"General, we found this thing when we were searching the bodies of those officers and soldiers." Li Rufeng was about to leave when he saw a minion handing a small bamboo tube to a horse thief leader with both hands. The leader was laughing and chatting with a strong man, seeming to be thanking each other. Obviously, that leader is the leader of this group of horse thieves, but he is called the general for some reason.
The leader of the thieves took the bamboo tube, pulled out a silk book, looked at it for a moment, and then grinned: "Haha... God help me, Li Mao'er, you did a good job. I remember that there was an embroidered spring knife among the trophies just now. It belongs to you. Yes, haha..."
"Thank you General for the reward. Li Mao'er seemed very happy too." He went down to receive the reward.
Li Rufeng looked at the behavior of the horse thieves in the hall in front of him, and recalled the scene of them whizzing past them before. They were advancing and retreating in an orderly manner, and they were quite organized. Not only that, it was also remarkable to see them cleanly wipe out more than a hundred royal guards and soldiers, quickly sweep the battlefield, and make more than twenty boxes of tea disappear into the mountains.
Also, it is impossible for so many of their horses to have entered the cave. They must have been tamed somewhere nearby. Moreover, they were so blatantly grabbing tributes without worrying about being discovered. They were really unscrupulous.
Li Rufeng couldn't help but feel curious, wanting to know what was on the cloth in the hand of the thief leader. But at the moment, he didn't think he could deal with so many horse thieves alone. He even felt that the "general" was an extremely difficult person to deal with. He could only wait until night fell. Thinking of this, Li Rufeng gently walked out of the cave entrance and climbed up. He rested on a tree in the stream.
After a while, the strong man who was talking to the general came out of the cave, accompanied by the general, and was led by a group of men to walk in from the hole on the east side of the stream. After a while, the group of men walked in. Then I turned around, thinking I had sent the man away.
It's night, the moon is bright and the stars are few. Several oil lamps were hung on the walls, and the lights flickered out from the doorway, revealing the figures of the two guards.
Li Rufeng couldn't help being surprised. Unexpectedly, the group became alert again and had no choice but to move forward close to the cave wall. He knew that it was probably around midnight, the time when he was falling asleep. Fortunately, the two guards were not made of iron. They were leaning on the stone pillar next to the door and sweating.
Li Rufeng stood up and tapped the two guards twice, causing them to lean against the pillar completely and stop making any sound.
Because this cave was very simple, the minions built a floor in a corner of the hall. They only opened eight rooms on the east and west sides of the hall. It was also a small cave at that time, with wooden doors installed and two rows left above the wooden doors. The lattice allows ventilation in the room. This is probably the room of the horse thieves.
Li Rufeng didn't know what was going on inside and didn't dare to rush in. He looked around and saw a small bench, so he moved it over. Standing on the bench, he could finally see the layout of the room through the grid on the door.
After looking at three rooms, I finally saw that the general's room was only six feet square. There was a simple small bed on the side facing the door, and the "general" was lying on the bed. He was lying there motionless, snoring slightly, apparently asleep.
Li Rufeng observed for a while and confirmed that the "general" was asleep. Then he tiptoed off the stool, opened the door, and walked to the "general"'s bed. Using the weak light on the wall outside the room, Li Rufeng searched for the bamboo tube. It is hanging on the waist of the "general", which shows that it is extremely important.
He did not dare to hesitate at the moment, and carefully took out the cloth from the bamboo tube, and took a closer look under the bright light. He saw that the first line read the three characters of "The Book of Gold and Stone". Looking at the characters at the back, it was a poem: " There are no fields in Shandong to cultivate swords, but there are Han people selling swords in Zhongyuan. If a hero knows how to rebel, a saint will help him to reach heaven."
Li Rufeng thought for a while and didn't know what it meant, but looking at the "general"'s proud look, it was obviously a very important item. Li Rufeng looked at the cloth front and back a few more times, but found nothing special. Suddenly he glanced around and found that the "general" just opened his eyes and looked at him in surprise. Li Rufeng didn't dare to rush out like this, so he could only quickly subdue the "general" calmly. Thinking about this in his mind, he had already started to strangle the "general" by his neck. The "general" also kicked Li Rufeng's abdomen with his right foot. Li Rufeng quickly used his hands to block it, but felt a huge force and was kicked back two or three steps. When the attack failed, Li Rufeng rushed out of the door without hesitation.
"Stop," Li Rufeng heard the rich voice behind him shouting. At this time, he had rushed to the center of the hall. The cave entrance seemed relatively safe, although
I don't know how to escape quickly after exiting the hole, but it is better than fighting hard in this hole.
The shout of "general" woke up the sleeping horse thieves. Everyone rubbed their eyes and stood up. They saw a black shadow quickly rushing out of the hole, followed by a person chasing closely. It was their leader, so they all He picked up his weapon and ran out.
Li Rufeng rushed out of the cave and ran down the stream he came from. Fortunately, through the moonlight shining through the gaps in the leaves, he could barely see where the water was and where the land was. He remembered that when he came in, he fell from the vines on the cliff west of the stream. Now he could only go up from there.
When he reached the foot of the vine, Li Rufeng calmed down for a moment, adjusted his breathing, and with his breath sinking in his dantian, he suddenly jumped up, about ten feet off the ground, grabbed the vine and climbed upward.
The "general" ran to the bottom of the vine and saw that Li Rufeng had jumped more than three feet along the vine. With a flash of his eyes, he grabbed the vine and pulled it down hard, and the vine was torn from the root.
Li Rufeng, who was on the vine, felt the vine suddenly straighten downwards. He secretly screamed something bad and let go. He fell three feet down. Fortunately, he was quick and grabbed a bush on the left. Looking down, he saw The "general" was climbing up the cliff at an alarming speed.
Li Rufeng didn't dare to be careless. He used his hands and feet together and jumped up another ten feet. He stepped on a shrub branch. After sustaining his strength, he hit a few points on the cliff and climbed up to the flat ground above the cliff.
The black shadow behind him was approaching. The guy must be chasing after the silk book so hard. Li Rufeng was thinking this as he ran. Anyway, he had memorized the contents of the silk book, but he didn't know what it meant. Besides, those hairy people were... The thieves are all idiots, and they definitely don't know what it means, so it's okay to just give it to them. Just think about the song carefully when you go back. There is no need to tangle with them here now. After thinking about this section, Li Rufeng took out the silk book from his sleeve and threw it towards the mountain on the right, then turned left and ran down the mountain.
The "general" looked at Li Rufeng throwing the silk book, and was stunned for a moment, with a sneer out of the corner of his eyes. While running in the direction of the silk book, he leaned down and touched a few small stones. After picking up the silk book, he chased after Li Rufeng. While chasing, he fired out stones in a row and hit Li Rufeng.
Li Rufeng only felt the cold wind blowing behind him, and suddenly his back and right leg were stinging. His body stagnated, he couldn't use any force in his steps, and his speed had been greatly reduced. Looking back, I saw that the general was approaching. It seemed that I couldn't run away. Instead of wasting time and trying to run away, it was better to give it a try. If I could subdue the "general" before those minions arrived, there would be no danger. After saying that, the sword was gone In hand.
The "general" couldn't help but be a little surprised when he saw Li Rufeng stop suddenly. "Who are you? If you dare to spy on this general late at night, are you seeking death?"
Li Rufeng smiled and said, "I heard that there is a treasure temple on this mountain, so I came here to visit it. I don't want to get lost and enter the general's treasured place by mistake. I would be really offended."
The "general" saw that Li Rufeng had surrendered. Although he didn't believe it in his heart, he smiled and said: "Haha... there is a Guanyin Temple on the top of the mountain. If you don't go up the mountain, if you end up at the bottom of the mountain valley, I'm afraid not only Being lost seems to be a bit confusing."
"The general is joking. I have indeed lost my way. If the general insists on staying, then I will have to offend him." Li Rufeng did not dare to pester anymore, so he took the initiative and struck out with a move of "Northern Wild Goose Flying to the South", and handed the sword in his hand diagonally. past.
The "general" took his time, took a few steps back to avoid the sword edge, turned aside, used his elbow to deflect the sword edge, flew up with his right leg, and kicked Li Rufeng in the waist.
Li Rufeng tapped the ground with his toes and spun in a circle from left to right and then down.
The "general" kicked the ball in the air, landed on his right foot, leaned forward suddenly, broke through the edge of the sword with both fists, and smashed towards Li Rufeng like a drumbeat.
Li Rufeng held the hilt of the sword upside down and barely managed to take a few punches. His arms were already sore and limp and he didn't dare to take any more punches, but he couldn't avoid it and ended up at a disadvantage. At this time, the horse thieves also arrived. Seeing that their leader had the upper hand, they cheered in unison.
Li Rufeng was anxious. He exerted force with his right hand, rolled his body in the air, pierced the "general's" fist path with the sword edge, struck the ground with his left palm, stood up, and extended the sword smoothly.
The "general" also reacted very quickly. He pulled up after getting on the plate, stood up, turned his fist into a palm, split the sword edge, and faced off with Li Rufeng.
"Your Excellency is good at swordsmanship, but I don't know which sect of the Five Sacred Mountains you belong to?"
Li Rufeng was shocked that a man in the grass could actually understand the Confucian Qi Sect swordsmanship. It was really not easy. But now that Wuyue is in trouble, there will be many troubles. He can only vaguely say, "The general's boxing skills are even more exquisite. I haven't asked for his honorific title yet."
"Haha... I will not change my surname whether I am a general or not. My surname is Chen, Quanzhong, and my surname is Xinghan." After thinking for a while, he added: "I heard that the various sects in the Five Mountains are currently experiencing internal and external troubles. Your Excellency refuses to tell me which sect he is from, so what? You can only follow me into the cave."
His words seemed forceful, but there was a hint of solicitation in them. However, since he could not confirm his identity, it was difficult to invite him rashly. How could Li Rufeng not see the meaning behind this. It's impossible to escape now. It's better to let them go in and make plans. Maybe we can find out more about the song. However, we will definitely miss the trip. I hope Fang Lingyan and the others can do their own thing. Thinking of this, Li Rufeng stopped being pretentious and said, "Li Rufeng in Hengshan, since General Chen invites you, do you dare not to accept your order?"
Hearing that he was from Hengshan, the light in Chen Quanzhong's eyes suddenly flashed, he laughed loudly, and made an invitation gesture to let Li Rufeng over. The horse thieves looked at the posture and gave way one after another, followed behind, and walked towards the cliff.
When he reached the top of the cliff, Chen Quanzhong stopped and said, "Our place is simple and crude. Please forgive me, Brother Li." After saying this, he jumped up and reached the stream at the bottom of the valley. Li Rufeng shook his head and smiled bitterly, then jumped up and reached the bottom of the valley. He felt a faint pain where the stone had just hit him. His knees also hurt a little, and his body shape was no longer natural. Chen Quanzhong saw it in his eyes, but said "please" again. Among the horse thieves, those who were more skillful also jumped down through the branches, while others climbed down slowly on the trees.
After a night of fussing, it was already dawn. When he arrived at the cave, Chen Quanzhong picked up a table and sat down. He asked Li Rufeng to sit opposite him and stared at Li Rufeng. It’s so enjoyable to play in mountains and rivers and get lost!”
Although Li Rufeng knew that Chen Quanzhong wanted to find out the purpose of his trip, he couldn't help but feel sad when he heard Chen Quanzhong mention his master's sect and recalled that he was in danger on the Han River, and he forgot to answer for a moment.
Seeing Li Rufeng's sad face, Chen Quanzhong laughed and said, "A man is capable of bending and stretching. Brother Li is very capable. As long as he finds an opportunity, he may not be unable to take revenge."
Li Rufeng glanced at Chen Quanzhong and waited for him to continue. Sure enough, he heard Chen Quanzhong continue: "Brother Li, if you can let go of your hatred and travel around, I'm afraid the people who destroyed Hengshan may not be able to let you slip through the net. Li. "Brother, if you never forget your master's kindness and want to seek revenge, why not hide your name and accumulate strength so that one day, you can defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, and you will not dishonor the name of a hero."
These words were so high-sounding that Li Rufeng was a little moved by it. However, he was obsessed with it, so how could he let it go? He said: "General, I have given you too much praise. I am just trying to survive in the world. Those who are unkind and unjust will be punished." In this catastrophe, I just want to beg for my hometown and don’t want to be involved in right and wrong anymore. I really don’t dare to covet the name of a hero.”
"Brother Li, do you know why I call myself a general?" Chen Quanzhong changed the subject and said with a smile. He thought Li Rufeng just wanted to wait for the price.
"I would like to hear the details." Li Rufeng really wanted to know.
"Haha... I'll be honest with you, Brother Li. I'm here because I have a mission. I thought I had no hope in this life, but the appearance of the piece of cloth that Brother Li saw today has rekindled my fighting spirit."
"Oh? I wonder what the words on the cloth mean?"
"Brother Li, you really don't know what this cloth is?" Chen Quanzhong was still suspicious of Li Rufeng's sudden appearance here.
"General Chen is joking. To tell you the truth, I saw the general seizing so many large boxes from the officers and soldiers. I felt that it was against the chivalry. I wanted to find out what happened so that I could go back and report to the government. But I saw the general in secret. I was very interested in the cloth and felt that it was a very important thing, so I stole it last night and planned to report it to the government together, but unexpectedly, the general found out that Qian Donkey was not very good at it." What Li Rufeng said was basically the truth.
Chen Quanzhong couldn't help but believe it, nodded slightly, stared at Li Rufeng and said: "This cloth is called "The Book of Gold and Stone", and it is related to the Tianwan National Treasure."
"Is it Tianwan National Treasure?" Although there was surprise on Li Rufeng's face, it only flashed over. He seemed not to care about the treasure, and his expression didn't seem to be fake. This look made Chen Quanzhong shudder, as if he had seen it before somewhere.
"Exactly, if Brother Li insists on reporting to the government, it's up to you, but I'm afraid Brother Li is not as familiar with the water in Huangzhou as we are." Chen Quanzhong decided to give Li Rufeng a beating.
Chen Quanzhong suddenly changed his face, but Li Rufeng was not in a hurry. He knew in his heart that Chen Quanzhong had already plotted against him. Don't say that he couldn't get out at this time. Even if he could go out and report the discovered problems to the government, it would be impossible to find evidence. Instead, he might be tainted and collude with the rebels. . Since Chen Quanzhong and others were able to find out the tea time and route, and they could make the cavalry appear and disappear suddenly, it was obvious that they had been working here for a long time. I am afraid that someone from the government had communicated with them. They were in the cave with him during the day. Most of the people laughing and chatting together are insiders in the government.
People under the eaves had to lower their heads, so Li Rufeng had no choice but to get off the slope. "The general is joking. I am a savage in the world. I just want to get enough food for a few days. Since the general doesn't mind, how can I dare to make a mistake? It's just... I still have an unresolved matter." Li Rufeng decided to take the risk.
"Oh? Brother Li, what's the matter that hasn't been settled yet? Just wait until I send someone to help you."
"I went out with some friends to do some errands, and we made an appointment to meet today. I can't give up halfway. If the general trusts me, he will come back after I meet my friends and finish the errands. Maybe he can get a few friends to come and join him." General."
Chen Quanzhong's eyes flickered, and he suddenly remembered that one of the two men and two women he met passing by outside Luotian City yesterday seemed to have Li Rufeng's eyes, but his face showed no expression, he just stared at Li Rufeng and said: "Okay...Brother Li is You are such a hero, how could I harm your reputation? I wonder where you two are meeting?"
"There is Tuanfeng Town east of Hankou and north of the Yangtze River. I wonder if the general knows about it?" Li Rufeng took refuge here many years ago. He remembered that it was also very convenient to get to Hankou there.
"It's not that far away, but if you want to get there as soon as possible, you won't be able to rely on foot strength alone. I'll send someone to bring a few horses to accompany you. I wonder what Brother Li wants?" Chen Quanzhong knew the regiment style, but , he wanted to see what Li Rufeng and his friends wanted to do. If it was true that the disciples of the Five Mountains were in trouble, it would be good to recruit them. Otherwise, they would catch them all in one fell swoop. It would be fine to give Liu Jingshan and others a favor, and Or does he have other intentions? After all, he was able to find his hidden lair and his accomplices. No matter how you look at it, this matter cannot be solved by killing him.
Although Li Rufeng didn't know Chen Quanzhong's plan, he couldn't refuse his seemingly kind offer at this time, so he had to accept it happily. However, this may not be a good opportunity for him to get more information and find an opportunity to escape. .
