghan whipped the horse whip and galloped wildly, making it clear that she didn't want to pay attention to Xu Qingchen.
She didn't blame Xu Qingchen, after all, the sword strike just now was for her. She was just disappointed. People change and everything changes. But what I care about most is change. She can't control this now, and she won't be able to control it in the future.
The little girl who was not yet twenty years old gave up and felt that nothing she could do was worth it.
It was not yet noon when they returned to the mountain. The two dismounted their horses early and walked slowly towards the mountain gate.
Ayana suddenly figured it out: There are many things in this world that will leave her. If you can't keep them, you can't keep them.
She whispered: "Brother Qingchen, I want to go back."
Xu Qingchen asked: "Where are you going back to?"
"Go back to... Tian Fist Sect, or go to Yangzhou to find your senior brother and sister-in-law."
Xu Qingchen scratched the back of his head: "It couldn't be because of me, right? I just spoke a bit harshly... It's normal for you to blame me."
Linghan shook her head and said, "It's not because of you. I'm not from the Thorn Clan. I'm just brother and sister with you at most. There's no need to stay by your side all the time."
"How can you say that? I should take care of you."
"I have been alone all these years, and I can live well without anyone else taking care of me."
Xu Qingchen believed this.
After being silent for a long time, Xu Qingchen nodded: "I advised you to leave before but you won't leave either... It's okay, it's a troubled time and it will be safer for you to leave here. Go to Yangzhou, my eldest brother and sister-in-law miss you very much."
"Well, I'll leave tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? It's the end of the year. Let's go after the New Year. This period is safe."
"No, it's better to leave early."
"Then you go back and have a good rest. I'll prepare some expenses for you."
"No."
Having reached the Thorn Gate, Linghan led the horse and walked in, leaving Xu Qingchen alone in a daze.
