Chapter 8 The eighth round of traveling waves and stepping on bamboo, a child prodigy playing in the heavy rain, a dart master switching on lightning, flying manses, swordsmen on barren hills, and annihilating giant bandits

The clouds were half scattered, and the light rain was like silk.After the heavy rain, the water on the road was a few feet deep.All over the mountains and fields are full of torrents and springs, like thousands of silver snakes appearing and flickering among the sparse forests and shallow grass.On the cliffside of the mountain, countless flying springs have been added. When the wind blows, it dances and dances, and a piece of water mist flies up, like a white dragon hanging upside down, covered with a light veil.Most of the mountain flowers are overwhelmed by the rain, and the soft branches and trunks of the trees are also tilted, or even the whole plant falls sideways.Remnants of beauty and pistils, chasing the water to fight for the flow, only to leave the roots, still fat and gorgeous.There is also light rain in Russia, the whole mountain is like washing, and the eyes are full of freshness.The wind blows in the pines, the sound of springs comes from the sky, and the sound of good birds chirping in the sky is like the twittering of a sheng reed.At present, the good scene, forgetting the pain of muddy and wet, the husbands and husbands were happy, and even sang folk songs, which was very interesting to everyone.

Just in the middle of the road, the sedan chair quickly left the mountain pass and turned to the official road.Suddenly, I saw a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy rushing in from outside the mountain pass. He was dressed like a student from a middle-class family, holding a six-foot-long bamboo pole in each hand. The person passed by, with a look of surprise on his face, his movement was very fast, everyone didn't pay attention, and none of them saw how he got in.Zhou Ping and Yulin's horses were walking behind, watching him secretly, and saw that he was slightly taller than Mole in black, his face was as white as jade, his eyes were blue, and his spirit was clear and boned. He felt that he was not like an ordinary boy.The strangest thing is that we only live in heavy rain, the ground is full of water, and there is no shelter from the rain near the mountain pass. Except for the slight wet marks on the upper body of the long clothes, which seems to be moistened by light rain, the soles of the feet are green shoes and white socks, as if walking on dry ground Come on, there is no trace of mud and water.Fang thought to himself, the child and the two had just met their eyes, and suddenly seemed to remember something urgent, he frowned, lowered the bamboo pole in his hand, and then left the stone and walked towards the path of the crowd.The two looked back on horseback, only to realize that the child was using a bamboo pole instead of walking, and his feet did not touch the ground. When walking, the bamboo pole in his hand moved forward a little, and he immediately stretched out Zhang Xu with his strength, and was about to fall. Shi Wei lifted his body up in the air, only relying on his hands to move slightly, he could not stop rising and falling like a dragonfly touching water, just like a bird swimming in a fish, so fast that he was covered by the trees outside the temple without seeing any shadows.

The two of them knew this kind of kung fu, so they had to pass it down from the inner family and they would never be able to fly in the air.Judging from his behavior, it is expected to be related to the people in the temple.Adults can imagine that children have such skills, and they are so amazed.Lu Kun was careful this time, and he also saw that the child was strange, so he turned his head and looked at it. As soon as the people came out of the mountain pass, they came to ask.Each of the three of them has an oilcloth wide-brimmed hat produced in Fujian. It was originally needed for shelter from rain and sun when walking a long road. Because they thought the smell of paint, they bought it and didn't wear it on the road. Take it out and put it on.Yu Lin.Zhou Ping saw that the sky had cleared up, so he folded it up and stuffed it in the net basket behind the sedan chair.Only Lu Kun has been a little irritable for the past few days, with red threads in his eyes, afraid of seeing the sun, so he didn't remove it.The three of them walked together on horseback, and after a brief chat with the child, Yulin ordered Zhou Ping to clear the way first, while Lu Kun stayed behind, changed himself to be in the middle, walked with his husband's sedan chair, and took care of him back and forth.

Walking for about half a mile, the official road after the rain, except for the mud, is the stagnant water. It is very difficult for people and horses to walk.Yulin had just rested due to the heavy rain, there were no pedestrians on the road, and she was greedy to ask and answer with her good husband, so she didn't pay much attention at first.When the mountain turned around, most of the people in front turned around the corner of the mountain and had already walked for a while. When I turned around, I didn't see the sedan chairs of Lu Kun and Li Jinzhang coming, and I felt strange.Just about to go back to the horse to have a look, suddenly saw two healthy servants under Huang and Li, guarding Li Jinzhang's sedan chair, running from the mud, dripping with mud, with a rather panicked expression.Yulin saw something wrong from a long distance, and Lu Kun didn't follow behind, so her feelings changed and she was taken aback.Fortunately, Zhou Ping was in front and did not go far.Before anyone could approach, he called Zhou Ping back with a secret signal and ordered him to take care of everything.Since I snatched the horse's bridle, I walked back to welcome it through the rain.Before they got close to each other, the two health servants shouted in unison: "Master Zhong, hurry up, Master Lu is fighting with a child! Our boss didn't see the situation well, so he told us to rush here..." The following words Before he finished speaking, he heard the sound of the horse stepping on the cement, and Lu Wang came running on his horse.Yulin saw him with his horse and man, as if he had been rolled in mud soup, covered with water and mud, with an oil hat not knowing where to go, and a lot of mud splashed on his face, but his expression was not very angry .It is expected that either he has the upper hand, or the matter is over, so he hurriedly ordered everyone to set off immediately, and he immediately treated each other.Lu Kun ran close, and said in a bad mood: "There are such powerful and naughty children in the world, and it is only a person surnamed Lu who meets them. It's really annoying! If the adults in his family are not friends, I don't care about people laughing." I beat the little one with the big one, so I have no choice but to hit him with a dart." Yulin couldn't help laughing secretly when he heard that he was so angry that he talked without beginning or end, knowing that he had suffered the child's fault again.When he asked for more details, he found out that he had acted as his stand-in. If he had been the queen, such a capable and cunning child would be equally difficult to deal with.

It turned out that Lu Kun was in a hurry. Seeing that Zhou Ping, Yu Lin and others had already turned around the corner of the mountain, Li Jinzhang was left behind in a sedan chair, because the sedan chair driver was weak, and fell far behind.Fang wanted to hurry up, but unexpectedly, a large pile of rocks and soil fell down from the cliff, blocking the way.As soon as the sedan chair went around, it got stuck in the mud by mistake, took a step, pulled out a step, and walked slower and slower.Lu Kun and the two health servants discovered it early, and although they did not repeat the same mistakes, they couldn't walk quickly.With great difficulty, the bearers were pulled up from the wet mud.Seeing that the section of cement was slippery and the ground was uneven, the second servant was afraid that the bearer would stumble and fall, so he rushed forward, one on each side, holding the sedan chair, for help.Only Lu Kun was escorting behind the sedan chair, and the sedan chair and the horse were separated by about three or four zhang. Lu Wang was very good at riding horses, and he rode a well-trained horse in the escort industry. I want to take advantage of the difficult road of cement to train horses to relieve boredom.Buckle the belly of the horse with both feet, put the reins on the saddle, and turn the back of the horse with both knees, and the horse will move left and right according to the person's will, sometimes standing tall, sometimes standing upright, sometimes sideways, and sometimes squatting. Short, as if encountering an enemy and fighting, it can only hover within a radius of two feet, and it is extremely flexible.After a few turns, the sedan horse in front was naturally further away.Zhong, Lu and Zhou often practice this kind of riding skills when the roads are lonely and unmanned.The bearers used by Huang and Li are also the long-legged ones hired by the escort when they got up, unlike Yaomin and the other three who now hire one-way short-legged one-way short-legged people everywhere. , and the road is struggling, everyone is busy rushing forward, no one pays attention to it.

After Lu Kun practiced responding to the enemy, he practiced retreating again.With a sudden cry, he grabbed the life-saving mane and pulled it back, clasped the horse's belly with his knees, sat back, and the horse stepped on extremely dense steps "ba, ba, ba" and fell backwards. Fei also seemed to retreat, retreating seven or eight feet in one breath, mud and water splashed on the ground, and the horse was so tired that it raised its head and sprayed foam, steaming.Lu Tuo still refused to stop, thinking that the road behind him was wide and wide, and there was no obstacle except mud and bumps. He planned to see how far he could retreat in such a difficult place.Just as he was secretly praising the horse for being so energetic, the horse suddenly flew with all four hooves and rushed forward desperately, as if it had been hit by some hidden weapon.

Lu Zheng knew very well that this horse would never go wrong, he was going backwards, but unexpectedly, he changed his retreat to advance, and the momentum was so fierce that no matter how good his riding skills were, he couldn't stand it, he rushed forward, his feet were separated The horse's belly almost fell out of the horse's head.Fortunately, the horse is spiritual and has been trained for a long time. When the hindquarters inadvertently ate a heavy one, it was suspicious that a strong enemy was coming, half of it ran forward in pain, and half of it was still anxious for the master. Seeing that the master was about to fall, he raised his head.Lu Kun pulled out all his strength, got off the saddle, hugged the horse's head, and hung himself down first.This kind of posture of "spirit monkey picking fruit" and "dragon head exploring pearls" is like changing an ordinary horse. If a person rides on it, the horse's head will be heavy, and it will definitely go down. Even if you are injured, you will be trampled to death by the horse, which is the most dangerous.Those who can only ride horses have never done so.The horses of the Nansheng Escort are selected from Sichuan, Tibet and other places with a high price, and after being trained by extremely strict and dexterous coaches, these dangerous tricks have been practiced for a long time.

As soon as Lu Kun hugged the horse's head tightly with both hands, the horse raised its head even higher and seemed to be running forward.Lu Zheng loosened his hands slightly, then slid down from the horse's neck, grabbed the life-saving mane again, pressed his hand slightly, and rolled onto the horse's back.Looking back in the busy schedule, the child I saw in the mountain pass just now is still on the ground with two bamboos, his body is flying in the air, like a flying fish, and he is chasing after him.At this time, the horse ran in a panic all the way, and it had galloped more than ten feet in a blink of an eye.Although the child is not as fast as the horse, the difference is only three or four zhang. Between one step and one fall, he pointed at Lu Kun with the bamboo pole in his hand and shouted: "You can't run away! Come back quickly and save me trouble!" Lu Kun knew that the horse was shocked. It was he who played tricks behind him, and he was so angry that he immediately reined in his horse and turned around, went forward to meet him, and asked, "Is it your fault that I am frightened?" The child said: "Everyone rides forward, but you Backed away, it was about to hit me, so I tapped it with a bamboo pole, I didn’t want to hit it harder. I don’t want to talk about it, I just ask you, just came from the temple, have you ever been to my house? ?”

When Lu Kun heard that the child openly said that he had plotted against this horse, he became more and more angry. The child spoke a local accent and couldn't hear clearly, so he asked him if he had been to the temple before. He didn't pay attention to the child's skills, and held two thin bamboo poles in both hands. , with a flat body, as straight as being nailed to the ground, not crooked, and replied angrily, "What if I've been there?" Thief! How dare you sneak into someone’s house to rummage things in broad daylight. Because there is only one person’s footprint, I’m still not sure who it is. I just see that you are a thief and a bit suspicious. I don’t want to scare you. , Sure enough, you are not wronged. Since you dare to admit your account, and you still have three points of popularity, obediently follow me to the temple, and lick off your dog's footprints, or you will die!"

Although Lu Tuo was furious, seeing the child's age, he was too embarrassed to hurt him, and planned to ask a few words, and if he was not convinced, he would take another precaution.Unexpectedly, the child was not afraid of people, and when he said such rude words, he couldn't help but slammed into him.Knowing that Yulin Temple used to take shelter from the rain and went to the back hall, he was busy changing clothes, so he didn't pay attention to inquire. Maybe there was a child's home behind, and Yulin walked in behind his back and rummaged through other people's things. The child went back and found it, and came to embarrass him.But Shi has already admitted his account, and it is inconvenient to change his words. He cursed angrily: "Brave dog, plot against me for no reason, and dare to hurt others before you are spared! I want to beat you, and it seems that I am suppressing the small. It's too embarrassing..."

Before he finished speaking, the child sneered and said, "If you are a thief yourself, you still have to go crazy! Come on, come on, I will see who will obey and who will control." After speaking, the bamboo pole with his right hand was on the ground alone, and he raised his left hand to aim at Lu Zheng. .Lu Kun had only a concealed weapon with him, and the weapon was hung on the belly of the horse. Because the opponent was a child, he didn't want to use a weapon at first, so he went to get the whip hanging from the saddle with his left hand, and stretched out his right hand to catch the bamboo pole. When he stumbled, he was unconvinced and left with two whips at most.Unexpectedly, the child is quick and skillful, and this move is a false move. Seeing that Lu Zheng stretched out his hand to fish, he retracted early.Lu Kun snatched nothing, and was about to whip the whip, the child's left bamboo pole fell to the ground, and the right bamboo pole came again.Lu Zheng suddenly felt that the child's hands were extremely strong, and hurried back, the whip had already been loosened, the horse backed up a few steps, his hand hurt, the whip almost fell out of his hand, he couldn't help being startled and angry. Seeing that the child's bamboo pole was being touched, he quickly swung his whip at the enemy, and pulled out the saber on the horse's belly with one hand, intending to cut off the child's bamboo pole.The child also understood his intentions, held his head up and leaned down, with his hands on the bamboo poles on the ground, following the ups and downs, he pointed to Lu Wang, just like a sick crane.Because Lu Kun is a child, it is inconvenient to use a knife to injure him. Although the child's body is suspended in the air, he is more agile than usual, so he would never touch him.Lu Zheng immediately responded to the battle, the ground was muddy and bumpy, and his movements were not quick when advancing and retreating.The kid was even worse, and I also tried Lu Zhengyi's great energy. After meeting him a few times, he changed his method. He didn't fight him hard, but just let him suffer a little bit. He no longer jumped left and right, and circled with the horse. With the last bamboo pole, Lu Kun was almost missed twice again.The children picked up the dead leaves and weeds floating on the ground with bamboo poles, and they beat people and horses for a while. Just as Lu Kun blocked the gap with his knife, a black mass flew up from the ground, and he quickly blocked it with his knife again. Although it fell and was not hit, it was covered with cement filth, and was shocked by the knife. It was splashed all over the head, face, and the whole body. The earthy smell was pungent, and accidentally splashed some into the mouth. Clamp the horse's belly with one foot, aim at the child and rush forward with a knife.I don't want people to rush, but hook out the child's bad idea, stop beating people with the two bamboos in my hands, and focus on beating horses.The sword is short and the horse is long, and it is difficult to protect. Lu Zheng became more and more confused.After a few face-to-face encounters, the horse has already eaten the heavy one twice.Shang Xing's horse is a good horse, and children also fall in love with horses. They only make things difficult for others and have no intention of harming them.Otherwise, although Lu Kun's victory or defeat is still uncertain, the horse he sat on would have been sent to the end early. Lu Kun hated the child very much, and knew that the horse would be seriously injured sooner or later, so he scolded the child angrily: "Don't dare to fight with people, but why are you against the horse? Are you an animal like a horse?" The child also scolded: "Shameless day thief! You can't beat people, but you use animals as bad luck. If I don't think this horse is much more promising than you, I will kill it with a bamboo pole and tell you to ride a dog in the future. The whole battle This bastard didn't show his eyes, yet he dared to talk loudly! The little grandpa got angry, and even the horse took you out together, let's see if you still scold him! If you love it, it's good, get down and share with the little grandpa Compete. If you win, I don’t say anything. If you lose, leave the horse for my grandfather to ride. If you kowtow again, I’ll spare you.” Lu Kun didn’t take it easy, and thought it was difficult to fight on a horse, but Forgetting that the ground is full of mud and water, hitting the ground is not easy to perform, and shouted angrily: "Puppy, it's up to you!" After taking off the stirrups with both feet, he swung the knife in his hand, and performed a trick of "wind sweeping flowers", and danced. A large piece of knife flower, flying away from the horse, watching the shallow water and going straight.As soon as he landed on the ground, he felt the soles of his shoes were sticky and slippery. Fang thought something was wrong. The child had already made a gesture of "crane spreading its wings", and he came over with two bamboos in his hands.Lu Kun had to deal with the enemy and keep his feet on the ground. It was hard work for Lu Kun, and the child was very good at it. The bamboo pole in his hand never touched the knife. The top used the bamboo tip to point at the vital point, and the bottom was ready to retreat at the same time. Then volley leaped far away. There are puddles and mud puddles all over the place, with different depths. If you are not careful, if you step on it, it will be about a foot deep, and it is quite laborious to pull it out.Lu Zheng's martial arts were not weak in the first place, although he was not injured and defeated in the battle, his ups and downs were far less nimble and convenient than a child's. He was splashed in muddy water and exhausted his life's strength, but he still didn't gain the slightest victory.The child focused on teasing, but Lu Wang became more and more angry, and his rules became more chaotic, he clenched his teeth secretly, anyway, his whole body was already wet and dirty, so he no longer cared about the soles of his feet, so he chased forward with a knife in his hand, and the soles of his feet were slightly negligent. Going deep into the cement, the silt below is as thick as a foot, and I used too much force for a while, and I sank into it at once. I just pulled out my left foot, and when I tried hard with my right foot, I sank in again, and I couldn't break free in a hurry.Seeing that he was trapped, the child laughed and stood upside down on the edge of the pit. First, he tapped a few times with the two bamboos in his hands. Seeing that he was far away and couldn't stab him, he picked up the mud and weeds on the ground and aimed at Lu Kun to shake his body. Don't go down either.Lu Kun wished he could eat the child raw to relieve his hatred, but he had nowhere to use his power. He was angry and anxious, and had to swing a knife to defend, unable to attack. After a stalemate for a while, the two healthy servants saw that the situation was not good, and wanted to return to their horses to help beat the child.Because Li Jinzhang was also a child the night before, he was haunted and haunted. It is still difficult for Lu Kun to win, let alone others?He stopped quickly and ordered to hurry forward and deliver letters to Yulin and others.The three masters and servants had just turned around the corner of the mountain, where Lu Kun was furious, trying to splash a little more cement, using all his life's strength, jumped up from the mud, and reached the good ground, just about to hit the child with a dart Suddenly, someone shouted: "Xing'er, stop quickly!" The child was fighting with a bamboo pole, and immediately jumped away when he heard the sound.Lu Wang looked up, and there was a person behind the child. He didn't see how the soles of his feet ran, and he was in front of him in a blink of an eye. He was about 30 years old, dressed as a poor man, with a clear appearance, and his eyes were shining. There were so many cement along the way. The depth of the stagnant water was almost two feet, and there was no way around it. This person didn't even seem to have any wetness on the upper of his shoes. He knew that it was not a mediocrity, so he was about to open his mouth. What an offense, brother, I think he is young, so please forgive him for the crime of ignorance." When Lu Kun heard this, he was surprised that the person who came here recognized him. He had already said what he said, so he couldn't argue with the child anymore, so he hurriedly said: "I didn't want to be troublesome, but he chased me for no reason and entangled me. There is an adult in control, so I can't be as knowledgeable as a child. It's just that my brother and brother have never met before, so how do you know the cheap surname?" When he was talking, he slightly heard the child shame his face with his hands behind the visitor, and muttered: "It's an old age, face to face To tell the truth, who is full and has nothing to do, looking for rotten loach and toad to play with? If you don't go into someone's house and look for my master's things, I will look for you?" Lu Kun heard the words and was touched by the black-clothed Mole the night before. As soon as he blushed about the insult, the visitor turned around and shouted: "Xing'er, if you want to talk nonsense again, you will slap your mouth! Although Master Lu came to Xiaozhai, he was just taking shelter from the rain and bored, just looking at it, which is worth taking seriously." Why, why don’t you go back to me!” The child answered, turned around and left. The person who came came said: "Little brother Lingfeng lives in the side hall behind the ruined temple where you shelter from the rain. I occasionally went out this morning because of something urgent. It happened that there was something in Tuqian Village, so I was not in the temple. I was haunted by ghosts in that temple before." No one in the neighborhood dared to enter, and the foolish master and apprentice lived there for two years. How can you tell? The meeting was about to rush back, so I just closed the door and left. Unexpectedly, I met a friend who was too fond of playing, and suddenly it rained heavily, and I was delayed for a while. Walking out of the temple and looking back, there is a horse dung stove left in the front hall, mud marks under the eaves and windows of the stone piles outside the house, and a person's footprints in the room, and even the letters on the case seem to have been turned over. His little friend also Then I arrived, young and happy, I thought it was okay to borrow someone's place to shelter from the rain, even if I was looking for the owner in the temple, I wanted to borrow something to eat, and I wanted to visit inside, it was all reasonable, it seemed that I felt that I was too late to spy in this compartment Tong, let alone open the door and go into someone's bedroom without authorization? If it's not a thief, I can't go on, I have to find someone in the future and ask to understand." "Actually, that little friend had other intentions. He specially asked him to come and play this joke with you. He also told the boy that there are three people waiting for the martial arts meeting, and he met them in the future. Those two people even Sincerely, I will never do such a thing. You must have done it. On the way home, I saw three horsemen wearing oil hats, but he said that only one of you likes to wear oil hats. I couldn’t recognize him. The clothes and the color of the horse were mentioned together. The boy was young and ignorant, and he was excited by the boy's words, so he immediately chased him down. ', using double bamboo to walk, walking is not fast, this time I didn't bring a change of clothes and shoes, I thought there was too much cement, so I didn't follow. After a while, the younger brother went back to the temple, and Fang felt that someone had come in the room, so he said with a smile Passed by. I know that the young man is stubborn. Although I often warn him not to hurt others, one is afraid that he will cause trouble in a hurry, and the other is that his little skill is no match for a wise man? No matter what, it is not good. There is something at hand I didn't even bother to do anything, so I rushed here. I know that Your Excellency is already a well-known person in the Jianghu. Let him go back to the temple, and when he was young, he will be punished for the crime of not obeying his teacher's order and doing many things without authorization, please mount your horse." Lu Kun went to the temple to shelter from the rain. He was busy drying clothes at the time. Not only did he not go deep, he didn't even know whether there was a temple behind him or what it looked like. As I said before, things are done by my own people, so it is inconvenient to change my words and say something else. The attitude and expression of the visitors are not easy to deal with. The disciple is like this, but the teacher knows it, so he has to hold back his resentment and perfunctory a few words.Although the other party's words were neither overbearing nor humble, and his words were stinging, he was still polite. He didn't go back until Zuo Bie got on his horse. Lu Kun looked for a way to move forward, and first went to the new waterfall next to the cliff to get rid of the mud on his body. The oil hat was so filthy and messy that he could no longer buy it. The more he thought about the past, the more angry he suddenly remembered, there was so much cement on the road When you come here, you have to go through at least a dozen muddy and watery places. The depth is extraordinary, and the shortcomings can still be jumped over. here?Looking back, in the time it takes for this cup of tea to arrive, the person has disappeared.The road is very straight, and it can be seen that it is far away. On one side, there are dangerous cliffs and cut walls, the lowest of which is six or seven feet high.It's like meeting a god and monster, dazzling and disappearing, so surprised. After running over the corner of the mountain, Yulin had already been trusted and rode his horse to help.After listening to him finish his story, he thought to himself that this person acted strangely, Lu Zheng was really careless, since the other party knew his name, why didn't he inquire about his origin, and just missed it?Seeing that his anger still persisted, he said a few words of comfort and went on the road together.When I arrived at Pucheng, I didn't go in, I just searched for land outside the city, and quietly told my good husbands what happened.They all felt that the master and apprentice must have something to do with their side.Seeing him kill the two thieves and bring back the head, outsiders would not care about his secrets.The said little friend, instigated by name to make jokes with Lu Wang, is also quite like the behavior of Mole in black.Even if you don't have the heart to help yourself, you must share the same hatred with the people in the mud.The bandit party has added powerful enemies, and they have hurt two of his experts as soon as they met, so it is naturally good to have such unexpected help.It's just that this person is ruthless, unlike the steady and thorough people in the mud, and the backer of the bandit party is in power, so there is no guarantee that there will be no troubles in the future.This time, it added to my mind.It is best to ignore it and go to the province as soon as possible to ensure safety.But Guanshan is difficult to cross, and the road is blocked by rain. It is still uncertain whether we can reach Baimao Town tonight.Yulin was insulted by children because of Lu Kun, regardless of his intentions, he always felt that the bodyguard was embarrassed and worried, and secretly told Lu and Zhou Zhou to be careful, patience is the most important thing, and if there is any festival, wait for it. Let's talk after the darts, you must maintain the reputation of the darts, and don't worry about it immediately; on the one hand, you will reward all your husbands and urge you to hurry. After finishing the tip, we set off in a hurry.Fortunately, the terrain in the future is relatively high, there are many stone roads, and there is very little accumulation.It's just that as soon as you pass Pucheng, you enter the chaotic mountains. The mountains are high and the valleys are deep, and there are almost dangerous obstacles at every step.It's not too far away from Xianxia, ​​it's just like a winding road, circling up and down, it's very difficult to travel.When they arrived at a hillside near Osprey's Mouth, after a short distance, the horses and horses were exhausted, and all the bearers stopped to rest.Yulin saw that where he was walking, there were mountains and ridges all around, dangerous walls like cuts, towering bamboo stalks, and dense forests to block out the sun. The post road was just on the top of the hillside, and there were three forks at the bottom of the slope, leading to the Tianwang Temple on the right, and the depths of the jungle were slightly red. At one corner of the wall, there are people at the foot of the mountain looming in threes and fives, about half a mile apart; the canyon in the middle is deep and deep, and there is a slight line of firewood trails on the cliff, which is rarely traveled by people, so it is difficult to go around; It doesn't look too good to go.He made a plan with Zhou Ping and said: "These three roads, except for going on the right side, pass through a grand canyon on the side of Du Tianwang Temple, which is the official post road from Fujian to Zhejiang. The middle road is narrow and dangerous, and horses cannot pass through it. , only the left road can reach Zimao Town, but it takes a detour of more than ten miles. Now that there is no rest due to the people's eagerness to be the first, and the rain in the north of the mountain is very little, it will not hinder the trek. Not long to the west, if you take the left road, you really have to hurry, and you can get there by the moonlight, but it will be much darker then." Yulin thought, the enemy here is familiar with the road, there are many mountains, condescending, and many It can be seen from a distance, if there is a real trouble, whichever way you go will be blocked, the people and horses are already tired, why bother to take a long way?It's better to pretend not to be aware of it and let him break through.He still ordered Zhou Ping to lead the horse and walk with the horses, one after the other, until they reached the tired place. Not half a mile to the right, passing the cliff, Zhou Ping rode forward, and saw that although the valley path ahead was wide, the situation was very dangerous.Not far to the right, under the cliff, there is a large black forest.I saw the Tianchou of the temple family, all hidden in it, and I couldn't see it at all when I was close to it, only the faint sound of barking.Thinking of Mole in black's instructions when he left, looking back, the horse has not arrived yet, if there is an enemy, he must hide in the forest and peek outside.Fang Zi reined in his horse and walked slowly, hesitating in his heart. Suddenly something flew down from the cliff on the left. Zhou Ping caught it quickly and saw it was a stone egg. , can lead to the way forward, absolutely correct." The depiction is messy and difficult to identify.Looking back, the top of the cliff is very high, and there is no one in sight.Knowing the reason, he hurried back to his horse to meet the brigade. Yulin looked at the stone egg, the handwriting was not neat, it didn't look like an adult's writing.The sun is already in the west, and the mountain trails are desolate. A little careless measures will inevitably lead to danger. My husband also said that there is no path other than the official road, and only Shicai slope can be diverted.Fearful of luring the enemy, he strayed into an ambush.I wanted to take it easy and let him go, and hit him if I encountered him.Zhou Ping was instructed by Mole in black, and he said: "The situation in that place is already very dangerous. If there is an ambush by the enemy, there is no need to change the location. This stone must be done by one of our own people. Anyway, it is better to postpone the move if you have the idea of ​​​​meeting the enemy. , I will explore the road to the left of the cliff to see if people and horses can pass through, and then determine the direction." Yulin agreed.Zhou Ping looked around to the left of the cliff, and there was a large depression of reed ponds. Looking closely at the water, the water was faintly visible. In addition to the reed ponds on both sides, there was also a zigzagging weed grass in the middle, which meandered to the front and was blocked by mountains.The grass is very long and mixed with the reeds, it is hard to see unless you look closely.The upper and lower sides are separated, at least they are two feet high.In the past thirty years here, there have been several earthquakes, mausoleums and valleys have changed, and the official road has been changed many times. Could it be that the old way was not successful?Thinking of this, he found a slope and galloped down.It was only three or five feet away, and it was as expected. Not only are there reed ponds on both sides, but there are roads in the middle, and there are ruins of houses in the grass on the side of the road. Dry up, appear gradually.Overjoyed in my heart, I hurriedly waved to the top. Yulin also saw the shadow and urged everyone to get down quickly.After walking for a while, I realized that the pond is very low and the grass is at the same level as the reed, so the road is not wide, and the ground is hidden by the grass. Looking down, it looks like the grass and reed are connected into one piece, but in fact the grass is no more than knee deep, and people and horses can walk.After walking for tens of feet, the reed field is getting higher and higher, and people are hidden, so it is difficult to find it even if you look from above.This way of identifying the old way of the official station, even if there is an obstacle ahead, it will take a little work at most, and there will be no way to find it.Not only is the road short and easy to walk, but it also avoids the pain of climbing and circumventing, and also escapes a thrilling danger. Everyone is very happy.Zhou Ping thought to himself, the person who threw the stone was not the man in the mud, but also Mole in black. Seeing that he is so skilled and bold, and he ordered him to avoid the road, there must be a vicious fight.Just as he was hanging, he suddenly heard the sound of weapons clashing and fighting coming from the cliff on the right.Taking a closer look at the road, the road turned around the mountain and turned back, just to the back of the high cliff that I passed by when I was exploring the road just now, and over the cliff, maybe it was in front of the forest of Dutianwang Temple, so I told Yulin. Yulin also heard the sound of fighting and killing, and hurriedly ordered everyone to proceed carefully and not to shout.Zhou Ping then handed over the horse to a follower, and went to the top of the cliff to have a look.There is a reed pond across the cliff, and I was trying to find a way to go around it, when I caught a glimpse of four thin bamboo poles stuck in the tangled reeds, resembling what was held in the hands of the child with a pair of bamboos that I saw outside the pass of the road. After picking up two, I suspect that the child came with Naishi Lingfeng, and also went up the cliff from here.I looked carefully at the place where the bamboo was inserted, and there was a seemingly broken ridge leading directly to the foot of the cliff, separated from the reeds on both sides, and actually walked down to the bottom of the cliff. It was left by the local residents before the earthquake.Ascending along the path, before reaching the top of the cliff, the sound of killing could be heard clearly.When I got to the top of the cliff, I hid myself from the mouth of the cliff, and looked down, the place was not far from the place where I returned to my horse just now, and it was the widest place in the valley of the Temple of Heavenly Kings.The top of the cliff is several tens of feet away from the ground, and is covered by dangerous rocks. It is clear at a glance when you look down from a height, but it is difficult to see when you look up from the bottom. It is really a good place to watch the battle.Zhou Pingjiu has traveled the world for a long time, and he has the best eyesight. He knows that both sides are rivals at the first sight. It turned out that there were a lot of people on the one side who made the move under the cliff. The leader was a middle-sized man, who spoke with a mix of northern and southern accents. He stood aside and directed his subordinates. The grandfather is actually surnamed Yang. He never avoids officials, and he is not afraid of trouble. He changed his surname to Liu just because he washed his hands for many years and lived in seclusion. Now that you know the name of the grandfather, how dare you offend my friends in my territory? The uncle will never win with more You don’t have to do it yourself, you don’t have to do it yourself, someone will take you.” At the same time, he shouted at everyone who did it: “Don’t teach these three bastards to run away! I will take off his hijab and see what kind of raccoon cat and wild egg he is. Impossible." Standing by the side are all the laymen, monks and Taoists, each of them is full of energy, with a strong body, not like a weak hand.There were three pairs in total.Someone surnamed Yang has already been defeated. One just got off the stage and claimed to be Liu Mingwei; Even yesterday, before staying at Yan Zhuang, he met a big northern man with a knife paralyzed face, his martial arts are not weak, he was fighting bitterly with the enemy, and he was full of curses.The three opponents are all masked with soft gauze, wearing ordinary short clothes, blindly fighting, they don't seem to be clamoring like enemies.Sometimes he would say a few words, his voice was quite low, and his words seemed to be harsh and sarcastic, which made the enemy very angry.It is certain that the leader must be Yang Biao.At first he thought that the man in the mud might be among the three masked men, then he thought about it, the man in the mud took the safety of the two of them at his own risk and ordered them to go on the road together, what a skill it is!Judging by the looks of the two parties, they have been fighting for quite a while, although two of the enemy party seem to be injured, the leader has not finished yet, after all, the outcome is hard to tell, if this is the case, how can they get out safely?I don't think so.For example, it is Ling Feng, the owner of the ruined temple, but the child flying with bamboo is not included. I don't know who the other two are, and there is Mole in black. Since I asked to pay attention here, it can be seen that I have expected it, why haven't I seen it? Feeling strange, suddenly hearing a loud roar, Liu Wei seemed to have been hit hard by a masked man, turned over and fell to the ground.A middle-aged Taoist priest next to Yang Biao took off his Taoist robe and tossed it sideways. Even if he was about to come out, several members of the remaining party came to rescue him.Although the masked man knocked Liu Wei down, he didn't hurt him. He pointed at the enemy and shouted: "You don't need to panic! Send friend Liu back first, make room, calm down, and fight again." The Taoist shouted: "Don't be crazy, you fellow! The patriarch hasn't made a move for many years, so I don't want to let you go back alive today!" After talking, the weapon in his hand swung forward, as if he was distracted to stab it.The weapon is about three feet long, the front is like a human hand, the thumb and little finger are slightly hooked downwards, the index finger and ring finger are also bent like a hook, and only the middle finger stands upright; there is a crescent ring two feet away from the hand, and the hand is held inside it; the tip of the handle Made into a triangle, it is dazzling and very sharp.The masked guest is also using an unusual weapon. In his left hand he holds an iron crutch that is more than two feet long and the thickness of a teacup, and in his right hand is a hammer with a soft chain, which is as big as a fist. The stake protruded outwards, and the style was very strange. When the Taoist pierced it, he first moved the iron crutch to the side, pushed it away with a bang, and shouted: "What is your name, this thief? Tell me quickly." , I will decide whether you live or die, otherwise, if you want to go back alive like Liu, you will be hopeless." The Taoist sneered and said, "Blind rat! I never dared to sign up, and dared to ask your patriarch's name! The patriarch's name is on this weapon. You don't even recognize it, so you broke ground on Tai Sui? " Then he swiped his palm again. The masked man was not in a hurry, turned his left hand to meet him, blocked it twice, and said with a smile: "Don't do it now, wait until I'm done asking. I don't know But you know the origin of this weapon." Hearing this, the Taoist suddenly thought of something, stopped his hands and shouted: "Let you live a little longer, to see if you are right." The masked man laughed and said : "This weapon of yours was originally called the Sun Moon Cactus, also known as the Evil Ghost Hand. He Chong, the real ghost hand of the evil way, became famous for it in the past. It was originally a pair, and the size was not as long. I saw you use this weapon first. Misunderstanding I thought he was the disciple and grandson of the wicked He Chong, but after thinking about it, although He Chong is hateful, he has the strictest acceptance of disciples, and he will never accept half-baked students. You are not worthy of being a disciple of the evil way even if the size of your weapon is not right. I want to show mercy and let you live Two years ago, I asked your name and surname to see if you should be killed or not. How come you don’t know what to do?" Hearing this, the Taoist was shocked and angry, and shouted: "Speaking out the teachings of the patriarch, I am afraid that I will scare your dog. Courage! Take your life!" The masked man shouted: "You don't dare to use a name, and you use such a guy. You must be the thief who slipped through the net when you returned to Yanfeng in Hengshan. Today, you will not be tolerated!"The Taoist saw that he was very skilled in solving numbers, which was very different from the two former fighters. After listening to what he said, he knew that when he met a strong enemy, he should not be contemptuous when he came out. Yu, it was a tie for the time being. There are also two masked men, one with a sword, against the big northern man; the other with an iron rod, against the dwarf who speaks the southern accent.They are all experts, and it is difficult to distinguish between them.杨标见自己这面已然连伤三人，敌人还是越杀越勇，又气又急。隔了一会，北方大汉渐渐只架无还，有点手忙脚乱。知道形势不妙，无奈适才已把话说在前，不便上前相助，自食前言，招人笑骂。不上前，眼看非糟不可，一样丢人，并且求助的老朋友已在眼皮底下被人伤了一个，这一个再要当着自己受了重伤，面上太已无光。想了想，一情急，把当年仗以成名的暗器连珠金莲子取了出来，表面仍装观战，双手交叉，将右手藏左手背下，把真力运到手指头上，一发三粒，观准持宝剑的隐面人双目和太阳穴打去。 周平在上面早留神到敌人有此一着，全看在眼里，料知杨标意欲暗算，怀里所取必是一种极厉害的暗器。蒙面人一口宝剑只顾围住北方大汉，好似急欲取胜，全神贯注敌人，并未留意侧面。明知自己万不宜于出声，自惹祸事，但情势已迫，杨标手已微拍，就要发出，激于义忿，不禁脱口喊道：“留神暗算！”言还未了，杨标手中三粒金莲子已然发出，盗党发觉上面有人，纷纷昂首往上观察，方道“不好”。It's too late, so fast!只听“当当当”三声微响，跟着一声呼叱，就在众人斗处不远，一座平地突起的小石峰腰上，现出一个蒙面童子，扬手打出三点寒星，头两点已与杨标所发暗器相撞，激落一旁，末一点却照人打去，跟着纵落，口中大骂杨标：“鼠贼！吐出来的口水又吞回去！有本领出来和小爷爷分个上下。我们师徒叔侄都是暗器的祖宗，你想暗算，如何能够！” 周平这才看出蒙面人暗中也在戒备，杨标第三粒暗器便是他用剑背挡落，好生惭愧。小孩一纵落，群贼只当先喊的是他，正乱之际，才行岔过，没有再往上看。小孩手法又快又准，杨标骤出不意，几为所中，不禁羞恼成怒。大喝：“哪里来的小杂种！快去与我拿下！”盗党中随有两人，一个手使折铁单刀，一个拿着一根铁鞭，争先抢出。使刀的一个先到，已和小孩打上。使鞭的仍往前进，刚说：“吉二哥，让我打这小杂种。”忽然“喻”的一声，不知从哪里飞来一技小钢镖，正打在口鼻之间，透迸多半截去，打得门牙粉碎，“哎呀”一声，鲜血喷流，倒于就地。跟着空中有一小孩口音喝道：“讲好不许两打一，这不是硬要找死么！”盗党立时一阵大乱，一面将人抢回，一面寻声注视，搜查那放暗器的敌人。杨标怒喝道：“何方鼠辈，暗算伤人！”空中又哈哈大笑道：“这都是你自己开的张嘛！”周平听那口音，颇似黑衣摩勒，发声之处仿佛就在脚底，可是下面崖壁平滑，寸草不生，决难藏人，见盗党不住仰看，似未发现敌人踪迹，知黑衣摩勒与凌风师徒都来。再查两边情形，优劣胜败已可逆料。藏处地势高险隐秘，盗党上崖不易，心神一定，也就不再畏缩，仍然往下窥探。 就这盗党一乱的工夫，那北方大汉益发心慌，支持不住，微一疏神，吃蒙面人伤了一剑，反身纵起欲逃。杨标见状，不能再顾前言，忙从门徒手里接过一对铁怀仗，一个箭步纵落场内。正赶北方大汉受伤纵起，蒙面人一个“飞鹰击兔”，暗藏“逃蛇归洞”之势，飞身随后刺去，眼看剑尖就要刺中后背，杨标身法绝快，恰由斜刺里飞身纵来，迎个正着，知势危急，身子还未落地，左腿起处，把北方大汉踹出老远，躲过一剑之厄，同时左手杖朝剑往外一挡，右手杖便照蒙面人连肩带头打去，手足并用，端的名不虚传，迅捷已极。如换旁人，事起仓猝，又在贪功之际，非受重伤不可，幸而蒙面人武艺精纯，觉着侧面风生，人影一晃，未等剑杖相触，早向横里纵落，指着杨标怒喝：“无耻败类！狂说大话，稍吃点亏，立时背信食言，真乃鼠窃狗偷之辈！”杨标愧忿交加，索性把手一挥。盗党只为杨标上来便朝敌人夸了大口，言明单打独斗，不便违背，不想连伤数人，愤恨已极，巴不得有此一举，呐喊一声，纷纷杀上前去。那北方大汉挨了一踹，幸得活命，刚想纵过一旁裹好臂上剑伤，二次随众拼命，忽听持拐蒙面人喝道：“这个吴龙，莫放他跑了！” 一言甫毕，半崖空际又有人应道：“他跑不悼！”盗党一听，仍是先前用暗镖伤人的口音，正往上看，忽见一块磨盘大的石头从崖腰上打将下来。盗党忙往后退时，跟着崖腰上又现一石窟，一个头戴面具、周身全黑的小孩由内钻出，乘着碎砾纷飞、满地石火四溅、盗党惊慌奔避之际，飞鸟一般往下纵落。人还在半空中，双手小钢镖便似连珠一般打下。大汉吴龙一看，正是昨日所遇对头，心方一惊，黑衣小孩镖已打到，连忙闪躲，想要逃走，无奈臂伤失血，苦斗力竭，小孩镖法又准，头一镖刚闪过，二三两镖又到，心慌神散，纵避不及，连中了两下重的，身才一晃，迎面又中了一镖，翻身栽倒，死在地上。黑衣摩勒随即纵到，从身旁取出一柄短刀，只一抹，便把头割下，喊道：“兄弟！我到前面等你去，快些来吧！”说完，也不再和盗党交手，提了人头，如飞往谷中跑去，疾如星驰，晃眼没了影子。 杨标被蒙面人绊住苦斗，不能分身。盗党见小孩捷逾鬼物，暗器厉害，口里呐喊，也有戒心，追不多远，便即回转；任他把吴龙人头取走，如何不怒，气得山嚷怪叫。先现身与盗党对敌的小孩见黑衣摩勒一走，也高喊道：“黑哥已走，没我的事，少时我再找师父师叔们去吧！我也懒得和这种无赖贼打，要找黑哥去了！”小孩使的也是一样怪兵器，有六尺长，酒杯粗细，通体密鳞，又黑又亮，直似一条蟒蛇做成的软鞭，梢上有一枣核形的钢椎，约有半尺来长、两三寸粗细，施展开来，可刚可柔，招式非常特别。 对面盗党没见过这种兵器，简直不知如何应付，仗着久闯江湖，本领尚非庸流，并未小看敌人，一见情势不佳，连忙收势，改攻为守，专一封闭谨严，才得勉强敌住，方自内怯，谁知小孩话一说完，立时改了解数，手中鞭直似活蛇一样，上下飞舞，只觉寒光闪闪，冷气飕飕，无数黑影在眼前掣动乱窜，心中大惊，微一疏神，手中刀忽吃软鞭裹住，未容回夺，小孩用大力一抖，立时虎口痛裂，不由手便松开，刀落就地，暗道“不好”，方欲逃纵，小孩的手更快，跟着往前一送，那铮光明亮。半尺长的钢椎，连同后面软鞭，活蛇一般，朝着胸前笔也似直点到。眼看无法躲避，非死即伤。持拐蒙面人，想早看出小孩要下毒手，忽在一旁且斗且喝道：“你自去好了，不许无故伤人！”说时，小孩手刚发出，闻声立即收住喝道：“你不比他们可恶，姑且饶你一命！小爷爷走了！”说罢，纵身一跃，径往回路跑去。那盗党幸得活命，觉着左肩穴微微沾着了一点，低头一看，衣上已穿了一个小孔，蒙面人如不喝禁，这一下又是要害地方，势非送命不可，当时愧愤交加，把心一横，向众喊道：“杨大哥与诸位仁兄！小弟崔援学艺不精，无颜再在江湖上走动，只好告别了！”杨标忙喊：“二弟慢走！少时还有话说。”崔援连地上刀都未拾，只看了持拐蒙面人一眼，便自朝前跑去。 这时双方已成混战，三蒙面人仍是应付裕如。周平方讶小孩既说去寻黑衣摩勒，为何一走来路，一走去路，背道而驰？隔不多时，持拐蒙面人忽然哈哈大笑道：“我当你是谁，原来就是当年大闹衡山白雀寺的罪魁淫贼、铁掌燕裴鸿举么！你以为改了道装，留厂胡须，便可遮俺人的耳目，你那左耳上的剑伤须瞒我不过。我向例不肯轻易伤人性命，既然是你，可见天网恢恢，报应不爽。快快拿命来吧！”随说，手中兵器立时加紧。道人斗不几个回合，见觉出蒙面人招式精奇，颇似当年仇敌家数，又想起动手前所问的那些话，深悔不该听旁人两句话一激就冒昧上场，口里说着大话，出手却极小心。斗了一会，打了个平手，可是任凭用什么招，对方总是应付从容，不以为意，自觉敌人守多攻少，本领决不止此，尤其二目神光炯炯，老似在留神自己的容貌，心中有病，本就在惊疑内怯，一听敌人竟将自己隐晦多年。连杨标都不知道的底细一口道破，这蒙面人必是平日想起就胆寒的对头克星无疑，大吃一惊，暗想：今日之局，就算能逃毒手，那杨标虽是北方绿林出身，素以侠义自命，平日偷偷做点小事还招他不快，这一知道自己真实名姓，也决难相容。可惜辛辛苦苦隐名出家，好容易七八年的工夫经营下这片基业，败于一旦，不禁又恨又怕，一面拼命迎御，偷眼一看杨标，恰巧杨标也在怒目看他，分明所料不差。 当时一着急，把心一横，一边动手，口里怒喝道：“不错，你的狗眼还没瞎掉！祖师爷就是当年探花使者铁掌燕裴鸿举，你不就是在衡山用飞针杀我师父姊姊的仇人云……”底下话未说完，先是裴鸿举情急拼命，施展杀手，假作“力劈华山”，一掌斫下，等敌人用拐上挡，往起一横，倏地改招变势，将手中仙人掌往右一偏，横过柄尖上三角钢锋，照准敌人右腕便扎，同时双手钢轮又朝胸前推去，他这日月仙人掌，一物三用，解数繁多，最是厉害不过，这一下名为“神仙三煞手”，更是最狠毒的绝招，说着无什希奇，手眼身法步，一毫也差不得，动作尤极神速，不是功夫到了火候，遇见劲敌当前，逃敌两难，非拼命败中取胜不可时，轻易决不施展。 裴鸿举原因深知敌人厉害，想逃脚又不如人快，如被迫上擒住，戮辱更甚。除却用这最后一招拼个死活，孤注一掷，更无别法。口里答着话，想分敌人心神，一面猛施毒手，又将袖口里几番想用未用的暗器，乘机扬手连珠射出。以为敌人任是武功多好，就破了这一招将己打倒，至少也必中上两枝毒箭，同归于尽，稍一侥幸，受伤不重，立时便可逃生。谁知事太行险，未免心动气浮。蒙面人武功精纯，久经大敌，虽然看出仇敌不肯放松，手法加紧，因已多年不见，兵器又改了尺寸式样，料非吴下阿蒙，始终留意，沉着应战，并无一毫轻视。见他且斗且答，眼珠略动，料定必有狠毒手法，加了防备，不但没有急进，反把势子略缓，静以观变。裴鸿举哪知厉害，以为可以乘虚而入，见敌人果横拐来挡，心中大喜，自料必胜。仙人掌往右一横，往前一进身，口里刚说到“云”字，蒙面人身手真个神妙，竟似胸有成竹一般，那一挡也是一个虚势，仙人掌往右一偏，拐头也随着往下直着磕去，势子既急且准，其力更猛，正磕在护手下面。裴鸿举便觉虎口一震，掌头被压，往上重又挑起，方道“不好”，身已前进，与敌对面，闪躲不开，明知无幸，一发狠，右手一紧，仍欲施展未完的绝招，左手跟着扬手放箭。 It's too late, so fast!蒙面客左手拐一磕，乘着他上路门户没有封闭，竟不容他缓手进招，右手软链铁锤往下三路绕腿一抖，上面一口啐去。裴鸿举弩尚未飞出袖口，猛觉左腿被链锤缠住，上面又在动手，百忙中方欲用千斤力法定在地上，冷不防又有一股刚劲之气夹着两三丝寒光迎面啐来，直似好几根钢针飞刺脸上。右眼先中了一支，奇痛攻心，眼睁不开，哪还站立得住脚步、当时翻身栽倒。倒时知觉未失，情知反正一死，随着倒地之势，不问能中与否，仍将袖中毒弩连珠发出，射未两支，蒙面客气他不过，上前一拐，将他左手骨齐腕打折。连受重伤，方始痛晕过去，又朝穴道上点了一下。 余了那几个盗党，先曾过来三人，俱吃了蒙面人的苦头败退下去，都看出他厉害，没敢再上。蒙面人一手夹起裴鸿举，大喝道：“杨朋友！你也是个汉子，助纣为虐，欺压善良，已非大夫所为，怎又容纳这神人共愤灭伦昧良的淫贼？岂不把你一世英名丧尽？如今我等事了，知你受骗，也不再和你计较，如能听劝，就此停手，回去闭门思过，免得将来官私两面牵缠，累你在此安身不得。悬崖勒马，也是英雄行径。如不服气，改日定约，另请能手再分高低。今日你是难于想占上风的了！”杨标何等眼亮，也知手下这一伙人俱非三蒙面人对手，再打下去，只多伤人，无如面于难堪，不能不苦拼下去，闻言正好下台，忙将身纵出圈外，喝众停手。杨标照例单打，不要人助，一干盗党俱都围攻持棍的蒙面人，打得正紧，连声呼喝，方始住手。 杨标对三蒙面人道：“今日杨某甘拜下风，改日还当领教。三位朋友请留名姓。”持拐的接口道：“杨朋友如欲再见高卞，请定日期地点，我们到日必来赴约，真实名姓，暂难奉告。按说这淫贼我们不该带走，但他积恶滔天，机诈百出，稍一疏懈，容易被他逃走，再寻他就难了。现有许多公案待他去了，不得不在台前放肆，还望阁下原谅一二。人以类聚，此贼淫凶刁狡，藏此多年，难保不有一二心腹党羽。他们见淫贼行藏败露，贵处不能立足，必要生事。他们行同禽兽，什事情做不出来！阁下还以早回为是。”杨标闻言，暗中查看众人，果然是裴鸿举庙内常住的两个好友，一名风火居士陈大彪，适才助战，吃了一拐，早已受伤，退回都天王庙去；一名夜明镖赛张郎罗文英，恶道倒地时，仿佛见他往来路跑去，也都不在面前，心方一动，忽听身后树林深处呐喊之声，跟着锣声大作。回头一看，火光隐隐，黑烟业已透出林梢，不由又惊又急，情知有人作祟。家中老弱甚众，佃农虽有多人，俱不会武，只有一二能手，便可闹得稀糟。当时忙于救人，不顾多说，忙道：“此贼底细姓名我实不知。便是这次与人助拳，多一半也由他而起。现已深秋，明年正月十五，我在仙霞岭青石坪候教便了。”蒙面人含笑应诺。 说时，盗党已有数人抢先往火场跑回，等说完回身要走，又听林内众声呼噪，齐喊“拿贼”。晃眼工夫，由林内箭也似窜出一人，正是适才后走的那个小孩，兵器插在背后，还添了一个小包袱，左肩上担着一人，如飞跑来，后有三人追赶，小孩身小，肩一大人，行走较慢，就快追上，一看杨标手持兵刃对面迎来，忙把所擒的人推向地下，回手取出身后兵器，高声大喊：“师父快来！你适才捉的，就是平日所说久访无着的淫贼裴鸿举，我把他党羽生擒来了！”话才说完，杨标已先赶到。小孩手持兵器，当先便打。 杨标已看出被擒的是罗文英，本意不和他斗，方欲架住喝问，猛听脑后一声断喝：“徒儿不许动手！”声随人到，急风过处，一条黑影径由肩侧飞过，落在面前，正是那持拐的蒙面人。火势未熄，这里又生事故，估量敌人俱非庸流，决不致做那暗算无耻的事。所可虑者，就是恶道两个死党，一个已被小孩擒住在此，另一个身上带伤，即便火是他放，有手下诸人回去，也不妨事。忙令追人速回救火，自己暂留盘问。 及听小孩一说，才知小孩行前忽想起乃师曾说，闽抚所遣刺客，身旁藏有闽抚亲笔信札，如能得到，将来可省好些事情。今早杀那两名刺客以前，偷听他们说话，得知有一包袱内藏书信，存放在都天王庙道入手里。意欲乘着众人动手，庙中空虚，将它盗来，就便查探杨标家中虚实，开他一个玩笑，所以故走回路，暗中绕道人材。掩进庙时，正值风火居士陈大彪受伤回庙。庙中还有好些道人，虽非善良之辈，看神气都是一些狐假虎威的饭桶。正想等人散去，陈大彪卧床静养时，下去制倒，喝问那信下落。忽然罗文英急匆匆跑回，一进云房，便令徒众回避。小孩伏身后窗户上一听，那和师父对敌的道人，竟是匿迹多年的淫贼裴鸿举，现已受伤被擒。罗文英见踪迹败露，杨标神色不善，少时回来，轻则将庙中诸人一齐逐走，重则还有后患，为此见机逃回商量，意欲盗些金银逃走。同时又恨杨标不够朋友，平日遇事干涉，好名心重，出身是贼，偏要恨贼，意欲行时放火烧庄，一则阻住追兵，二则泄恨。陈大彪伤本不重，心粗性暴，闻言怒极，立时应允；罗文英并说起刺客所留书信，取到手内，将来可以挟制闽抚，予取予求。当时商定，令陈大彪各取一些金银，前去放火先逃，自己前往观主房内搜寻书信，随后赶往接应，烧他草谷，的地会合，一同逃走。 陈大彪走后，罗文英朝他身后扮了个鬼脸。小