When it was light, Lin Fu was awakened by a slight knock on the door. He got up and subconsciously touched the wooden box in his arms, and after confirming that he was safe, he responded: "Please come in." "
The door was pushed open, and Su Muyun walked in with a food box, and the morning light shone through the window lattice behind her, plating a layer of light gold on the hem of her plain clothes. "Wake up? Just in time, the breakfast just made by the store is eaten hot. She put the food box on the table, which contained two white noodle steamed buns, a bowl of millet porridge, and a small plate of pickles.
Lin Fu then felt empty in his stomach, and after thanking him, he picked up the steamed buns and nibbled on them. The porridge was warm, and when it slid into his throat, there was a faint aroma of rice, which relaxed his nerves that had been tense all night.
"Senior Qin said, we will leave after breakfast." Su Muyun sat down opposite him, looked at Wu Qing under his eyes, and said softly, "If you are tired, you can sleep on the road for a while, we hired a carriage." "
Lin Fu shook his head: "I want to send my father on his last journey." "
Su Muyun's eyes flashed with a hint of understanding, and he nodded: "Senior Qin has already arranged it, Shen Qing is staring over there, and we will go over after eating." "
On the edge of the mass grave at the east end of the town, a temporary pit was dug. Blacksmith Lin's body was wrapped in a coarse cloth and placed on a wooden board beside the pit. Several men in the town were holding shovels and standing silently aside. Shen Qing was wearing a plain dress, and when he saw Lin Fu coming, he nodded slightly: "I'm ready, waiting for you." "
Lin Fu walked to the board, squatted down, and gently revealed a corner of the coarse cloth. Blacksmith Lin's face was already a little stiff, but the outline between his eyebrows and eyes was still familiar. He stretched out his hand to touch his father's cheek again, but his fingertips stopped in mid-air, and finally he just clenched his fist tightly.
"Dad, I'm leaving." His voice was hoarse, "Don't worry, I will live well and find the person who harmed you." "
There are no rhetoric, only a heavy promise, which dissipates in the cool wind of the morning.
Shen Qing stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder: "Let's be buried in peace." "
Lin Fu nodded and stepped aside. Several men carried wooden planks and slowly put the body of the blacksmith Lin into the pit. The shovel was raised, the loess fell, and a small earthen grave was soon piled up. There is no tombstone, only a simple wooden plaque with the words "Tomb of Lin Gong" written in charcoal.
Lin Fu bowed deeply to the earthen grave three times, each bent to the bottom. When he got up, he saw Su Muyun standing not far away, holding a string of paper money in his hand, silently adding it to the fire. Qin Zhengshan turned his back to them, looking at the rolling hills in the distance, not knowing what he was thinking.
When leaving the mass grave, Lin Fu took one last look back at the new grave. From now on, Qingshi Town will no longer have his home.
Back at the inn, Shen Qing had already hired the carriage and parked it at the door of the inn. It was a very ordinary green cloth carriage, and the two draft horses looked quite strong. Qin Zhengshan got into the carriage, Shen Qing was responsible for catching the carriage, and Su Muyun asked Lin Fu to sit in the carriage with her.
"Let's go to the Zhengqi League branch in Chuzhou Mansion first." When the carriage started, Qin Zhengshan's voice came from the front, "Heifengtang has been active in the Chuzhou area recently, and we were here to investigate their smuggling of salt and iron, but now it seems that we have to check their relationship with the Shadow Pavilion." "
Lin Fu sat by the window, lifted the curtain, and watched the outline of Qingshi Town become smaller little by little, and finally disappeared at the end of the road. His heart was empty, as if a piece had been dug up, but something was quietly growing - a determination mixed with sadness, anger and confusion.
"What is the Shadow Pavilion?" He couldn't help but ask.
There was silence in the carriage for a moment, and Su Muyun explained softly: "The Shadow Pavilion is the most mysterious organization in the rivers and lakes, no one knows where their main altar is, and no one knows who their leader is." They act secretively, good and evil, as long as they pay enough money, they will take on any job, and they will never miss. "
"Then they are powerful?"
"Hmm." Su Muyun nodded, "The killers of the Shadow Pavilion all have unique skills, and their whereabouts are uncertain, and most of the sects in the rivers and lakes are unwilling to provoke them." Although the Black Wind Hall is crowded and powerful, in terms of means, it is far worse than the Shadow Pavilion. It's really strange that they would do it for the same thing this time. "
Lin Fu didn't speak anymore, lowered his head and touched the wooden box in his arms. It seems that the secret in this wooden box is more than he thinksis even more important.
The carriage did not go fast, and the wheels ran over the muddy dirt road with a creaking sound. Lin Fu leaned against the carriage, looking at the ridges and trees flying outside the window, and gradually became a little drowsy. In a daze, he felt that the wooden box in his arms seemed to be heating up again, like a small heater.
He woke up suddenly, took out the wooden box and opened it, and the half of the jade pendant and parchment paper inside were fine. But when his fingertips touched the half of the lotus jade pendant, he clearly felt that the jade pendant was much warmer than just now, and there was even a faint streamer turning deep in the jade.
What's going on?
Lin Fu frowned and brought the jade pendant in front of him to take a closer look. The sun shone through the gaps in the curtain on the jade pendant, and in the blue-white jade, those lotus patterns seemed to come to life, and the shadows between the lines were like flowing water waves.
He suddenly remembered where the carriage had just passed, and there seemed to be a small river on the side of the road.
Could it be that this jade pendant is related to water?
He was about to try again when the carriage suddenly bumped and stopped.
"What's wrong?" Su Muyun lifted the curtain and asked.
"The road ahead is blocked by a broken tree." Shen Qing's voice came, with a hint of vigilance, "Strange, this tree looks like it has just been cut down." "
Qin Zhengshan also got out of the car, and Lin Fu and Su Muyun followed. I saw a willow tree with a thick bowl mouth lying on the dirt road ahead, and the broken hole on the trunk was very new, still dripping sap.
"Something is wrong." Qin Zhengshan's brows furrowed, and his eyes swept over the grass on the side of the road, "It's too quiet around here, there is not even a bird calling." "
Shen Qing had already pulled out the long sword from his waist and looked around vigilantly: "Senior Qin, be careful of ambushes!" "
Lin Fu's heart suddenly raised his throat, and he subconsciously stepped back and hid behind Su Muyun. Su Muyun also clenched the soft whip around his waist, and scanned the surrounding woods with sharp eyes.
At this moment, there was a sudden sound of "rustling" in the grass on the side of the road, and then a dozen men in black with weapons rushed out of the woods and quickly surrounded the carriage. They were wearing the same costumes as the group that killed the forest blacksmith yesterday, with a hideous smile on their faces.
Led by a one-eyed dragon with a scar extending from his forehead to his chin, he looked particularly fierce. He was playing with a short knife in his hand, his eyes swept over Qin Zhengshan and the three of them, and finally landed on Lin Fu, licking his lips: "Sure enough, here it is." Hand over the things and spare you from death! "
It's a person from the Black Wind Hall!
Shen Qing shouted angrily: "The miscellaneous pieces of the Black Wind Hall dare to ambush here!" His figure shook, and the long sword stabbed the one-eyed dragon with a sound of breaking through the air.
The one-eyed dragon was unhurried, dodged sideways, and swung his short knife backhand, forcing Shen Qing to return his sword to block. "Ideas prick, brothers, come on!" He gave an order, and the rest of the men in black immediately pounced.
Qin Zhengshan's figure moved slightly, standing in front of Lin Fu and Su Muyun, with his hands behind him, and said loudly: "Heifeng Tang is acting so rampantly, do you really think that I am a good bully?" Before he finished speaking, his figure had already burst out like a ghost, and in the face of the three men in black who pounced on him, he actually blocked the three people's blades one by one with only a pair of flesh palms.
"Bang!" "Click!"
With a few crisp sounds, the wrists of the two men in black were hit by him, and the weapon came out of his hand, and the other was slapped on the chest by him, and flew out, spitting blood in his mouth, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.
Lin Fu was stunned. He had never seen such a powerful kung fu, Qin Zhengshan seemed to be just waving his palm at will, but with a thousand powers, those men in black who seemed extremely fierce to him were vulnerable.
Su Muyun also moved. The soft whip in her hand was like a spirit snake coming out of the hole, and the tip of the whip carried a strong wind, specializing in hitting the wrists and knees of the man in black. She was agile and light-footed, shuttling through the crowd, and seemingly weak women made it difficult for several people in black to get close.
Lin Fu knew that he couldn't help, so he could only huddle behind the carriage and hold the wooden box in his arms tightly. He watched Qin Zhengshan and the three of them fighting with the man in black, and his heart was pounding. Shen Qing's swordsmanship is sharp and deadly; Su Muyun's whip method is ingenious, overcoming rigidity with softness; Qin Zhengshan's palm technique is even more unfathomable, and every move contains a lot of strength.
But there were too many people in the Black Wind Hall, and if one fell, two more would immediately make up for it. The one-eyed dragon seemed to know that Qin Zhengshan was a hard stubble, so he avoided him and turned to command his menBesieged Shen Qing and Su Muyun.
"Entangle them! That kid is behind the carriage, go search! The one-eyed dragon shouted.
The two men in black immediately broke away from the battle circle and rushed towards Lin Fu with a fierce smile.
Lin Fu's face turned pale with fright, and he turned around and wanted to hide in the carriage, but was grabbed by one of the men in black. The man's strength was so great that his bones hurt.
"Boy, hand over what is in your arms!" The man in black said viciously, and took out his other hand into his arms.
"Let go of me!" Lin Fu struggled, raising his foot to kick the man in black.
At this moment, a whip shadow struck like lightning, and with a "pop", it whipped the wrist of the man in black. The man in black screamed and let go of his hand, and there was an instant blood stain on his wrist.
"Dare to move him to try!" Su Muyun's voice was filled with anger, and he forced another man in black to retreat with a soft whip.
But she was distracted, and the two men in black who besieged her immediately seized the opportunity and slashed their long knives at the same time. Su Muyun hurriedly returned the whip to block, but was swept in the shoulder by one of the knife winds, snorted, and staggered back two steps.
"Mu Yun!" Seeing this, Shen Qing felt anxious, there was a flaw in his swordsmanship, and he was seized by the one-eyed dragon and slashed his arm with a knife, and blood immediately gushed out.
The situation instantly became critical.
Qin Zhengshan shouted angrily, his palms came out, forcing the enemy in front of him to retreat, wanting to support Su Muyun and Shen Qing, but he was entangled by four or five men in black, and it was difficult to get out for a while.
Seeing this, the one-eyed dragon laughed fiercely and personally walked towards Lin Fu with a knife: "No one can save you!" "
Lin Fu looked at the one-eyed dragon approaching step by step, felt the strong murderous aura on his body, and his whole body was trembling. But the wooden box in his arms seemed to have a temperature, which made his chest hurt. He remembered the moment when Blacksmith Lin fell, and he remembered his promise.
You can't let them snatch the wooden box!
A courage that came from nowhere surged into his heart, Lin Fu suddenly picked up a stone from the ground, held it tightly in his hand, and glared at the one-eyed dragon: "Don't come here!" "
The one-eyed dragon was amused by his appearance, and his footsteps kept moving: "A boy who hasn't grown hair, how dare he scare me?" "
At the moment when he reached out to grab Lin Fu, a trace of determination flashed in Lin Fu's eyes, and he used all his strength to smash the stone in his hand towards the one-eyed dragon's one-eyed!
This time it was fast and urgent, and the one-eyed dragon obviously didn't expect him to dare to resist, and it was too late by the time he reacted.
"Ah——!"
The stone was impartial and hit his one eye. The one-eyed dragon let out a shrill scream, covered his eyes and retreated again and again, blood gushing out from between his fingers.
This sudden change made everyone stunned for a moment.
Qin Zhengshan seized this opportunity, exerted force with both palms, shook the man in black in front of him, his body was like lightning, and instantly came to the one-eyed dragon, and slapped his chest with a palm.
"Poof-" The one-eyed dragon spat out a large mouthful of blood, flew out, crashed into the tree, and slid to the ground, not knowing whether it was alive or dead.
The group of dragons was leaderless, and the remaining men in black suddenly panicked. Shen Qing and Su Muyun took the opportunity to counterattack, and their swordsmanship and whip techniques became more and more sharp. Qin Zhengshan was even more like a tiger entering the flock, and the palm wind was everywhere, and the men in black fell one after another.
After a few moments, the battle ended.
More than a dozen men in black were either dead or injured, lying on the ground and wailing. Qin Zhengshan walked to the one-eyed dragon, probed his snort, and shook his head: "Dead." "
Shen Qing covered his bleeding arms and walked to Lin Fu's side, with surprise on his face: "You kid can do it, you were accurate just now!" "
Su Muyun also came over, the wound on his shoulder was still bleeding, and his face was a little pale, but he looked at Lin Fu's eyes with approval: "Are you okay?" "
Lin Fu felt frightened, his legs weakened, and he almost sat on the ground. He shook his head, looking at his hands that were still trembling slightly, and the courage at that moment didn't know where he had gone.
Qin Zhengshan came over, his eyes fell on Lin Fu, his eyes were complicated: "Since the people of Heifengtang dare to set up an ambush here, it means that they have long been eyeing us, and they may even know that something is on you." He paused and said in a deep voice, "The next road will be more dangerous." "
Lin Fu clenched his fists and nodded. He knew that this was just the beginning. From now on, such dangers may follow with you.
Shen Qing cut the willow tree across the road and cleared the passage. Su Muyun briefly treated the wound, while Qin Zhengshan searched the body of the man in blackI searched and found nothing useful.
"Let's go, get out of here as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble." Qin Zhengshan said.
I got back into the carriage, and the atmosphere in the carriage was a little solemn. Shen Qing's arm and Su Muyun's shoulder were both injured, although not serious, but it also reminded them that the chase of Heifeng Hall was far more urgent than they imagined.
Lin Fu leaned against the window, looking at the field that was gradually becoming open outside, but his heart was not as clear as this scenery. He looked down at the wooden box