Chapter 4 The fourth chapter: buy wine, make pills, provoke anger, return books, and make swords kind of affectionate

Chen Jialuo, Lu Feiqing and the heroes of the Red Flower Society followed Zhou Zhongying through the two courtyards.At this time, the fire was even more intense and the heat was overwhelming. In the dark night, red light soared into the sky and the smoke filled the air.Meng Jianxiong, An Jiangang and Song Shanpeng had already gone out to supervise and lead Zhuang Ding to fight the fire together.Xu Tianhong yelled: "Let's work together to put out the fire first." Zhou Qi scolded: "You ordered people to set fires, and you pretended to be a good person." She heard Xu Tianhong yelling again and again to set the fire, and she believed that he ordered it The person who came to burn Tiedan Zhuang was full of grief and anger, he raised his knife and chopped off at Xu Tianhong, not caring about the number of people on the other side.Xu Tianhong rushed to avoid it, Zhou Qi was still waiting to chase, but was persuaded by Zhao Banshan.Rao Zhou Qi had a single sword in her hand and rushed and jumped, but Zhao Banshan stretched out her hand and gently put it on the back of the sword. The sword weighed a thousand catties, and it was almost impossible to hold it.

Zhou Zhongying seemed to be unaware of all this, striding forward to the back hall.When everyone entered the hall, they saw a mourning hall, with two pairs of white candles lit in front of the altar, and plain banners in the dark, a gloomy and desolate scene.Zhou Zhongying lifted the white curtain, revealing a small black coffin, the coffin has not been closed yet.It turned out that after Zhou Zhongying killed his son, because his daughter hadn't returned home, Zhou Yingjie was not buried until Zhou Qi came back to see her brother again. Zhou Zhongying shouted: "My son leaked Master Wen's whereabouts. That's good. You want my son, so... you can take it!" His mind was agitated, and his voice changed drastically.Under the dim candlelight, everyone was puzzled when they saw a child's body lying in a coffin.Zhou Qi shouted: "My younger brother is only ten years old. He is not sensible, so he told you Wen Ye's hiding place. When Dad came home, he was furious and beat his brother to death by accident, which made my mother angry too. Let’s go, I’m sorry for you, right? You’re not enough, kill our father and daughter!”

When everyone in the Red Flower Club heard this, they couldn't help but feel ashamed, and they all felt that they had wrongly blamed Zhou Zhongying just now, and it was really wrong.Zhang Jin is the most straightforward person. He took two steps forward, kowtowed to Zhou Zhongying, and shouted: "Old man, I offended you. Zhang Tuozi will apologize to you." He stood up, bowed to Zhou Qi again, and said: "Girl, I won't be annoyed if you call me a hunchback again." Zhou Qi wanted to laugh, but couldn't. At this time, Chen Jialuo, Luo Bing, Xu Tianhong, Yang Chengxie, Wei Chunhua, who had scolded Zhou Zhongying, all came to apologize.Chen Jialuo bowed and saluted, stretched out his hand and flicked, and unsealed the sealed acupoints between Zhou Zhongying's knees, no one else saw it.Zhou Zhongying was busy returning the gift, feeling so sad that she couldn't speak.Chen Jialuo shouted: "We will never forget the benefit of the old hero Zhou to the Red Flower Society. Brothers, it is important to fight the fire now. Let's do it quickly." Everyone agreed in unison and rushed out.

But seeing the flames burning in the sky, the roof tiles falling to the ground, the sound of beams and columns collapsing mixed with the yelling and shouting of all the Zhuang Ding, it was a mess.Anxi is a well-known "wind bank" in China. There is almost no wind on 360 days a year, and the wind is the strongest.At this time, the wind is boosting the power of the fire, and seeing that the fire can no longer be extinguished, such a huge iron gallbladder will burn to nothingness in a blink of an eye. It was extremely hot in the hall, and the cloth banner paper money was already on fire.Everyone saw that Zhou Zhongying was holding the coffin in a daze, and he was out of his mind.Not long after, flames engulfed the hall, and Wei Chunhua, Shi Shuangying, and Jiang Sigen all rushed out to fight the fire.Zhou Qilian shouted: "Father, let's go out!" Zhou Zhongying ignored her and stared at her son in the coffin.

Everyone knows that he couldn't bear to let his son's body be buried in the fire pit, and he was reluctant to leave.Zhang Jin bent down and said, "Brother, put the coffin on my back." Yang Chengxie grabbed the sides of the coffin, and with all his might, he lifted the coffin up and placed it on Zhang Jin's hunchback.Zhang Jin was not tall, so he just bent over and rushed out.Zhou Qi supported her father, and everyone rushed to the open space outside the village.Not long after walking out, the roof of the back hall collapsed, and everyone secretly said, "It's dangerous!"

Xinyan suddenly cried out: "Ah, the grandson of the eagle claw is still inside!" Shi Shuangying said: "This kind of people do a lot of evil, and they will not be wronged if they are burned to death." Asked: "Who is it?" Luo Bing told about Tong Zhaohe.Meng Jianxiong also told how he entered Tiedanzhuang three times, visited the village to report the news, led people to arrest Wen Tailai, and finally came to blackmail him.Xu Tianhong exclaimed: "Yes, he must be the one who set the fire!" After thinking about it, everyone thought it must be this person.Xu Tianhong stole a glance at Zhou Qi, and saw that she was looking sideways at him, and the two of them looked at each other, and turned their heads to avoid it.Zhou Qi said to herself loudly: "A dwarf has a lot of lumps in his belly, and only a dwarf can come up with the idea of ​​setting fire. A man is no more than three feet tall, and he has a knife in his stomach." Chen Jialuo said: "We have to catch this kid and bring him back. Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, and Tenth Brother, you four should go to the southeast and northwest to search, no matter whether you catch up or not, report back within an hour." The four of them took the order and went.

Here Lu Feiqing, Zhou Zhongying and others meet and admire each other.Chen Jialuo apologized again and again to Zhou Zhongying, saying: "Senior Zhou made such a fuss because of the red flowers. It is hard to repay the kindness and righteousness of the old man. We will definitely visit Mrs. Zhou to come back and reunite with the old man. Tiedanzhuang has It should be rebuilt by the Red Flower Society, and the Red Flower Society will fully compensate all the losses of brothers Zhuang Ding. They have worked so hard, and I have another meaning." Zhou Zhongying saw that Tiedanzhuang was burned to ashes, and many years of painstaking efforts were ruined. It was a pity, but after hearing what Chen Jialuo said, he hurriedly said: "Where does the head of Chen say that money is something outside of the body, if you say such things again, it is I don’t think of brothers as friends anymore.” He has always loved making friends the most, but now the misunderstanding has been cleared up, seeing that the Honghua Society puts out fires and rescues people, and is desperate, he is extremely respectful and grateful to him, and it is very happy to make friends with so many heroes in a short time, He immediately felt relieved about the burning of Tieshangzhuang.But seeing the small coffin at a glance, the heart scarf hurts again.

After a while of fuss, Wei Chunhua and Zhang Jin came back first, and reported to Chen Jialuo, saying that they had chased for six or seven miles, and there was no trace of Tong Zhaohe.After a while, Xu Tianhong and Yang Chengxie also came back one after another, saying that there was no one within a few miles of the southeast road, and this guy probably took advantage of the fire and escaped far away in the chaos. Chen Jialuo said: "Fortunately, I know that this kid is from the Zhenyuan Security Bureau. I am not afraid that he will escape to the horizon, and he will be caught in the future." Asking Zhou Zhongying, he said: "Senior Zhou, where are these Zhuang Ding men and women in Baozhuang, where are they going to settle down for the time being? Zhou Zhongying said: "I want everyone to go to Chijinwei first after dawn." Xu Tianhong said: "My nephew is a little bit interesting, please see if it is suitable for the old man." Chen Jialuo said: "Our seventh brother His name is Wu Zhuge, and he is the most resourceful." Zhou Qi rolled her eyes at Xu Tianhong, hummed, and said to Meng Jianxiong, "Brother Meng, listen, he is even better than Zhuge Liang, he can also use martial arts!" Meng Jianxiong Jianxiong smiled slightly.Zhou Zhongying hurriedly said, "Master Xu, please tell me."

Xu Tianhong said: "The boy surnamed Tong fled back, so he couldn't help adding fuel and talking nonsense. The man surnamed Wan didn't turn around, and Sun Yingclaw was going to report to the police and put many crimes on senior's head. My nephew I thought that the people in Tiedanzhuang had better go west, to avoid the limelight for a while, and then make a decision after finding out the route. Now going east to Chijinwei, I’m afraid it’s not safe.” Zhou Zhongying had a lot of experience, once Xu Tianhong pointed it out, he even claimed it was true, and said: "Yes, yes, my brother is really worthy of Wu Zhuge, I should go to Anxi Prefecture first tomorrow. I have friends in Anxi, who will stay for ten and a half months, and there will never be any What an embarrassment." Seeing that her father praised Xu Tianhong instead, Zhou Qi was unwilling.Although she no longer suspects that Shaotiedanzhuang is Xu Tianhong's envoy, but she had hated him earlier, and couldn't help but look at him more and more.

Zhou Zhongying said to Song Shanpeng: "After you lead everyone to Anxi Prefecture, you can send them to Wu Daguan for delay. All the envoy fees will be spent in our cell. I will call you after I finish my affairs." Zhou Qi said: "Daddy, Let's not go to Anxi?" Zhou Zhongying said: "Of course not, Fourth Master Wen has fallen into our village, how can we stand by and watch?" Zhou Qi, Meng Jianxiong and An Jiangang listened to him Everyone is overjoyed to help Wen Tailai. Chen Jialuo said: "We are very grateful for the kindness of senior Zhou. However, saving the fourth brother Wen is a matter of killing officials and rebelling. You are all peaceful and good citizens. Unlike our wandering people, it may be inconvenient to do it yourself. We Senior Zhou please come up with an idea and give me some advice, as for killing Yingzhuo and saving the fourth brother, let us do it."

Zhou Zhongying stroked his beard and said, "Master Chen, you don't have to be afraid of hurting us. If you don't allow me to work for my friend, then you don't treat Zhou Zhongying as a good friend." People don't admire him, otherwise I would never know him, and Fourth Master Wen is burdened with a serious case, how dare I rashly recommend him to Tiedanzhuang?" Chen Jialuo pondered for a while, and said: "The old hero of Zhou is so righteous, and Honghuahui will always feel great virtue." Luo Bing stepped forward, Yingying bowed down, and said: "The old man drew his sword to help, and I will first thank you for our family." Zhou Zhongying Quickly helped him up, and said: "Fourth Grandma Wen, please be at ease, if we don't rescue Fourth Master Wen, we will swear we will not be human." Turning to Chen Jialuo, he said: "It is not too late, please ask the head of the Chen family to issue orders." Chen Jialuo said "How dare you do this? Please discuss it with the two seniors, Zhou and Lu." Lu Feiqing said, "You don't have to be too humble as the head of the Chen family. The Red Flower Club is the host, and we are the guests. This must not take the host away." Chen Jialuo gave way again, seeing Zhou and Lu's insistence on refusing, he said: "Then there is an arrogance!" He turned around and gave orders to allocate troops. At this time, the embers of Tiedanzhuang were still extinguished, the air of scorched wood filled the air, the wind blew the torch, and the hunting sounded.Everyone listened quietly. The first wave: Yu Yutong, a scholar of the golden flute at the front post, got in touch with the brothers Xichuan Shuangxia Chang Hezhi and Chang Bozhi, found out Wen Tailai's whereabouts, and rushed back to report.The second wave: Zhao Banshan, the Tathagata with Thousand Arms, led Shi Gandang Zhang Jin and Shi Shuangying of Ghost Sorrow.The third wave: Taoist Wuchen, who chases the soul and kills the sword, leads the iron tower Yang Chengxie and the copper-headed crocodile Jiang Sigen.The fourth dial: Chen Jialuo, the chief rudder of the Red Flower Society, led the Nine-Mingjin Leopard Wei Chunhua and Shutong Xinyan.The fifth round: Mianli needle Lu Feiqing, led by Meng Jianxiong, the master bullet, and An Jiangang, the one-horned tiger.The sixth round: Tiedan Zhou Zhongying, led by Qiao Li Kui Zhou Qi, Wu Zhuge Xu Tianhong, and Mandarin Duck Sword Luo Bing. Chen Jialuo's allocation has been fixed, and he said: "Fourteenth brother, please leave immediately. The rest of you should rest and sleep peacefully on the spot. We will leave in the morning and gather after we are assigned to enter Jiayuguan. After closing the eagle claws, Sun understands that the investigation will be strict, so don't be careless." They agreed in unison. Yu Yutong bowed and cupped his fists to the crowd, got on his horse and set off, galloped a few steps, turned his head and peeked at Luo Bing, and saw that she was bowing her head in deep thought, not paying any attention to his departure.He sighed, and galloped away. Everyone found a clean place to sleep.Chen Jialuo quietly said to Xu Tianhong: "Seventh Brother, Old Hero Zhou has exhausted us to the point of ruining our family, and this time he is going out of his way to save Fourth Brother. Please pay more attention, and don't let the officials recognize him. Fourth Sister-in-law If she is injured, she misses her fourth brother, and she will be desperate in the fight, so be careful not to let her go all out. You don't have to hurry along the way, and it would be best if you don't do anything." Xu Tianhong agreed. After less than two hours of sleep, it was already dawn.Thousand-armed Tathagata Zhao Banshan led Zhang Jin and Shi Shuangying to set off first.Luo Bing didn't close his eyes all night, so he called Zhang Jin and said, "Brother Ten, please don't make trouble on the road." Zhang Jin said, "Don't worry, Sisao, saving Brother Si is a big deal, and I will take care of it no matter how confused I am." Meng Jianxiong, Song Shanpeng and others buried Zhou Yingjie's body by the village.Zhou Qi fell to the ground and cried bitterly, Zhou Zhongying also burst into tears.Chen Jialuo and others saluted in front of the grave. After that, Wu Chen, Chen Jialuo, and Lu Feiqing set off successively, and finally Zhou Zhongying, Song Shanpeng and other brigades set off.After arriving in Zhaojiabao, the local people knew that Tiedanzhuang was on fire, and came to condolences.Zhou Zhongying thanked him, went to Xiangshu Bank to get a thousand taels of silver, tipped it, broke up with Song Shanpeng and others, and galloped eastward.
Along the way, Zhou Qi was always against Xu Tianhong, always feeling that his words and deeds became more and more wrong.No matter whether Zhou Zhongying reprimanded him with a straight face, Luo Bing persuaded him with a smile, or Xu Tianhong humiliated and forbeared, Zhou Qi always let him go, sneered, and didn't give him any face.Later Xu Tianhong also got angry, and thought: "I'm just looking at your father's face, let you three points, am I really afraid of you? I am a martial artist, and I am a famous hero who doesn't respect me, but today I come to accept you This girl's leisure!" As soon as he rode his horse, he simply fell behind, without saying a word, slept after eating at the store, and hurried on the road in the morning, non-stop all the way, and passed Jiayuguan on the third day. Seeing that her daughter was so disobedient, Zhou Zhongying secretly called her several times to teach and reprimand her.Zhou Qi agreed at the time, but when she saw Xu Tianhong, she couldn't help raising the bar with him again.Zhou Zhongying thought that if the old wife was here, she might be able to discipline and discipline her spoiled daughter, but now she ran away in anger and didn't know where she was going, thinking of this, she felt very sad.Seeing that Xu Tianhong was unhappy, he felt sorry again. Arriving in Suzhou that night, the four of them stayed in an inn in Dongmen.Xu Tianhong went out for a while, then came back and said: "The fourteenth brother has not caught up with the fourth brother, nor has he met the Xichuan Shuangxia." Zhou Qi couldn't help but interjected: "How do you know? You're talking nonsense!" Xu Tianhong gave her a white look, and said No sound. Zhou Zhongying was afraid that her daughter would speak rudely again, so she said: "This is Jiuquan County in ancient times, and the wine is the best. Qi Ye, I will go to Xinghualou on Dongda Street for a drink with you." Xu Tianhong said: "Okay." Zhou Qi said: "Father, I'll go too." Xu Tianhong chuckled.Zhou Qi said angrily: "What are you laughing at? I can't go?" Xu Tianhong turned his head away, pretending he didn't hear.Luo Bing smiled and said, "Sister Qi, let's go together. Why can't women go to restaurants to drink?" Zhou Zhongying is a bold person, so he didn't stop him. The four of them came to Xinghualou and ordered food and wine.The spring water in Suzhou is clear, and the wine it produces is extremely mellow, ranking first among the northwestern provinces.The waiter in the shop also sent a plate of Suzhou's famous baked cakes.The cake was as weak as spring cotton, white as Qiulian, soft and brittle, and Zhou Qi ate it full of praise.There are so many eyes and ears in the restaurant, it is inconvenient to discuss the matter of saving Wen Tailai, so the four of them casually talked about the scenery on the road. Zhou Zhongying suddenly said to Xu Tianhong: "Your head Chen is young and looks like a son of a son. He is proficient in various schools and schools of boxing. It is really unprecedented. When he competed with me, the last thing he used The boxing method is extremely weird, I don't know what it's called. Does Seventh Lord know?" Zhou Qi always had this doubt in her heart, and when her father asked her, she hurriedly listened carefully. Xu Tianhong said: "Master Chen is the third son of Mr. Chen Ge in Haining. This is also our first meeting with Mr. Chen. He was sent to Tianshan by Mr. Yu when he was fifteen years old. He didn't come back to the south of the Yangtze River. Only Daoist Wuchen and Zhao Sange and the elder incense masters had seen him when he was a child. I think this boxing method is probably the original creation of Tianchi strange man." Zhou Zhongying said: "Safflower Club He is well-known across the country, but the chief helmsman actually looks like a rich man. When I first met him, I was very surprised and felt that it was extremely inappropriate. After talking to him and fighting with him, I realized that he is not only good at martial arts Yes, and he has extraordinary knowledge, he is indeed a remarkable person, this is really called a person who cannot be judged by his appearance." Xu Tianhong and Luo Bing were very happy to hear him praise their leader.It's just that Luo Bing thought of the difficulty of knowing her husband's safety, and was worried that he would be abused by business officials, so she couldn't help but frown. Zhou Zhongying said: "In the past few years, there have been many figures in the martial arts. It is true that the waves of the Yangtze River have pushed forward the waves of the past. There have been several changes in personnel and affairs in the past ten years. It is very rare in the world to be as wise and courageous as your brother. Don't let him down. With this skill, you can make a good career out of it." Xu Tianhong even claimed it was.He promised Zhou Zhongying's words of encouragement to "do a good job", but Zhou Qi "hummed" and said in her heart: "My father praises you, you still say yes, and you are not afraid of being ugly!" Zhou Zhongying took a sip of wine and said, "I've always heard people say that Guihui Yu Laodang's family is a disciple of the Shaolin School, and he is very close to my school. I have long wanted to see him and ask him for advice, but one is in the south of the Yangtze River and the other is in the northwest. He was gone all the time, and he has gone back to the west. I often inquire about the origin of his teaching, but people have different opinions, and I have never heard any definite information." Xu Tianhong said: "Old master Yu never mentioned his teaching, until When he was dying, he mentioned that he used to learn martial arts in Fujian Shaolin Temple." Zhou Zhongying said: "I learned it in the main temple of Shaolin Temple in Henan Shaoshi Mountain. The North Shaolin and the South Shaolin are originally a family. Learning art, but it can be regarded as the same class." He said: "I once heard people say that the martial arts of the chief rudder of the Red Flower Society is very close to that of the Shaolin family, and I admire him very much. It is often strange that no one knows about his seniority. Considering that he is such a well-known figure, if he is a Shaolin disciple, is there any reason why no one knows about it? I have written several letters to him. His reply is very modest, saying Lots of polite words, but no mention of Shaolin sect." Xu Tianhong said: "Old Master Yu doesn't mention his own martial art, there must be something hard to say. He has always loved making friends the most. Since the old man is so warm-hearted and kind, if he meets Master Yu, the two will definitely hit it off." Zhou Qi said coldly He said coldly: "People from the Red Flower Society like to look down on others. Sister Bing, I'm not talking about you." Xu Tianhong ignored it. Zhou Zhongying asked again: "What kind of illness did Mr. Yu die? He seems to be a few years older than me, right?" Xu Tianhong said: "Mr. Yu was sixty-five years old when he passed away. The reason for his illness is It's a long story. There are a lot of people here, so let's drive a few dozen miles tonight, find a remote place, and report to seniors in detail." Zhou Zhongying said: "Excellent!" He hurriedly called the cabinet to settle the accounts.Xu Tianhong said: "Please wait a moment, I'll go down for a while." Zhou Zhongying said: "Brother, I am the host, so don't grab the banknotes." Xu Tianhong said: "Okay." He went downstairs quickly . Zhou Qi pursed her lips and said: "I always love sneaking around!" Zhou Zhongying scolded: "Girls, don't talk nonsense." Luo Bing smiled and said: "Sister Qi, our seventh brother, has all kinds of strange tricks. Most. You annoy him, be careful that he teases you." Zhou Qi snorted and said, "A man, he is not as tall as I am when he stands up. Footsteps, just shut up.Xu Tianhong came up and said, "Let's go." Zhou Zhongying paid the money, went to the inn to get his clothes, and rode out of the city.Fortunately, it was still dark and the city gate was not closed. The four horsemen galloped for 30 miles at a stretch, and saw a row of about ten big trees on the first left, behind which there were rocks like a screen, which was a hidden place, Zhou Zhongying said, "It's here, right?" Xu Tianhong said, "Okay." The four tied their horses to a tree and sat leaning against it.At that time, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, the night was as cool as water, the wind was blowing the long grass, and the sound was like a low whistle. Xu Tianhong was about to speak, when he suddenly heard the sound of galloping horses in the distance, he hurriedly put his ears on the ground, listened for a while, then stood up and said: "Three horses, come here." Zhou Zhongying made a gesture, and the four of them explained He got rid of the horse and led his companions to hide behind the boulder.After a while, the sound of hooves approached, and the three horsemen walked east along the main road.Under the moonlight, I saw three people on the horse with white cloth wrapped around their heads and long striped robes. They were all Huiren attire, with sabers hanging on their saddles.After the three riders had gone far away, the four returned to their original places and sat down.After several days of rushing, there was no time to talk about it in detail. At this time, Zhou Zhongying asked why the Qing court arrested Wen Tailai. Luo Bing said: "The government has always regarded the Honghuahui as a thorn in their side, that is needless to say. But this time they dispatched so many martial arts masters, and they can't rest until our fourth brother is arrested. That is another reason. In the middle of last month, Mr. Yu went to Beijing from the main rudder of Taihu Lake, and asked our husband and wife to go with him. When we arrived in Beijing, Mr. Yu whispered to us that we would go to the palace at night to meet Emperor Qianlong. We were shocked and asked Mr. What is the old emperor doing? He refused to say. The fourth brother persuaded him that the old emperor is the most vicious and vicious, and it is best to call Taoist priest Wuchen, third brother Zhao, Xichuan Shuangxia and other experts to come to Beijing and break into the palace together. Then ask Seventh Brother to come up with a perfect plan, which is safer." Zhou Qi glanced at Xu Tianhong, thinking: "You are such a dwarf, others will come to ask you for advice. I don't believe it!" Zhou Zhongying said: "Fourth Master's idea is not bad." Luo Bing said: "Old Master Yu said that he has a great relationship with the matter of going to see the emperor, and there must not be too many people entering the palace, otherwise there will be changes. Fourth brother listen When he said that, he followed orders. The two of them climbed over the wall to enter the palace that night, and I stood guard outside the palace wall. This time, I was really scared. It took more than an hour before they climbed over the wall and came out. The next day Early in the morning, the three of us left Beijing and went back to Jiangnan. I quietly asked the fourth brother, did the emperor see it? The great cause of the Han family. He said that it is not that he cannot trust me, but if one more person knows, there will be more danger of leakage, so he will not tell me. I will not ask more questions." Zhou Zhongying praised: "Old Master Yu The ambition is really not small. How many people in the world can have such courage to go to the palace to meet the emperor?" Luo Bing continued: "Old Master Yu broke up with us after he arrived in the south of the Yangtze River. We returned to the main helm of Taihu Lake, and he went to Haining Prefecture, Hangzhou Prefecture. After he came back from Haining, his expression changed drastically, as if he had aged more than ten years suddenly. I don’t see a smile all day long, and I’ll be sick within a few days. The fourth brother whispered to me that the old head died of grief because of the death of the person he loved most in his life...” At this point, Luo Bing and Xu Tianhong bowed their heads. Tears came, and Zhou Zhongying couldn't help but sigh. Luo Bing wiped away his tears and continued: "When the old master was dying, he summoned the chief and deputy incense masters of the inner three halls and three outer halls, and ordered the young steward to take over as the chief steward. He said it was not because of his selfish intentions, but because of the incident It is the key to the restoration of the Han family, and it is of the utmost importance. The reason for this cannot be clearly stated at this time, and everyone will know it in the future. We must unanimously support the young rudder master to take over the great responsibility." Zhou Zhongying asked: "What do you call the young master and your old master?" Luo Bing said: "He is the adopted son of the old master. The young master was originally the son of the elder Chen Ge in Haining. He won the Juren at the age of fifteen. Not long after he was elected , the old master took him out and sent him to Tianshan North Road to learn martial arts from Tianchi strange man Yuan Laoyingxiong. As for the son of the Xiangguo Mansion, we don’t know why he worshiped a martial arts hero as his adoptive father.” Zhou Zhongying said: "Fourth Master Wen probably knows the reason." Luo Bing said: "He doesn't seem to be very clear. When the old master died, there was a big worry unsolved, and he really wanted to see the young helmsman. Originally, he never When Beijing came back, he dispatched an urgent envoy to go back to Xinjiang, and ordered the young master to wait for orders at Yuxu Taoist Temple in Anxi. Senior Yuan, the Tianchi monster, was worried, so he accompanied the young master to the east. How could he know that the old master passed away? It’s so fast. It’s thousands of miles away from Anxi to the main rudder in Taihu Lake, so the young rudder master couldn’t get the news and rushed back. The old master knew that he would not see his adopted son, so he ordered Liutang’s principal and deputy Xiang master to go to the northwest to meet with the young rudder master. We plan big things together, and keep all the secrets. Waiting for the fourth brother to meet the young rudder master in person. Who knows that the fourth brother has encountered such a disaster..." At this point, the voice choked up again: "If there is something wrong with the fourth brother... No one will know about the will of the old master.” Zhou Qi persuaded: "Sister Bing, don't be sad, we will be able to rescue Fourth Master." Luo Bing took her hand, nodded slightly, and smiled sadly. Zhou Zhongying asked again: "How did Fourth Master Wen get injured?" Luo Bing said: "All the brothers came to welcome the young helmsman in batches, and our husband and wife were the last batch. When we arrived in Suzhou, suddenly eight guards from the inner circle came to welcome the young helmsman. We met at the store and said that we were ordered by the emperor to go to Beijing. The fourth brother said that he could only obey the order after seeing the young helmsman. The eight guards were very polite, but the fourth brother had to go to Beijing immediately. The fourth brother was suspicious, and the two sides became more and more tense, and started to fight. The eight guards were all specially selected masters. We were two against eight, and we were gradually losing. I don't want to risk my life, and I can't let you catch me. In a fierce battle, he chopped down two with a single sword, killed three with his palm, and two were hit by my throwing knife, and the remaining one slipped away when he saw that the momentum was not right. But the fourth brother also suffered six or seven injuries. During the fight, he always stood in front of me, so I didn't get hurt at all." Luo Bing talked about how her husband slashed and beat the eight inner guards to pieces, and he spoke vividly and vividly.Zhou Qi was stunned when she heard that, imagining Ben Lei's heroic appearance, chivalrous and tender heart, she couldn't help being fascinated, after a long while, she sighed, suddenly turned her head, and glared at Xu Tianhong, her face full of disdain.Why didn't Xu Tianhong understand her stare, and thought to himself: "Fourth brother is a hero, how many people can compare to him in this world? You say that I, Xu Tianhong, are not as good as fourth brother. Everyone knows, so why do you say it?" Luo Bing said: "We know that we must not stay in Suzhou, we left Jiayuguan next to it, but fourth brother was seriously injured, so he couldn't go any longer, so he recuperated in the inn. I just hope that the young rudder master and all the brothers will come back soon. The eagle claws who knew Beijing and Lanzhou were found again. You all know what happened next." Xu Tianhong said: "The more the emperor is afraid that the fourth brother will hate the fourth brother, the less he will have to worry about his life. Since the government and Yingzhuo know that he is a criminal, they dare not do anything to him casually." Zhou Zhongying said: " My brother did well." Zhou Qi suddenly said to Xu Tianhong: "You can pick up Fourth Master Wen earlier, and clean up those eagle-claw grandchildren. Fourth Master Wen is fine, and you don't need to go to Tiedanzhuang to be cruel..." Zhou Zhongying hurriedly He Zhi: "This girl, what did you say?" Xu Tianhong said: "Just because the young rudder master is modest, he refuses to take over as the chief rudder master even if he says nothing. If he persuades him to resign, he will delay his life. Besides, the fourth brother and the fourth sister-in-law With good skills, who would have expected that someone would dare to attack them." Zhou Qi said: "You are Zhuge Liang, how could you not expect that?" Xu Tianhong asked her such an unreasonable question, although he had a clever mind, he couldn't answer it, so he had to keep silent.Zhou Zhongying said: "If Lord Qi had expected it, we would not have known such good friends from the Honghuahui. As for such a handsome character like Mr. Chen, how could we easily meet them in the northwest frontier? Turning to Luo Bing, he said: "Who is his wife? Is it a famous lady, or a chivalrous woman in the Jianghu?" Luo Bing said: "The head of Chen's family hasn't married yet." Zhou Zhongying fell silent. Luo Bing smiled and said, "When shall we drink sister Qi's wedding?" Zhou Zhongying laughed and said, "This girl is crazy, who wants her? Let her stay with my old man for the rest of her life!" The fourth brother was rescued, and he and I will be a matchmaker for sister Qi, and I will make sure you are happy." Zhou Qi said anxiously: "If you talk about me again, I will leave first." The three of them smiled and remained silent. After a while, Xu Tianhong suddenly burst out laughing.Zhou Qi said angrily, "What are you laughing at again?" Xu Tianhong smiled and said, "What does it have to do with you if I laugh at me?" , Don't you think I don't know? You want to marry me to that Chen Jialuo. He is the prime minister's son, are we worthy? You all treat him as a baby, I don't care. You are polite, but I have a lot of evil ideas in my heart. I would rather never marry in my life than marry a scheming guy with a hidden knife in his smile." Zhou Zhongying was angry and funny, and couldn't stop drinking.But Zhou Qi ignored it and spoke out in one breath. Luo Bing said with a smile: "Okay, okay! Sister Qi will marry a straightforward hero in the future. Isn't that what you want?" Zhou Zhongying smiled and said: "Silly girl, you don't have to keep your mouth shut, and you're not afraid of Qi Ye and Grandma Wen's jokes. Okay. Lah, let's sleep for a while, we can go on our way at dawn." The four of them took off the quilt from the horse's back, covered them, and lay down under the big tree. Zhou Qi whispered to her father: "Father, what food do you bring with you? I'm so hungry." Zhou Zhongying said: "I didn't bring it. Let's leave early tomorrow and go to Shuangjing to fight for the top." After a while, He snored slightly, and fell asleep.Zhou Qi was hungry and couldn't sleep because of tossing and turning. Seeing that Luo Bing beside him seemed to have fallen asleep, she suddenly saw Xu Tianhong getting up gently and walking to the side of the horse. Zhou Qi became curious and peeked at him secretly. In the dark, he seemed to have taken something from the bundle, came back and sat down, wrapped the quilt around her body, and started to eat.Zhou Qi turned over and didn't look at him.Unexpectedly, this kid is very hateful, he not only eats his tongue loudly, but also expresses his appreciation with frequent "uuuuuuuuuuuu".Zhou Qi couldn't help squinting at it, it's all right not to look at it, she couldn't help but salivate, and the hunger was unbearable.I saw him holding a white piece in his hand, chewing it, and there was a tall stack beside him, which was clearly a famous baked cake in Suzhou.It turned out that when he was in Xinghualou, he went downstairs to buy this thing.Zhou Qi had a hard time arguing with him all the way, so how could she ask him to beg for food at this time, thinking: "Go to sleep quickly, don't just think about eating." The guy was so lawless that he raised his head and drank in a small gourd. Zhou Qi couldn't hold back anymore, and shouted: "What kind of wine do you drink in the middle of the night? If you want to drink, don't stay here." Xu Tianhong said: "Success!" Put down the wine gourd and fell asleep.This man was really good at mischief, but the stopper on the wine gourd was not blocked. He put the gourd by his head, and let the aroma of the wine be sent to Zhou Qi along with the gusts of wind.It turned out that he was on the sidelines at the Xinghua Building in Suzhou, and saw Zhou Qi drinking to the drain, she is a girl who likes to drink, so he teased her like this. This made Zhou Qi so angry that her willow eyebrows stood on end and her pretty eyes widened. There was really no reason to have an attack, and how could she bear it if she didn't have an attack.He turned over and buried his eyes, nose, and mouth in the quilt, but he felt uncomfortably stuffy for a while. Turning over again, he suddenly saw two big iron gallbladders beside his father's pillow shining brightly in the moonlight. Think about it.He quietly reached out and took an iron gall, and threw it at the wine gourd. With a bang, the gourd was broken into several pieces, and the wine flowed onto Xu Tianhong's quilt. He seemed to have fallen asleep at this time, and he didn't pay attention to it.Seeing that her father was sleeping soundly and Luo Bing was silent, Zhou Qi got up secretly, wanting to retrieve Tie Dan.Unexpectedly, as soon as he stretched out his hand, Xu Tianhong turned over suddenly, pressed Tie Gu under his body, and then snored loudly. Zhou Qi was taken aback and held back her hands. Although she has a bold personality, she is a young girl after all, how dare she reach out and touch the man?But don't take it, the dwarf of Ming Dynasty has iron guts in his hand, the evidence is solid, he told his father, and there was another scolding meal in custody, so he had no choice but to come back and fall asleep.At this moment, suddenly heard Luo Bing's "chi" smile, Zhou Qi was so ashamed that her face was hot up to her neck, just now when she walked to Xu Tianhong's side, she saw her feelings, her heart was in a state of turmoil, and she couldn't sleep well all night . The next day she woke up early in the morning, huddled under the blanket in silence, hoping that the sky would never light up.But soon Zhou Zhongying and Luo Bing got up, and after a while, Xu Tianhong also woke up, only to hear him say "Ah yo", and said: "What is that hard thing?" He said: "Ah, old man, come to me with your iron guts! Oh, no, the wine gourd is broken! By the way, it must be a little monkey in the mountain smelling the fragrance of wine. Seeing that your iron gallbladder is fun, I played with it, and accidentally smashed the gourd to pieces. This little monkey is so naughty!" Zhou Zhongying laughed loudly, and said: "My brother likes to tell jokes, how can there be monkeys in this kind of place? ?" Luo Bing smiled and said, "If it's not a monkey, then it must be a fairy in the sky." The two joked for a while, and Zhou Qi was finally relieved to hear that they didn't mention what happened last night, but Xu Tianhong was even more annoyed when he went round and round and called her a monkey.Xu Tianhong took out the baked cakes for everyone to eat, but Zhou Qi refused to eat them in a fit of anger. When they arrived at Shuangjing, the four of them bought some noodles and ate them.After leaving the town, Xu Tianhong and Luo Bing suddenly leaned over and took a closer look at the foot of a house wall.Zhou Qi took a closer look, and saw some messy symbols drawn with charcoal on the foot of the wall, just like urchins' scribbles, Zhou Qi thought to herself what's so interesting about this, and suddenly she heard Luo Bingxi say: "The Xichuan Shuangxia have discovered the whereabouts of the fourth brother. Let's follow." Zhou Qi asked: "How do you know? What are these paintings?" Luo Bing said: "This is a sign for the exchange of news in our meeting, and it was drawn by Xichuan Shuangxia." As he spoke, he stretched out his feet and wiped them with the soles of his shoes Go to the mark and say: "Let's go!" When the four of them learned that Wen Tailai had disappeared, their spirits were lifted immediately, and Luo Bing smiled brightly, making him even more charming.The four of them ran forty to fifty li at a stretch, and after beating the sharp-breathing horses, they started on their way again.At noon the next day, I saw the mark left by Yu Yutong in Qidaogou, saying that he had caught up with Xichuan Shuangxia.After several days of recuperation, Luo Bing's leg injury has healed. Although walking is still a bit inconvenient, he no longer needs to use a stick. Thinking that he will see her husband soon, he can't bear it anymore. He took the lead and galloped eastward. Arrived at Liuquanzi in the evening, according to Luo Bing, he still had to hurry, but Xu Tianhong remembered Chen Jialuo's instructions, and persuaded him: "We are not afraid of being tired, we will not succeed!" Luo Bing had no choice but to stay in the shop for the night, how could he sleep while tossing and turning on the kang?In the middle of the night, it began to rain patter outside the window.蓦地想起当年与丈夫新婚后第三日，奉了老当家之命，到嘉兴府搭救一个被土豪陷害的寡妇，功成之后，两人夜半在南湖烟雨楼上饮酒赏雨。文泰来手携新妇，刀击土豪首级，打着节拍，纵声高歌，此情此景，寒窗雨声中都兜上心来。 骆冰心想：“七哥顾念周氏父女是客，不肯贪赶路程，我何不先走？”此念一起，再也无法克制，当下悄悄起身，带了双刀行囊，用木炭在桌上留了记号，要徐天宏向周氏父女代为致歉，见周绮在炕上睡得正熟，怕开门惊醒了她，轻轻开窗跳出，去厩里牵了马，披了油布雨衣，纵马向东。雨点打在火热的面颊上，只觉阵阵清凉。 骆冰黎明时分赶到一个镇甸打尖，看坐骑实在跑不动了，只得休息了半个时辰。又赶了三四十里路，忽然那马前腿打了个蹶，骆冰吃了一惊，急提缰绳，马匹幸好没跌倒。情知再赶下去非把马累死不可，不敢再催，只得缓缓而行。 走不多时，忽听得身后蹄声急促，一乘马飞奔而来。刚闻蹄声，马已近身，骆冰忙拉马向左让开，眼前如风卷雪团，一匹白马飞掠而过。这马迅捷无伦，马上乘者是何模样全没看清。骆冰一惊：“怎地有如此好马？”见那马奔跑时犹如足不践土，一形十影，当真是追风逐电，超光越禽，顷刻间白马与乘者已缩成一团灰影，转眼已无影无踪。 骆冰赞叹良久，见马力渐复，又小跑一阵，到了一个小村。只见一户人家屋檐下站着一匹马，遍身雪白，霜鬣扬风，身高腿长，神骏非凡，突然间一声长嘶，清越入云，将骆冰的坐骑吓得倒退了几步。骆冰注目看去，正是刚才那匹白马，旁边一个汉子正在刷马。她心中一动，暗道：“我骑上了这匹骏马，还怕赶不上大哥？这样的好马，马主必不肯卖，说不得，只好硬借。只是马主多半不是寻常之辈，说不定武功高强，倒要小心在意。” 她自幼随着父亲神刀骆元通闯荡江湖，诸般巧取豪夺的门道无一不会，无一不精。当下计算已定，从行囊中取出火绒，用火刀火石打着了火，点燃火绒，提缰拍马，向白马冲去。飞刀脱手，噗的一声，钉上屋柱，已割断系着白马的缰绳。这时所乘坐骑也已奔近，骆冰左手将火绒塞入自己坐骑耳中，随手提起行囊，右手力按马鞍，一个“潜龙升天”，飞身跳上白马马背。白马吃惊，纵声长嘶，如箭离弦，向前直冲了出去。 掷刀换马，取囊阻敌，这几下手势一气呵成，干净利落，直如迅雷陡作，不及掩耳。马主出其不意，大叫跳起，骆冰的坐骑耳中猛受火灸，痛得发狂般乱踢乱咬，阻住马主当路。那马主果是一副好身手，纵身跃过癫马，直赶出来。这时骆冰早去得远了，见有人赶出，勒马转身，囊里拈出一锭金子，挥手掷出，笑道：“咱们掉一匹马骑骑，你的马好，补你一锭金子吧！”那人不接金子，大叫大骂，撒腿追来。 骆冰嫣然一笑，双腿微一用力，白马一冲便是十余丈，只觉耳旁风生，身边树木一排排向后倒退，小村镇甸，晃眼即过。奔驰了大半个时辰，那马始终四足飞腾，丝毫不见疲态，不一会儿道旁良田渐多，白杨处处，到了一座大镇。骆冰下马到饭店打尖，一问地名叫做沙井，相距夺马之地已有四十多里了。 她对着那马越看越爱，亲自喂饲草料，伸手抚摸马毛。见马鞍旁挂着一个布囊，适才急于赶路，并未发现，伸手提起，只觉重甸甸的，打开看时，见囊里装着一只铁琵琶。 骆冰暗道：“原来这马是洛阳铁琵琶韩家门的，这事日后只怕还有麻烦。”再伸手入囊，摸出二三十两碎银子和一封信，封皮上写着：“韩文冲大爷亲启，王缄”几个字，那信已经拆开了，抽出信纸，先看信纸末后署名，见是“维扬顿首”四字，微微吃惊，一琢磨，反而高兴起来，心想：“原来这人与王维扬老儿有瓜葛，我们正要找镇远镖局晦气，先夺他一匹马，也算小小出了一口气。早知如此，那锭金子也不必给了。”再看信中文字，原来是催韩文冲快回，说叫人送上名马一匹，暂借乘坐，请他赶回与阎氏兄弟会合，一同保护要物回京，另有一笔大生意，要他护送去江南。至于焦文期是否为红花会所害，不妨暂且搁下，将来再行查察云云。 骆冰寻思：“焦文期是洛阳铁琵琶韩家门弟子，江湖上传言，说他为红花会所杀，其实哪有此事？总舵主本来派十四弟前赴洛阳，去说明这个过节，以免代人受过。镇远镖局又不知要护送什么要紧东西去江南？等大哥出来，咱夫妻出手将这枝镖拾夺下来。有仇不报非君子，那鬼镖头引人来捉大哥，岂能就此罢休？”想得高兴，吃过了面，上马赶路，一路雨点时大时小，始终未停。 那马奔行如风，不知有多少坐骑车辆给它追过了头。骆冰心想：“马跑得这样快，前面几拨人要是在哪里休息打尖，一晃眼恐怕就会错过。”正想放慢，忽然道旁蹿出一人，拦在当路，举手一扬。那马竟然并不立起，在急奔之际陡然住足，倒退数步。骆冰正要发话，那人已迎面行礼，说道：“文四奶奶，少爷在这里呢。”却是陈家洛的书童心砚。骆冰大喜，忙下马来。
心砚过来接过马缰，赞道：“文四奶奶，你哪里买来这么一匹好马？我老远瞧见是你，哪知眼睛一霎，就奔到了面前，差点没能将你拦住。”骆冰一笑，没答他的话，问道：“文四爷有什么消息没有？”心砚道：“常五爷常六爷说已见过文四爷一面，大伙儿都在里面呢。”他边说边把骆冰引向道旁的一座破庙。 骆冰抢到心砚之前，回头说：“你给我招呼牲口。”直奔进庙，见大殿上陈家洛、无尘、赵半山、常氏兄弟等几拨人都聚在那里。众人见她进来，都站起来欢然迎接。 骆冰向陈家洛行礼，说明自己心急等不得，先赶了上来，请总舵主恕罪。陈家洛道：“四嫂牵记四哥，那也是情有可原。不遵号令的过失，待救出四哥后再行论处。十二哥，请你记下了。”石双英答应了。骆冰笑靥如花，心道：“只要把大哥救回来，你怎么处罚我都成。”忙问常氏双侠：“五哥六哥，你们见到四哥了？他怎么样？有没受苦？” 常赫志道：“昨晚我们兄弟在双井追上了押着四哥的鹰爪孙，龟儿子人多，格老子，只怕打草惊蛇，就没动手。夜里我在窗外张了张，见四哥睡在炕上养神，他没见到我。屋里龟儿子守得很紧，我就退出来了。”常伯志道：“镇远镖局那批龟儿子和鹰爪孙混在一起，格老子，我数了一下，他先人板板，武功好的，总有十个人的样子。”常氏兄弟是四川人，骂人爱骂“龟儿子”。 说话之间，余鱼同从庙外进来，见到骆冰，不禁一怔，叫了声“四嫂”，向陈家洛禀告道：“那群回人在前边溪旁搭了篷帐，守望的人手执刀枪，看得很严。白天不便走近，等天黑了再去探。” 忽然间庙外车声辚辚，骡马嘶鸣，有一队人马经过。心砚进来禀告：“过去了一大队骡马大车，一名军官领着二十名官兵押队。”说罢又出庙守望。 陈家洛和众人计议：“此去向东，人烟稀少，正好行事。只是这队官兵和那群回人不知是什么路数，咱们搭救四哥之时，他们说不定会伸手干扰，倒不可不防。”众人说是。 无尘道人道：“陆菲青陆老前辈说他师弟张召重武功了得，咱们在江湖上也久闻火手判官的大名，这次捉拿四弟是他领头，那再好不过，便让老道斗他一斗。”陈家洛道：“道长七十二路追魂夺命剑天下无双，今日不能放过了这罪魁祸首。”赵半山道：“陆大哥虽已和他师弟绝交，但他为人最重情义，幸亏他还没赶到，否则咱们当着他面杀他师弟，总有些碍手碍脚。”常赫志道：“那么咱们不如赶早动身，预计明天卯牌时分，就可赶上四哥。” 陈家洛道：“好。五哥六哥，这批鹰爪孙和镖头的模样如何，请两位对各位哥哥细说一遍，明儿动起手来，心里好先有个底。” 常氏兄弟一路跟踪，已将官差和镖行的底细摸了个差不离，当下详细说了，又说：“四哥晚上和鹰爪孙同睡一屋，白天坐在大车里，手脚都上了铐镣。大车布帘遮得很紧，车旁两个龟儿子骑了马不离左右。” 无尘问道：“那张召重是何模样？”常伯志道：“龟儿子四十来岁年纪，身材魁梧，留一丛短胡子。先人板板，一块神主牌位倒硬是要得。”常赫志道：“道长，咱们话说在先，我哥儿俩要是先遇上这龟儿子，就先动手，你可别怪我们不跟你客气。”无尘笑道：“好久没遇上对手了，手痒是不是？三弟，你的太极手想不想发市呀？”赵半山道：“这张召重让给你们，我不争就是。” 各人摩拳擦掌，只待厮杀，草草吃了点干粮，便请总舵主发令。陈家洛盘算已定，说道：“那队回人未必跟公差有甚勾结，咱们赶在头里，一救出四哥，就不必理会他们。十四弟，你也不用再去查了，你与十三哥明儿专管截拦那军官和二十名官兵，只不许他们过来干扰便是，不须多伤人命。”蒋四根和余鱼同答应了。陈家洛又道：“九哥、十二哥，你们两位马上出发，赶过鹰爪孙的头，明儿一早守住峡口，不能让鹰爪孙逃过峡口。”卫石两人应了，出庙上马而去。 陈家洛又道：“道长、五哥、六哥三位对付官差；三哥、八哥两位对付镖行的小子。四嫂连同心砚抢四哥的大车，我在中间策应，哪一路不顺手就帮哪一路。十哥就在这里留守，如有官兵公差西来往东，设法阻挡。”各人都答应了。 分派已定，众人出庙上马，和章进扬手道别。大家见了骆冰的白马，无不啧啧赞赏。骆冰心想：“这马本来该当送给总舵主才是，但咱家大哥吃了这么多苦，等救了他出来，这匹马给他骑，也好让他欢喜欢喜。” 陈家洛向余鱼同道：“那群回人的帐篷搭在哪里？咱们弯过去瞧瞧。”余鱼同领路，向溪边走去，远远望去，只见旷旷廓廓一片空地，哪里还有什么帐篷人影？只剩下满地驼马粪便。大家都觉得这群回人行踪诡秘，摸不准是何来路。 陈家洛道：“咱们走吧！”众人纵马疾驰，黑夜之中，只闻马蹄嗒嗒之声。骆冰马快，跑一程等一程，才没将众人抛离。天色黎明，到了一条小溪边上，陈家洛道：“各位兄弟，咱们在这里让牲口喝点水，养养力，再过一个时辰，大概就可追上四哥了。” 骆冰血脉贲张，心跳加剧，双颊晕红。余鱼同偷眼形相，心中说不出是什么滋味，慢慢走到她身旁，轻轻叫了声：“四嫂！”骆冰应道：“嗯！”余鱼同道：“我就是性命不要，也要将四哥救出来给你。”骆冰微微一笑，轻声叹道：“这才是好兄弟呢！”余鱼同心中一酸，几乎掉下泪来，忙转过了头。 陈家洛道：“四嫂，你的马借给心砚骑一下，让他赶上前去，探明鹰爪孙的行踪，转来报信。”心砚听得能骑骆冰的马，心中大喜，道：“文四奶奶，你肯么？”骆冰笑道：“孩子话，我为什么不肯？”心砚骑上白马，如飞而去。 众人等马饮足了水，纷纷上马，放开脚力急赶。不一会，天已大明，只见心砚骑了白马迎面奔来，大叫：“鹰爪孙就在前面，大家快追！” 众人一听，精神百倍，拼力追赶。心砚和骆冰换过马，骆冰问道：“见到了四爷的大车吗？”心砚连连点头，道：“见到了！我想看得仔细点，骑近车旁，守车的贼子立刻凶霸霸地举刀吓我，骂我小杂种、小混蛋。”骆冰笑道：“待会他要叫你小祖宗、小太爷了。” 劲风中群驹疾驰，尘土飞扬，追出五六里地，望见前面一大队人马，稍稍驰近，见是一批官兵押着一队车队。心砚对陈家洛道：“再上去六七里就是文四爷的车子。”众人催马越过车队。陈家洛使个眼色，蒋四根和余鱼同圈转坐骑，拦在当路，其余各人继续向前急追。
余鱼同待官兵行到跟前，双手一拱，斯斯文文地道：“各位辛苦了！这里风景绝妙，难得天高气爽，不冷不热，大家坐下来谈谈如何？”当头一名清兵喝道：“快闪开！这是李军门的家眷。”余鱼同道：“是家眷么？那更应该歇歇，前面有一对黑无常白无常，莫吓坏了姑娘太太们。”另一名清兵扬起马鞭，劈面打来，喝道：“你这穷酸，快别在这儿发疯。”余鱼同笑嘻嘻地避过，说道：“君子动口不动手，阁下横施马鞭，未免不是君子矣！” 押队的将官纵马上来喝问。余鱼同拱手笑问：“官长尊姓大名，仙乡何处？”那将官见余、蒋二人路道不正，迟疑不答。余鱼同取出金笛，道：“在下粗识声律，常叹知音难遇。官长相貌堂堂，必非俗人，就请下马，待在下吹奏一曲，以解旅途寂寥，有何不可？” 那将官正是护送李可秀家眷的曾图南，见到金笛，登时一惊。那日客店中余鱼同和公差争斗，他虽没亲见，事后却听兵丁和店伙说起，得知杀差拒捕的大盗是个手持金笛的秀才相公。此时狭路相逢，不知是何来意，但见对方只有两人，也自不惧，喝道：“咱们河水不犯井水，各走各的道。快让路吧！” 余鱼同道：“在下有十套大曲，一曰龙吟，二曰凤鸣，三日紫云，四曰红霞，五曰摇波，六曰裂石，七曰金谷，八曰玉关，九曰静日，十曰良宵，或慷慨激越，或宛转缠绵，各具佳韵。只是罕逢嘉客，久未吹奏，今日邂逅高贤，不觉技痒，只好从头献丑一番。要让路不难，待我十套曲子吹完，自然恭送官长上道。”说罢将金笛举到口边，妙音随指，果然是清响入云，声被四野。 曾图南眼见今日之事不能善罢，举枪卷起碗大枪花，“乌龙出洞”，向余鱼同当心刺去。余鱼同凝神吹笛，待枪尖堪堪刺到，突伸左手抓住枪柄，右手金笛在枪杆上猛力击落，曾图南把持不住，枪杆落地。曾图南大惊，勒马倒退数步，从兵士手中抢了一把刀，又杀将上来。战得七八回合，余鱼同找到破绽，金笛戳中他右臂，曾图南单刀脱手。 余鱼同道：“我这十套曲子，官长今日听定了。在下生平最恨阻挠清兴之人，不听我笛子，便是瞧我不起。古诗有云：'快马不须鞭，拗折杨柳枝。下马吹横笛，愁杀路旁儿。'我吹我的，你愁你的。古人真有先见之明。”横笛当唇，又吹将起来。 曾图南挥手叫道：“一齐上，拿下这小子。”众兵呐喊涌上。 蒋四根纵身下马，手挥铁桨，使招“拨草寻蛇”，在当先那名清兵脚上轻轻挑起。那清兵叫声“啊哟”，仰天倒在铁桨之上。蒋四根铁桨“翻身上卷袖”向上挥出，那清兵有如断线纸鸢，飞上半空，只听得他“啊啊”乱叫，直向人堆里跌去。蒋四根抢上两步，如法炮制，像铲土般将清兵一铲一个，接二连三地抛掷出去，后面清兵齐声惊呼，转身便逃。曾图南挥马鞭乱打，却哪里约束得住？ 蒋四根正抛得高兴，忽然对面大车车帷开处，一团火云扑到面前，明晃晃的剑尖当胸疾刺。蒋四根铁桨“倒拔垂杨”，桨尾猛向剑身砸去，对方不等桨到，剑已变招，向他腿上削落。蒋四根铁桨横扫，那人见他桨重力大，不敢硬接，纵出数步。蒋四根定神看时，见那人竟是个红衣少女。他是粤北人氏，乡音难改，来到北土，言语少有人懂，因此向来不爱多话，一声不响，挥铁桨和她斗在一起，拆了数招，见她剑法精妙，不禁暗暗称奇。 蒋四根心下纳罕，余鱼同在一旁看得更是出神。这时他已忘了吹笛，尽注视那少女的剑法。见她长剑施展开来，有如飞絮游丝，长河流水，宛转飘忽，轻灵连绵，竟是本门正传的“柔云剑术”，和蒋四根一个招熟，一个力大，斗了个难解难分。 余鱼同纵身而前，金笛在两般兵刃间一隔，叫道：“住手！”那少女和蒋四根各退一步。这时曾图南另取了一杆枪，又跃马过来助战，众清兵站得远远的呐喊助威。那少女挥手叫曾图南退下。余鱼同道：“请问姑娘高姓大名，尊师是哪一位？”那少女笑道：“你问我呀，我不爱说。我却知你是金笛秀才余鱼同。余者，人未之余。鱼者，混水摸鱼之鱼也。同者，君子和而不同之同，非破铜烂铁之铜也。你在红花会中，坐的是第十四把交椅。”余鱼同和蒋四根吃了一惊，面面相觑，尽是诧色。曾图南见她忽然对那江洋大盗笑语盈盈，更是错愕异常。 三个惊奇的男人望着一个笑嘻嘻的女郎，正不知说什么话好，忽听得蹄声急促，清兵纷纷让道，六骑马从西赶来。当先一人神色清癯，满头白发，正是武当名宿陆菲青。余鱼同和那少女不约而同地迎了上去，一个叫“师叔”，一个叫“师父”，都跳下马来行礼。那少女正是陆菲青的女弟子李沅芷。 在陆菲青之后的是周仲英、周绮、徐天宏、孟健雄、安健刚五人。那日骆冰半夜出走，周绮翌晨起来，大不高兴，对徐天宏道：“你们红花会很爱瞧不起人。你又干吗不跟你四嫂一起走？”徐天宏竭力向周氏父女解释。周仲英道：“他们少年夫妻恩爱情深，恨不得早日见面，赶先一步，也是情理之常。”骂周绮道：“又要你发什么脾气了？”徐天宏道：“四嫂一人孤身上路，她跟鹰爪孙朝过相，别再出什么岔子。”周仲英道：“这话不错，咱们最好赶上她。陈当家的分派我领这拨人，要是她再有甚闪失，我这老脸往哪里搁去？”三人快马奔驰，当日午后赶上了陆菲青和孟、安二人。六人关心骆冰，全力赶路，途中毫没耽搁，是以陈家洛等一行过去不久，他们就遇上了留守的章进。听说文泰来便在前面，六骑马一阵风般追了上来。 陆菲青道：“沅芷，你怎么和余师兄、蒋大哥在一起？”李沅芷笑道：“余师哥非要人家听他吹笛不可，说有十套大曲，又是龙吟，又是凤鸣什么的。我不爱听嘛，他就拦着不许走。师父你倒评评这个理看。” 余鱼同听李沅芷向陆菲青如此告状，不由得脸上一阵发烧，心道：“我拦住人听笛子是有的，可哪里是拦住