Chapter 4 Chapter Three
The scorching sun was in the sky, and the wild land was burning like fire. Wang Shouren and Yan Heng rode together on the suburban road, raising waves of violent smoke and dust.
They rode straight northwest from Luling County, and they had been riding non-stop for more than half an hour. Wang Shouren led the way, and Yan Heng followed closely behind.
From time to time, Yan Heng looked at Lord Wang's back on the saddle, and saw that he was very skillful in riding, and his steps were light and nimble while the horse was galloping.Yan Heng once heard those Confucian scholars say that Mr. Wang practiced riding and archery diligently when he was young, and he is both civil and military, which shows that what he said is true.
After the battle last night, King Bolongshu may attack the county again at any time, and there is no delay in borrowing troops for this trip. Although the two of them were sweating profusely, they did not slow down.
Until they came to a shallow stream, the two riders wanted to cross the water, so they temporarily stopped by the stream to let the horses drink and rest.Wang Shouren stopped by to clean the wound on Yan Heng's face, and replaced the Jinchuang medicine and cloth belt.
"The wound has begun to close..." Wang Shouren gently wiped Yan Heng's jaw with stream water, and examined it carefully for a while: "You are young, so good."
"Thank you." After re-binding the cloth bandage on his face, Yan Heng thanked him flattered.He never thought that one day he would let a fourth-rank court official personally change his medicine.
Wang Shouren smiled, leaned over to wash his hands by the stream, and looked at the beautiful scenery of water and mountains in front of him, as if thinking of something, he frowned.
Yan Heng also followed his gaze.The sunlight clearly reflected the colors of the beautiful mountains on the water, and Yan Heng felt a sense of peace and tranquility in his heart when he looked at it.
——In such a blessed place, there are thieves as hairy as hair, and even hide such a huge evil as King Bolongshu... Such a beautiful landscape, what a pity...
Wang Shouren thought the same thing at the moment.With a long sword around his waist in one hand, he stood in front of the gleaming stream, with the breeze blowing his five long beards.In Yan Heng's eyes, that tall and thin figure standing motionless is like a sturdy tree standing by the water.
Wang Shouren sighed.
"It's easy to break a thief in a mountain, but it's hard to break a thief in a heart."
Yan Heng couldn't help being moved when he heard this.
The two got on their horses and walked to the other side of the shallow stream.When he reached the middle of the stream, Yan Heng couldn't help asking: "Master Wang, is it difficult to govern the world?"
Wang Shouren smiled wryly.
"The court is weak, and the court is in power. In the past, the eunuch Liu Jin and others exercised power and harmed the officials and the people. Now there are Qian Ning and Jiang Bin who are in chaos, eroding the foundation of the court, causing people's resentment to deepen, and there are mutinies and riots everywhere. You You are from Sichuan, and you also know about the local Liu Lie gathering a crowd to rebel a few years ago, right?"
Yan Heng nodded.Although the Qingcheng faction lives in seclusion in the mountains, detached from the secular world, the scale of the civil uprising in Baoning Prefecture in northern Sichuan was very large that year, and it went straight to Shaanxi in the neighboring province. Yan Heng also heard a little bit from the people in Weijiang Town at the foot of the mountain.Later, he heard from his senior brother that during the fight against the rebellion, a local military officer who had been a disciple of Qingcheng died.
Wang Shouren continued: "This kind of situation also lures dissident royals and dignitaries to take advantage of the weakness of the state to seize power. It happened before, fortunately, it was quickly calmed down by the loyal ministers, so that the world did not cause chaos, otherwise I don't know How many lives will be killed."
Yan Heng listened, and couldn't help thinking of King Bolongshu again: such a vicious monster can run rampant in one place for a long time without being bothered, which shows how corrupt the government's governance has become.
"But..." Wang Shouren's eyes sparkled at this moment: "Whether things are difficult or not is different from whether they should be done."
Wang Shouren's words coincided with Yan Heng's sad wish to challenge Wudang, Yan Heng nodded heavily upon hearing this.
"Brother Jing once told me." He said: "Everything worth doing in the world is difficult."
The two looked at each other, showing bold smiles at the same time.They are one in their prime and one in their prime, with a difference of more than twenty years in age, and they live in completely different worlds, but their unyielding will is common.
"Jing Xia... is really a rare talent."
Wang Shouren was silent as he spoke.Jing Li did not return for a long time, which made him quite worried, but it was not easy to show it in front of Yan Heng.
Lord Wang mentioned the rebellion of King Anhua a few years ago, which also reminded Yan Heng of Prince Ning's Mansion.He then personally recruited Prince Ning's confidant Li Junyuan, and informed Wang Shouren of the possibility that Jin Yiwei might have intervened in the Xi'an martial arts battle.Unexpectedly, when Master Wang heard it, he was not surprised at all.
Since Wang Shouren returned to Luling County, Jiangxi Province, he has been paying attention to the illegal activities of Prince Ning's Mansion.Prince Ning's Mansion often embezzles a large number of good people's properties arbitrarily with the authority that no one dares to block. Such greedy actions are not surprising at all. Almost all the royal relatives use various methods to enrich themselves.But at the same time, King Ning took advantage of this expansion of financial resources to recruit more aggressive outlaws in the local area, regardless of their character and background. It is not a secret that the imperial court asked for permission to rebuild the guard army of the palace, and for this reason they did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to bribe many high-ranking officials in the capital.Now he is waving to warriors with extraordinary skills...
Wang Shouren knew very well that King Ning Zhu Chenhao had great plans, but his current official position and power were still not high, and the other party was the unshakable Prince Zhu, so Wang Shouren could only wait and see what happened.
——But if someone ignites the flames of war in the world for his own selfish desires in the future, even with this flesh and blood, I will stop him!
"You guys... Sure enough, you didn't let Wang take his eyes off you." Wang Shouren learned that Jing Li and the others were not seduced by the power and fame of Prince Ning's mansion, so he respected them very much, and bowed his hands to Yan Heng.Yan Heng hastily returned the gift.
"Master Wang, you said that we are going to 'borrow soldiers' for this trip, and what is the borrowing...?" When Yan Heng asked, the two riders had crossed to the other side of the stream before they knew it.
"Of course you will know when you get to Mapiling." Wang Shouren replied. "Young Xia Yan, don't say anything later, just listen to me. Is that okay?"
After Yan patted his waist horizontally, he "tiger out".
"Didn't I borrow this sword from you, Mr. Wang? Don't ask me any more?"
Yan Heng's demeanor when he said this was a bit imitating Jing Li, and he felt much more mature than before.
The two laughed again, and continued galloping toward the mountains to the north.
As soon as he entered the range of Mapi Ridge, Yan Heng had already noticed those eyes flashing among the bushes. —There are people watching in the woods. Yan Heng was about to speak, but remembered Mr. Wang's previous instructions, so he held back. Wang Shouren already knew what Yan Heng wanted to say, and said with a slight smile, "Don't mind those people." They were leading their horses and walking on an uphill path.The path was winding, with dense forests that could not be seen on both sides, and there were many places to ambush.Yan Heng's whole body was on guard. The free left hand seemed to be hanging down naturally, but in fact, his shoulders fell to his elbows, and his wrists and fingers were in an appropriate state between relaxation and penetration. Able to pull out the "Tiger Pi" hanging horizontally on the lower back quickly. Although the shade of the trees blocked the sun, the trees were so dense that the wind couldn't let in the wind. When they walked on the slope, they felt sweltering heat, and the bandages wrapped around the wounds on Yan Heng's body and face were all drenched with sweat. Yan Heng scanned the left and right with his sharp eyes that had practiced the "Rain Observation Technique" of the Qingcheng School for many years, and with his ears listening, he noticed that more and more people gathered in the forest on both sides, and they kept following them. He caught a glimpse of a quick shadow among the trees. It was a tall, thin young man with a dirty turban, wearing a simple breastplate made of bamboo, with a sickle slanted in his belt, and a bamboo in his hand. Gun, ran past on straw sandals that were about to be torn.The young man was very agile and ran almost silently, but he couldn't escape Yan Heng's eyes. When Yan Heng saw the other party, he thought: In the past two days in Luling County, I saw very few young and middle-aged men, and now I know where they all went. He finally understood that what Mr. Wang wanted to borrow was not some "soldier".It's a thief. "There is no way." Wang Shouren said in a low voice: "In this situation, if we want to find the most ready-made force, these guys are the only ones." Climbing up to the top of the slope, Yan Heng suddenly felt his eyes suddenly open up. From this top, he could overlook a large section of downhill road in front of him, which meanders to the distant mountain forest on the opposite side.In the middle of the mountain on the opposite side, there are several huge thatched houses looming. As soon as Wang Shouren and Yan Heng reached the top of the slope, it was as if they had crossed some kind of warning line.In the forests in front of and behind them, there seemed to be a large group of wild animals commotion, exuding a dangerous atmosphere. With a whistling noise, something whirled and flew from behind them! With the extraordinary eyesight of a swordsman, Yan Heng could confirm that the flight path of the hidden weapon was not aimed at him and Lord Wang with just a glance.He didn't react excessively, but just put his hand on Wang Shouren's chest to prevent him from moving around, and let the hidden weapon pass half a foot away from him. It was inserted into a tree trunk next to the ramp, and it was a rough and slightly rusty small axe. The bandits who had been watching and following them all jumped out of the forest at once, and twenty or thirty people blocked the front and back roads. Yan Heng looked at the group of people who surrounded him. Their slovenly clothes were not far from those of the young people he had just seen. They were all wearing crude weapons and armor. Farm tools, or simply sharpening bamboo poles to grow spears, there are not many weapons that are really made for battle.They all stared at Wang Shouren and Yan Heng with fierce eyes like hungry wolves, and paid special attention to the sabers on their bodies. Yan Heng noticed that most of these bandits were young, and only three or four of them were middle-aged.The tall and thin young man who was seen running in the forest before was also among them, and now it is more clearly seen that his dirty face is actually very tender, probably only two or three years older than Yan Heng. Another older man stepped forward. He was blind in one right eye, but he didn't use a cloth belt or an eyepatch to cover it up, letting the miserable scar like the word "米" show in front of everyone.The man holds a pair of axes in both hands, and the one in his right hand is constantly tossing and picking in the air.Of course he threw the throwing ax just now. "Magistrate Wang, are you coming to arrest us again?" The middle-aged man called Wang Shouren by his old official title. His one eye glanced at the boy next to him who was covered in wounds and was carrying a pair of long and short swords, and grinned with scorched teeth: "Why didn't you bring anyone here this time?" ——The one-eyed man tested Yan Heng with a throwing ax just now, but Yan Heng didn't seem to respond at all, and the man was very contemptuous of him. Wang Shouren has a vivid memory, and he remembers that the bandit he once suppressed and recruited was named Liang Futong.Wang Shouren held the rein of the horse with one hand, and put the other on the hilt of his sword. His thin face was ashen, without a hint of a smile, and he stared at Liang Futong with severe eyes. The Lord Wang whom Yan Heng saw in the past two days, no matter how many warriors he was facing, the accompanying disciples, or the people of the county town, he always looked relaxed and friendly; when confronting King Bolongshu, he was upright and awe-inspiring.It was the first time that this furious face was shown at this moment, and Yan Heng couldn't help being surprised when he saw it. Sure enough, even Liang Futong shuddered when he saw Wang Shouren's appearance, and the ax he was throwing with his right hand almost fell off.But with so many brothers standing behind him, Liang Futong could only pretend to be unmoved. He was about to say a few more words with great momentum, but Wang Shouren interrupted him. "I don't have time to chat with you. Take me to find Meng Qihe." The younger ones among the bandits didn't recognize Wang Shouren at all, and they were angry when they heard it.The tall and thin young man wearing a turban took a step forward and raised his bamboo spear, but Liang Futong stopped him with his axe. "You can see him if you want." Liang Futong said, "But according to the rules in our village, the sword must stay here." Wang Shouren laughed when he heard this - but unlike his usual smile, the face with the corners of his mouth raised was even scarier than before. "There are only two people, and one of them is me, are you also afraid? With such courage, you are still called a hero in the mountains?" Everyone could only feel that Wang Shouren exuded an unstoppable aura.He continued to look down on the bandits with a smile, not at all embarrassed by being intercepted and surrounded, it seemed that these dozens of people were going to come out to greet him. Liang Futong was ridiculed by Wang Shouren, his face flushed for a while, and he was silent for a while, but finally he was overwhelmed by Wang Shouren's momentum.He put the two axes back into his belt, stretched out his hand to the downhill ahead, and motioned for Wang Shouren and Yan Heng to go into the mountain.
The building is more like a warehouse than a cottage.The beams and columns on the walls are half wood and half bamboo poles, and the roof is only covered with hay. In addition to scattered beds and various daily necessities, the village is full of large and small bags, most of which contain coarse grains, a small amount of dried meat and fruits, and a few chickens and ducks wandering around. They are all bandits. They looted from nearby villages and towns.Although the quantity is large, it is not very rich and can barely fill one's stomach. Dozens of thieves were crowded around the village, some were sitting on haystacks, some were leaning on grain sacks, forming a big circle, and dozens of pairs of eyes were staring at Wang standing in the middle with malicious intentions. , Yan two people. In addition, there were dozens of bandits who couldn't squeeze in, so they surrounded the village and looked around.These people can abandon their homes and come to live in the mountains and live a life of licking blood. Naturally, each of them is stronger than ordinary people, and killing people for money is just commonplace.In their eyes, Wang Shouren and Yan Heng were just two people who broke into the Mapiling village, and they were already dead with half a leg in the coffin. In front of the two of them was a large chair made of bamboo, which was covered with a piece of fur that had been damaged in many places, and it could not be seen that it was peeled off from some beast.The chair was always empty, and the two of them just waited without saying a word, ignoring the whispers and laughter around them. Ever since he fell in the Chengdu Mapai Gang last time, Yan Heng has been very wary of going deep into such a strange and closed place. He has been secretly observing the escape route, and has been paying close attention to whether anyone has hidden arrows and other assassination tools. ——When necessary, I will definitely protect Mr. Wang and kill him... The thieves saw that Yan Heng was so young and tender, with fresh wounds that had just been bandaged all over his body, but carrying a pair of long and short swords that looked very valuable, and pretending to be a swordsman in the rivers and lakes. They only took a few glances at him, and then Turn all your attention to Wang Shouren. ——I heard that he has been promoted to a high official in the court, why is he here again? ... After waiting for a while, the crowd at the gate booed and gave way to a passage. Yan Heng turned his head, and saw a short man with disheveled hair like a bird's nest, pushing everyone away and entering the village. Wherever he passed, all the bandits showed respectful expressions, which shows that the discipline in this village is not bad. strict. Meng Qihe, the leader of the bandits, was only twenty-seven or eight years old, with a bronze face and a hooked nose, giving people the impression of being very handsome and capable.He was a little shorter than Yan Heng, but his upper body was naked, revealing his muscles as deep as steel bars.The forearms of both hands were covered with bamboo armor, and a thin layer of copper was nailed to the bamboo skin. This pair of equipment alone seemed to stand out above all the thieves. Meng Qihe walked into the village very quickly, but felt extremely stable.Although his muscles and bones are strong, he is actually not very strong, but every time he takes a step, he seems to have a weight that exceeds his body shape, as if his body is filled with lead. Yan Heng noticed Meng Qihe's gait, which showed a very solid horse stance. It can be seen that this man is not an ordinary country warrior, and his martial arts are much higher than all the thieves in this village. Another subordinate followed Meng Qihe in, not half a foot behind him.This bald bandit was much taller and stronger than Meng Qihe—Meng Qihe's eyes probably only reached his chest—and he carried a large single knife nearly five feet long on his shoulder.He looked very serious, and he didn't have the swaggering posture of other bandits holding weapons, so it can be seen that this big knife did not belong to him. But for the leader Meng Qihe. When Yan Heng saw it, he suddenly remembered that he had seen such a battle in the past: in Xi'an, that "Slashing the Moon in the Water" Senior Yin Yingchuan whose disciple was carrying a sword.Meng Qihe's large sword in front of him is a bit smaller than Senior Yin's, but its style is somewhat similar. Yan Heng took a closer look at Meng Qihe's walking habits, no wonder he seemed to have known him before. ——He is an authentic gossip disciple! After Meng Qihe came in, without even looking at Wang Shouren and Yan Heng, he went straight to the animal skin bamboo chair and sat down, scratched his messy hair, rubbed his eyelids, stretched his waist, and started to hand out cigarettes. After igniting the pole, he took a deep breath and exhaled a puff of white smoke, and then he met Wang Shouren's eyes for the first time. When Wang Shouren looked at Meng Qihe, it was the same as when he looked at Liang Futong on the hillside before, showing an angry and stern face, as if this Meng Qihe in front of him was someone he hated extremely.Yan Heng was a little worried when he saw it. ——Master Wang clearly said that he came to borrow troops, but he didn't seem to ask others at all, but he seemed to come to collect debts... Is this really okay? ... Before Liang Futong at least called him "County Wang", but Meng Qihe didn't even call him by that name, and just said: "Didn't you go to get promoted and get rich? Why did you come back to this poor country again? You still want to die here!" Meng Qihe's first sentence was the word "death", Yan Heng was very nervous and almost drew his sword immediately.But he remembered the agreement with Mr. Wang, not to act rashly unless it is absolutely necessary, so he resisted it. Wang Shouren was not shaken by Meng Qihe's words, but calmly replied: "What a shameless guy." "What did you say?" Meng Qihe's messy hair seemed to stand on end when he heard it, and he left the back of the chair, holding the chair handle made of bamboo poles tightly with both hands, staring angrily. The bandits around also shouted and shouted: "What nonsense are you talking about?" The voices are boiling. "Shut up! It's not your turn to talk here!" Wang Shouren shouted angrily in all directions, the fierce momentum actually suppressed the voices of the outlaws, and no one dared to curse any more. The person standing in front of them was obviously just a Confucian official over forty years old with a body as thin as bamboo, but his majesty gave people a powerful feeling that they never wanted to be enemies with him. Wang Shouren then sternly said to Meng Qihe: "Am I wrong? Who promised me that day that I would never be a thief again in this life? Do you keep your word? Seeing your current morality, this is not enough. Isn't that shameless?" Meng Qihe's face turned pale, and he pinched the handle of the chair with his palms, and the cigarette rod between his fingers broke.But he couldn't refute it. Two years ago when Wang Shouren was the magistrate of Luling County, one of the most difficult problems was the local thieves.Wang Shouren started from the root, helping the county people prevent and control the epidemic and reduce exorbitant taxes, which restored the livelihood of the local villages and towns.Most of the bandits and horse bandits in Luling were ordinary farmers who took risks because of their livelihood. Wang Shouren's policy made most of the bandits put down their knives and pick up farming tools again.However, there are still a few more brave bandits who have been used to the majestic life in the grass and are still stubbornly resisting without being recruited. One of them is the forty or so led by Meng Qihe. Wang Shouren organized the militia Baojia to crusade. He knew that although the Baojia had a large number of people, their combat power was far less than that of the bandits. The main force of the branch raided the place where they stored money and food.Meng Qihe and his group lost their food, and no matter how brave they were, they were no match for hunger. Wang Shouren kept pressing them to prevent them from looting while fleeing. Most of Meng Qihe's men did not surrender, only he and Liang Futong and a few others remained confidantes are trapped in the mountains. Meng Qihe thought he was the leader of the thieves, and he refused to be appeased before. The county magistrate Wang will definitely punish him severely this time, to kill chickens and monkeys; unexpectedly, Wang Shouren released one of the bandits who was captured alive, and he sent a message to Meng Qihe. He: County magistrate Wang is still willing to recruit security. They just need to abandon their weapons and come out of the mountains, and promise to be good citizens from now on, and forget the past. Meng Qihe bound himself and his men's weapons with vines, walked down the mountain to the county seat with their backs on their backs, and bowed and surrendered to Wang Shouren.After Wang Shouren helped him up, he also took out the Baguamen sword that belonged to Meng Qihe from the bundle of weapons, and handed it back to him. It turned out that Wang Shouren had heard about it a long time ago. Meng Qihe, who was born in the county, had practiced martial arts since he was a child, and he was even a descendant of a famous martial arts school. "You are a talent." Wang Shouren said to Meng Qihe at that time: "When a man is born in this world, he should not be greedy for a moment of happiness. He should find a way of birth. Even if it is not to show off his ancestors and parents, it is also to be worthy of himself." Meng Qihe wept and kowtowed on the spot.Wang Shouren also promised to recommend him to take the martial arts examination. Although Wang Shouren had left his post later, he still couldn't forget this matter, so someone brought the letter of recommendation to Ji'an Mansion. But the letter was not delivered to Meng Qihe in the end.Because he has already gone up the mountain and fell into the grass again. At this reunion, Wang Shouren's disappointment and anger were beyond words.Meng Qihe didn't answer a word, because he did make a promise to Wang Shouren that day.What's more, he was defeated by Wang Shouren solidly on the battlefield years ago, and he didn't want to bring up this matter again in front of many subordinates. Wang Shouren looked around, snorted coldly and said, "You are more powerful today than before—I just saw that you have eighty if not a hundred people under your command? You are so majestic. You are a thief. Are you proud?" Being scolded by Wang Shouren, Meng Qihe's blood surged up, and even his breathing became short of breath.At this time, he touched his neck. There was a rope on it, and a long and curved canine tooth was hung on it.Holding the tiger tooth necklace with five fingers, Meng Qihe closed his eyes for a long time before he calmed down a little. "What else is there to say?" Meng Qihe said lightly, suppressing his mood: "In order to have a bite to eat, we fell into bandits and left our ancestors behind us long ago. No matter what reason you say, it will be in vain." "Eat?" Wang Shouren smiled again: "That's right. From the dilapidated appearance of your village, it seems that you really can only fill your stomach and live one day at a time. It's just that if you risk your life as a thief, it's enough." Shabby." Wang Shouren said "thief" on the left, and "thief" on the right. Everyone was already angry. After hearing this sentence, Liang Futong couldn't help saying loudly: "Do you think we want to live like this? It's not that—" He paused suddenly. "You mean the monsters like King Bolongshu?" Wang Shouren continued for him. As soon as they heard King Bolongshu, all the bandits' expressions darkened.Many of them went up to the mountain to join the bandit because of the raging of Bolongshu kings, who cut off their livelihoods in the Luling area; Looting or confiscating food can only make ends meet. As for Meng Qihe himself, he had already become a thief before King Bolongshu appeared.It turned out that only a few months after Wang Shouren left office, the corrupt officials in the county government resumed all kinds of harsh taxes. Meng Qihe, who was unwilling to plow the fields, could only do odd jobs in the county town. He has a criminal record and is often angered by the officials; once the farmers wanted to gather and refused to pay the grain, the county magistrate Xu Hongde was afraid that he, a strong man, would take the lead in causing trouble, so he was arrested and imprisoned for three days without asking why.Later, Liang Futong and more than a dozen old ministries kept persuading, Meng Qihe couldn't bear it anymore, raised the gossip sword, and led his men to loot a batch of official food. Before the trial period for the Wuju Township Examination, he went up the mountain again up. Although Meng Qihe didn't become a thief because of Bolong Shuwang, but he knew that Shuwang's martial arts and poison were powerful, so he never dared to provoke them.Hearing that Wang Shouren also knew about King Shu, he couldn't help but blush. "What exactly do you want here?" Meng Qihe looked at Wang Shouren and said.Before that, he had already started his subordinates to carefully observe and inspect the surrounding areas at the foot of Mapiling Mountain, to make sure that Wang Shouren did not bring soldiers to crusade. Wang Shouren stroked his long beard and said slowly: "I'm here to give you another chance to live like a man again." The hooded young man who had been following the ramp before jumped out like an ape, already holding a curved sickle in his hand. "Do you know..." The young man's eyes were fierce, he raised his sickle and pointed at Wang Shouren, gnashing his teeth, and said, "We can cut you off at any moment?" "You can try." Wang Shouren looked back at the tall and thin young man, his eyes full of challenges. This young man's name is Tang Ba, and he is the bravest and most agile under Meng Qihe's subordinates. He is always a trailblazer in every robbery, and he is also in charge of guarding and patrolling the village.He has been learning from martial arts masters since he was a child in the countryside, and after he joined the group, he was taught by Meng Qihe and taught him a lot of Bagua sect exercises. He has never lost a fight this year, and he already regards Meng Qihe as his elder brother. Seeing the leader being humiliated repeatedly, Tang Ba was already furious. Hearing what Wang Shouren said, he couldn't hold back anymore. He jumped forward and swung his saber at Wang Shouren without waiting for Meng Qihe's order! He only caught a glimpse of a silver light flashing in front of him, and there was a shock in his hand—— Stopping to gather his senses, he found that half of the sickle in his hand was left! Except for Meng Qihe, no one saw what happened. Only half of the curved broken blade nailed to the beam above can be seen. There is also Yan Heng who holds the "Tiger Pi" behind his left hand, protecting him in front of Wang Shouren. Tang Ba's age and experience were far younger than that of Sichuan Guan County's Ghost Sword Chen. Facing Yan Heng's extraordinary fast sword, he didn't feel the huge gap between him and Yan Heng.As a newborn calf, he was dazzled by anger, still set up his sickle, which was only in half, and turned to Yan Heng to kill him! "Don't kill him!" With one move, Meng Qihe had seen Yan Heng's speed and strength above the world, and the broad-bladed dagger in his hand was even more extraordinary, but he didn't have time to stop Tang Ba from sending him to death, so in desperation he asked Yan Heng shouted. "Cut off his clothes!" Wang Shouren, who was less than a foot behind Yan Heng, shouted at the same time. Yan Heng was stunned when he heard Lord Wang's order. The swordsmanship of the Qingcheng School that he practiced hard since he was a child is aimed at killing the enemy in a duel, he must go all out in every battle, and he will not be merciless in his shots. Brother Jing once teased Xinyi's disciples to show off their skills by throwing wine glasses, which is not martial arts at all. But Yan Heng had long agreed to lend the sword to Lord Wang.No matter how he wants to use it. ——Take it as the criterion for practicing the left-handed sword... With a flick of his wrist, he has rotated "Tiger Pi" in his palm, turning it into a positive grip. Tang Ba fiercely stabbed the still sharp broken blade towards Yan Heng's front door! ——But for Yan Heng, who possesses the reaction speed of "innate strength", Tang Ba is not much different from a wooden doll. Yan Heng's left fist turned back to the sky, "Tiger Pi" swung his backhand horizontally from right to left, passing between Tang Ba's chest and neck, and following the swing, his left forearm blocked Tang Ba's thrusting forearm. This swing of the sword didn't seem to hit anything at first glance, but there were strange sounds on both collarbones of Tang Ba. It turned out that the point of the "Tiger Pi" sword had cut off the two shoulder straps of his bamboo breastplate. The armor fell down and hung on the waist! Before Tang Ba knew what happened, Yan Heng hooked his right wrist holding the sickle with the end of the hilt of the sword with his left hand, and drew it down half a circle.Yan Heng then slapped his right palm to seal the wrist, and sent the sword in his left hand forward, and the blade of "Hu Pi" was already attached to Tang Ba's right waist. Tang Ba felt the cold metal of the short sword stick to the skin of his waist, and thought for a moment that he was going to die. As long as Yan Heng dragged his sword along the trend, it was really easy to cut Tang Ba to pieces.But he turned the blade so that the spine of the sword was attached to Tang Ba's waist, and the blade only slashed downwards for a short time! This cut cut off the waist cord Tang Ba used to tie the breastplate together with the belt at the top of his trousers. ——It may seem like a silly trifle, but Yan Heng's two swords completely showed the preciseness of his shots. Tang Ba's opened bamboo armor fell to the ground together with the shabby trousers underneath that had been mended countless times. Instinctively, he threw away the severed blade in his hand, and hurriedly grabbed his trousers with both hands and pulled them back up. At the same time, Yan Heng had already retreated to his original position, returned the "Tiger Pi" to the scabbard behind his backhand, and returned to the posture of standing naturally with both hands empty, as if nothing had happened. This is exactly the feeling of watching those bandits: completely unable to see what happened, only Yan Heng's figure flashed twice, and Tang Ba's upper and lower clothes fell off as if they had been peeled. Meng Qihe had already stood up and reached out to hold the handle of the gossip sword beside him. Seeing that Tang Ba was safe and sound, he heaved a sigh of relief and had no intention of making a move. "I forgot to introduce you." Wang Shouren smiled slyly at Meng Qihe at this moment: "This is the swordsman of the Qingcheng School, Yan Hengyan Shaoxia." Everyone was so surprised that their mouths were stuffed with fists. This injured boy in front of him, who looked extremely embarrassed, was actually a disciple of the famous "Bashu Wushuang" Qingcheng School! No one was more surprised than Meng Qihe: Although all the rogues from Ji'an Mansion in Jiangxi had heard of the name of the Qingcheng faction, they were neither from Sichuan nor from martial arts, and they didn't really know the horror of the Qingcheng swordsmen; Only Meng Qihe had studied Baguamen Boxing Gym, and had heard a lot of anecdotes from his teachers, and he knew how powerful the hidden warriors of "Six Mountains" in "Nine Schools, Six Mountains and Three Schools" were. ——Wang Boan, the old fox... No wonder he is so bold, he brought only one person to Mapi Ridge... How could he form a companion with the Qingcheng faction swordsman?I heard that they don't go down the mountain easily, and this is Jiangxi... ——Meng Qihe has been hiding in the mountains for more than a year, and has not heard the news that the Qingcheng faction was wiped out by Wudang. Wang Shouren continued: "Shaoxia Yan and several other chivalrous men have already promised to draw their swords to help, and rid the people of Luling of the monsters of King Bolongshu!" As soon as these words came out, all the thieves were stirred up again. "It's okay to kill those monsters..." "But judging by his martial arts just now, maybe..." "Didn't you see that his whole body is covered with injuries? Such a guy, I can't believe it..." "If you really put Bo Longshu King is beaten away, we will have a good life..." Meng Qihe stretched out his palm to prevent everyone from talking. "The surname is Wang." He said: "You came up this time, you want me to take this group of brothers and join you to fight the Bolongshu King?" Wang Shouren nodded. "This is the opportunity I said. Become a person again." Wang Shouren's previous scowl has disappeared, and there is more tolerance in that awe-inspiring look: "As long as you agree to join, after the First World War is successful, I, Wang Bo'an, promise to let you be a person again." Good people, just like last time, don't blame the past." "Can you guarantee it?" Meng Qihe sneered. "I am now an official obeisance to the Shaoqing of Nanjing Taipu Temple, which is a fourth-rank position. This small matter can probably be done." "Thank you so much." Meng Qihe let go of the handle of the knife and sat back on the chair again, with a smile on his face full of disdain: "But Lord Wang, please look around at the faces of my subordinates. You want me Take them to die? For what?" Wang Shouren and Yan Heng looked around, only to see this group of bandits who had been showing off their might, but when they heard that they were being asked to attack King Bolongshu, they immediately fell silent, and every face turned pale. "I'm not from this place. Neither are Shaoxia Yan and the others." Wang Shouren said, "But we all risked our lives. What about you? Are you all children of Ji'an Mansion? This battle was supposed to be for you Fight. Aren’t you ashamed to ask outsiders to take risks instead of you?” Hearing Wang Shouren's words, Tang Ba, Liang Futong and many of the bandits were all moved. Meng Qihe put away his smile.Wang Shouren's words also touched his heartstrings.But at the same time, he knew very well how terrifying the Shu Wang gang, known as Wudang disciples, was.He is the leader of hundreds of people in this Mapiling cottage, which means that a hundred lives are in his hands.He is absolutely unwilling to endanger these brothers who live and die together for the sake of impulsiveness. "Then... what are you fighting for?" Meng Qihe looked at Wang Shouren and asked. "Young Xia Yan, why don't you answer him?" Wang Shouren looked at Yan Heng. Wang Shouren had always told Yan Heng not to say a word in the mountains, Yan Heng felt relieved, after all speaking was not his specialty; how could Master Wang suddenly hand him over to speak at such a critical moment, Yan Heng blushed completely , It doesn't match the chic fencing posture just now. He stared at Wang Shouren dumbfounded, but saw the encouraging look in his eyes. ——As long as it is said from the heart, it must be valuable. Yan Heng took a deep breath, straightened his chest, and said to Meng Qihe: "For justice. And conscience." As soon as Yan Heng exited the door, everyone in the cottage burst into laughter. Meng Qihe also laughed and laughed. "Then why do you bother to come to me? Didn't I say it before? We are thieves, and we have lost our ancestors long ago, and we have forgotten all the proprieties, righteousness and shame! What do you mean by 'conscience'? Mr. Wang, Have you read too many books and gone crazy?" Wang Shouren turned a deaf ear to the laughter around him, and just said loudly, "No. I believe you still have a conscience." He pointed to Tang Ba's waist.Tang Ba still held on to his trousers tightly. "Look. That's where your conscience lies." The laughter stopped immediately.The bandits were all silent, unable to refute what Wang Shouren said. But Meng Qihe jumped out of the middle, took off the copper-inlaid bamboo armor on his arms, kicked off a pair of straw sandals, untied his belt and took off his trousers, and took off all his clothes in the blink of an eye, revealing his naked body without a trace of fat . Meng Qihe spread his arms, faced Wang Shouren and Yan Heng without any shame, his face was full of disbelief, and asked like a challenge: "So what?" "Take that off too." Wang Shouren pointed at Meng Qihe's neck. Meng Qihe's expression changed.He stretched out his hand to grab the tiger-tooth necklace, but he couldn't pull it off for a long time. This tiger tooth was a token given to him by Orion's father when he was fifteen years old.Only by selling that piece of tiger skin, Meng Qihe was able to travel far to the northeast to study art in Fuzhou City, which changed his life. “小七，打死这头老虎，已经是我这生人最自豪的事情。”父亲把项绳挂上孟七河颈项时这样说：“可是你不同。你还可以干更大的事。” 孟七河躲开了眼睛，没能再跟王守仁对视。 ——就好像王守仁变成了他已过世的父亲。 梁福通看见首领气势消失了，心中不忍，上前取下椅子上那块兽皮，披到孟七河的肩上。 "I'm waiting for you." 王守仁说完这句，就转身朝大门走去。燕横也戒备着跟随。 两人出了大门，再走往外头用竹搭建的围墙闸口。他们在空地上，沿途无人拦阻，山贼们只是默默目送这两条带剑的背影。 出了闸门外，他们解开拴在树上的缰绳，牵着马儿朝下山的路走去。沿途燕横一直在想：那孟七河属八卦门，总算是“九大门派”的名门子弟，怎么竟会沦为贼寇？ ——他不知道的是：孟七河拜入的八卦门抚州支系，本身是从浙江的旁支传来，至江西已相隔了好几代，与徽州八卦门总馆已经无甚关系；即便学成后出外谋生，也没有名门的人脉帮助，虽然武艺还是正宗，出路却差得远了。 “王大人……”燕横迟疑地问：“你真的相信他吗？” 王守仁稍一回头，看看已半隐在树林中的那竹围与草棚。他苦笑。 “我们没有其他办法了吧？” 燕横搔搔头：“也对……” “可是这还不是最重要的。”王守仁的眼神收起了苦涩，代之以热切的光芒。 “我希望相信他。”
Notes:
As soon as he entered the range of Mapi Ridge, Yan Heng had already noticed those eyes flashing among the bushes. —There are people watching in the woods. Yan Heng was about to speak, but remembered Mr. Wang's previous instructions, so he held back. Wang Shouren already knew what Yan Heng wanted to say, and said with a slight smile, "Don't mind those people." They were leading their horses and walking on an uphill path.The path was winding, with dense forests that could not be seen on both sides, and there were many places to ambush.Yan Heng's whole body was on guard. The free left hand seemed to be hanging down naturally, but in fact, his shoulders fell to his elbows, and his wrists and fingers were in an appropriate state between relaxation and penetration. Able to pull out the "Tiger Pi" hanging horizontally on the lower back quickly. Although the shade of the trees blocked the sun, the trees were so dense that the wind couldn't let in the wind. When they walked on the slope, they felt sweltering heat, and the bandages wrapped around the wounds on Yan Heng's body and face were all drenched with sweat. Yan Heng scanned the left and right with his sharp eyes that had practiced the "Rain Observation Technique" of the Qingcheng School for many years, and with his ears listening, he noticed that more and more people gathered in the forest on both sides, and they kept following them. He caught a glimpse of a quick shadow among the trees. It was a tall, thin young man with a dirty turban, wearing a simple breastplate made of bamboo, with a sickle slanted in his belt, and a bamboo in his hand. Gun, ran past on straw sandals that were about to be torn.The young man was very agile and ran almost silently, but he couldn't escape Yan Heng's eyes. When Yan Heng saw the other party, he thought: In the past two days in Luling County, I saw very few young and middle-aged men, and now I know where they all went. He finally understood that what Mr. Wang wanted to borrow was not some "soldier".It's a thief. "There is no way." Wang Shouren said in a low voice: "In this situation, if we want to find the most ready-made force, these guys are the only ones." Climbing up to the top of the slope, Yan Heng suddenly felt his eyes suddenly open up. From this top, he could overlook a large section of downhill road in front of him, which meanders to the distant mountain forest on the opposite side.In the middle of the mountain on the opposite side, there are several huge thatched houses looming. As soon as Wang Shouren and Yan Heng reached the top of the slope, it was as if they had crossed some kind of warning line.In the forests in front of and behind them, there seemed to be a large group of wild animals commotion, exuding a dangerous atmosphere. With a whistling noise, something whirled and flew from behind them! With the extraordinary eyesight of a swordsman, Yan Heng could confirm that the flight path of the hidden weapon was not aimed at him and Lord Wang with just a glance.He didn't react excessively, but just put his hand on Wang Shouren's chest to prevent him from moving around, and let the hidden weapon pass half a foot away from him. It was inserted into a tree trunk next to the ramp, and it was a rough and slightly rusty small axe. The bandits who had been watching and following them all jumped out of the forest at once, and twenty or thirty people blocked the front and back roads. Yan Heng looked at the group of people who surrounded him. Their slovenly clothes were not far from those of the young people he had just seen. They were all wearing crude weapons and armor. Farm tools, or simply sharpening bamboo poles to grow spears, there are not many weapons that are really made for battle.They all stared at Wang Shouren and Yan Heng with fierce eyes like hungry wolves, and paid special attention to the sabers on their bodies. Yan Heng noticed that most of these bandits were young, and only three or four of them were middle-aged.The tall and thin young man who was seen running in the forest before was also among them, and now it is more clearly seen that his dirty face is actually very tender, probably only two or three years older than Yan Heng. Another older man stepped forward. He was blind in one right eye, but he didn't use a cloth belt or an eyepatch to cover it up, letting the miserable scar like the word "米" show in front of everyone.The man holds a pair of axes in both hands, and the one in his right hand is constantly tossing and picking in the air.Of course he threw the throwing ax just now. "Magistrate Wang, are you coming to arrest us again?" The middle-aged man called Wang Shouren by his old official title. His one eye glanced at the boy next to him who was covered in wounds and was carrying a pair of long and short swords, and grinned with scorched teeth: "Why didn't you bring anyone here this time?" ——The one-eyed man tested Yan Heng with a throwing ax just now, but Yan Heng didn't seem to respond at all, and the man was very contemptuous of him. Wang Shouren has a vivid memory, and he remembers that the bandit he once suppressed and recruited was named Liang Futong.Wang Shouren held the rein of the horse with one hand, and put the other on the hilt of his sword. His thin face was ashen, without a hint of a smile, and he stared at Liang Futong with severe eyes. The Lord Wang whom Yan Heng saw in the past two days, no matter how many warriors he was facing, the accompanying disciples, or the people of the county town, he always looked relaxed and friendly; when confronting King Bolongshu, he was upright and awe-inspiring.It was the first time that this furious face was shown at this moment, and Yan Heng couldn't help being surprised when he saw it. Sure enough, even Liang Futong shuddered when he saw Wang Shouren's appearance, and the ax he was throwing with his right hand almost fell off.But with so many brothers standing behind him, Liang Futong could only pretend to be unmoved. He was about to say a few more words with great momentum, but Wang Shouren interrupted him. "I don't have time to chat with you. Take me to find Meng Qihe." The younger ones among the bandits didn't recognize Wang Shouren at all, and they were angry when they heard it.The tall and thin young man wearing a turban took a step forward and raised his bamboo spear, but Liang Futong stopped him with his axe. "You can see him if you want." Liang Futong said, "But according to the rules in our village, the sword must stay here." Wang Shouren laughed when he heard this - but unlike his usual smile, the face with the corners of his mouth raised was even scarier than before. "There are only two people, and one of them is me, are you also afraid? With such courage, you are still called a hero in the mountains?" Everyone could only feel that Wang Shouren exuded an unstoppable aura.He continued to look down on the bandits with a smile, not at all embarrassed by being intercepted and surrounded, it seemed that these dozens of people were going to come out to greet him. Liang Futong was ridiculed by Wang Shouren, his face flushed for a while, and he was silent for a while, but finally he was overwhelmed by Wang Shouren's momentum.He put the two axes back into his belt, stretched out his hand to the downhill ahead, and motioned for Wang Shouren and Yan Heng to go into the mountain.
The building is more like a warehouse than a cottage.The beams and columns on the walls are half wood and half bamboo poles, and the roof is only covered with hay. In addition to scattered beds and various daily necessities, the village is full of large and small bags, most of which contain coarse grains, a small amount of dried meat and fruits, and a few chickens and ducks wandering around. They are all bandits. They looted from nearby villages and towns.Although the quantity is large, it is not very rich and can barely fill one's stomach. Dozens of thieves were crowded around the village, some were sitting on haystacks, some were leaning on grain sacks, forming a big circle, and dozens of pairs of eyes were staring at Wang standing in the middle with malicious intentions. , Yan two people. In addition, there were dozens of bandits who couldn't squeeze in, so they surrounded the village and looked around.These people can abandon their homes and come to live in the mountains and live a life of licking blood. Naturally, each of them is stronger than ordinary people, and killing people for money is just commonplace.In their eyes, Wang Shouren and Yan Heng were just two people who broke into the Mapiling village, and they were already dead with half a leg in the coffin. In front of the two of them was a large chair made of bamboo, which was covered with a piece of fur that had been damaged in many places, and it could not be seen that it was peeled off from some beast.The chair was always empty, and the two of them just waited without saying a word, ignoring the whispers and laughter around them. Ever since he fell in the Chengdu Mapai Gang last time, Yan Heng has been very wary of going deep into such a strange and closed place. He has been secretly observing the escape route, and has been paying close attention to whether anyone has hidden arrows and other assassination tools. ——When necessary, I will definitely protect Mr. Wang and kill him... The thieves saw that Yan Heng was so young and tender, with fresh wounds that had just been bandaged all over his body, but carrying a pair of long and short swords that looked very valuable, and pretending to be a swordsman in the rivers and lakes. They only took a few glances at him, and then Turn all your attention to Wang Shouren. ——I heard that he has been promoted to a high official in the court, why is he here again? ... After waiting for a while, the crowd at the gate booed and gave way to a passage. Yan Heng turned his head, and saw a short man with disheveled hair like a bird's nest, pushing everyone away and entering the village. Wherever he passed, all the bandits showed respectful expressions, which shows that the discipline in this village is not bad. strict. Meng Qihe, the leader of the bandits, was only twenty-seven or eight years old, with a bronze face and a hooked nose, giving people the impression of being very handsome and capable.He was a little shorter than Yan Heng, but his upper body was naked, revealing his muscles as deep as steel bars.The forearms of both hands were covered with bamboo armor, and a thin layer of copper was nailed to the bamboo skin. This pair of equipment alone seemed to stand out above all the thieves. Meng Qihe walked into the village very quickly, but felt extremely stable.Although his muscles and bones are strong, he is actually not very strong, but every time he takes a step, he seems to have a weight that exceeds his body shape, as if his body is filled with lead. Yan Heng noticed Meng Qihe's gait, which showed a very solid horse stance. It can be seen that this man is not an ordinary country warrior, and his martial arts are much higher than all the thieves in this village. Another subordinate followed Meng Qihe in, not half a foot behind him.This bald bandit was much taller and stronger than Meng Qihe—Meng Qihe's eyes probably only reached his chest—and he carried a large single knife nearly five feet long on his shoulder.He looked very serious, and he didn't have the swaggering posture of other bandits holding weapons, so it can be seen that this big knife did not belong to him. But for the leader Meng Qihe. When Yan Heng saw it, he suddenly remembered that he had seen such a battle in the past: in Xi'an, that "Slashing the Moon in the Water" Senior Yin Yingchuan whose disciple was carrying a sword.Meng Qihe's large sword in front of him is a bit smaller than Senior Yin's, but its style is somewhat similar. Yan Heng took a closer look at Meng Qihe's walking habits, no wonder he seemed to have known him before. ——He is an authentic gossip disciple! After Meng Qihe came in, without even looking at Wang Shouren and Yan Heng, he went straight to the animal skin bamboo chair and sat down, scratched his messy hair, rubbed his eyelids, stretched his waist, and started to hand out cigarettes. After igniting the pole, he took a deep breath and exhaled a puff of white smoke, and then he met Wang Shouren's eyes for the first time. When Wang Shouren looked at Meng Qihe, it was the same as when he looked at Liang Futong on the hillside before, showing an angry and stern face, as if this Meng Qihe in front of him was someone he hated extremely.Yan Heng was a little worried when he saw it. ——Master Wang clearly said that he came to borrow troops, but he didn't seem to ask others at all, but he seemed to come to collect debts... Is this really okay? ... Before Liang Futong at least called him "County Wang", but Meng Qihe didn't even call him by that name, and just said: "Didn't you go to get promoted and get rich? Why did you come back to this poor country again? You still want to die here!" Meng Qihe's first sentence was the word "death", Yan Heng was very nervous and almost drew his sword immediately.But he remembered the agreement with Mr. Wang, not to act rashly unless it is absolutely necessary, so he resisted it. Wang Shouren was not shaken by Meng Qihe's words, but calmly replied: "What a shameless guy." "What did you say?" Meng Qihe's messy hair seemed to stand on end when he heard it, and he left the back of the chair, holding the chair handle made of bamboo poles tightly with both hands, staring angrily. The bandits around also shouted and shouted: "What nonsense are you talking about?" The voices are boiling. "Shut up! It's not your turn to talk here!" Wang Shouren shouted angrily in all directions, the fierce momentum actually suppressed the voices of the outlaws, and no one dared to curse any more. The person standing in front of them was obviously just a Confucian official over forty years old with a body as thin as bamboo, but his majesty gave people a powerful feeling that they never wanted to be enemies with him. Wang Shouren then sternly said to Meng Qihe: "Am I wrong? Who promised me that day that I would never be a thief again in this life? Do you keep your word? Seeing your current morality, this is not enough. Isn't that shameless?" Meng Qihe's face turned pale, and he pinched the handle of the chair with his palms, and the cigarette rod between his fingers broke.But he couldn't refute it. Two years ago when Wang Shouren was the magistrate of Luling County, one of the most difficult problems was the local thieves.Wang Shouren started from the root, helping the county people prevent and control the epidemic and reduce exorbitant taxes, which restored the livelihood of the local villages and towns.Most of the bandits and horse bandits in Luling were ordinary farmers who took risks because of their livelihood. Wang Shouren's policy made most of the bandits put down their knives and pick up farming tools again.However, there are still a few more brave bandits who have been used to the majestic life in the grass and are still stubbornly resisting without being recruited. One of them is the forty or so led by Meng Qihe. Wang Shouren organized the militia Baojia to crusade. He knew that although the Baojia had a large number of people, their combat power was far less than that of the bandits. The main force of the branch raided the place where they stored money and food.Meng Qihe and his group lost their food, and no matter how brave they were, they were no match for hunger. Wang Shouren kept pressing them to prevent them from looting while fleeing. Most of Meng Qihe's men did not surrender, only he and Liang Futong and a few others remained confidantes are trapped in the mountains. Meng Qihe thought he was the leader of the thieves, and he refused to be appeased before. The county magistrate Wang will definitely punish him severely this time, to kill chickens and monkeys; unexpectedly, Wang Shouren released one of the bandits who was captured alive, and he sent a message to Meng Qihe. He: County magistrate Wang is still willing to recruit security. They just need to abandon their weapons and come out of the mountains, and promise to be good citizens from now on, and forget the past. Meng Qihe bound himself and his men's weapons with vines, walked down the mountain to the county seat with their backs on their backs, and bowed and surrendered to Wang Shouren.After Wang Shouren helped him up, he also took out the Baguamen sword that belonged to Meng Qihe from the bundle of weapons, and handed it back to him. It turned out that Wang Shouren had heard about it a long time ago. Meng Qihe, who was born in the county, had practiced martial arts since he was a child, and he was even a descendant of a famous martial arts school. "You are a talent." Wang Shouren said to Meng Qihe at that time: "When a man is born in this world, he should not be greedy for a moment of happiness. He should find a way of birth. Even if it is not to show off his ancestors and parents, it is also to be worthy of himself." Meng Qihe wept and kowtowed on the spot.Wang Shouren also promised to recommend him to take the martial arts examination. Although Wang Shouren had left his post later, he still couldn't forget this matter, so someone brought the letter of recommendation to Ji'an Mansion. But the letter was not delivered to Meng Qihe in the end.Because he has already gone up the mountain and fell into the grass again. At this reunion, Wang Shouren's disappointment and anger were beyond words.Meng Qihe didn't answer a word, because he did make a promise to Wang Shouren that day.What's more, he was defeated by Wang Shouren solidly on the battlefield years ago, and he didn't want to bring up this matter again in front of many subordinates. Wang Shouren looked around, snorted coldly and said, "You are more powerful today than before—I just saw that you have eighty if not a hundred people under your command? You are so majestic. You are a thief. Are you proud?" Being scolded by Wang Shouren, Meng Qihe's blood surged up, and even his breathing became short of breath.At this time, he touched his neck. There was a rope on it, and a long and curved canine tooth was hung on it.Holding the tiger tooth necklace with five fingers, Meng Qihe closed his eyes for a long time before he calmed down a little. "What else is there to say?" Meng Qihe said lightly, suppressing his mood: "In order to have a bite to eat, we fell into bandits and left our ancestors behind us long ago. No matter what reason you say, it will be in vain." "Eat?" Wang Shouren smiled again: "That's right. From the dilapidated appearance of your village, it seems that you really can only fill your stomach and live one day at a time. It's just that if you risk your life as a thief, it's enough." Shabby." Wang Shouren said "thief" on the left, and "thief" on the right. Everyone was already angry. After hearing this sentence, Liang Futong couldn't help saying loudly: "Do you think we want to live like this? It's not that—" He paused suddenly. "You mean the monsters like King Bolongshu?" Wang Shouren continued for him. As soon as they heard King Bolongshu, all the bandits' expressions darkened.Many of them went up to the mountain to join the bandit because of the raging of Bolongshu kings, who cut off their livelihoods in the Luling area; Looting or confiscating food can only make ends meet. As for Meng Qihe himself, he had already become a thief before King Bolongshu appeared.It turned out that only a few months after Wang Shouren left office, the corrupt officials in the county government resumed all kinds of harsh taxes. Meng Qihe, who was unwilling to plow the fields, could only do odd jobs in the county town. He has a criminal record and is often angered by the officials; once the farmers wanted to gather and refused to pay the grain, the county magistrate Xu Hongde was afraid that he, a strong man, would take the lead in causing trouble, so he was arrested and imprisoned for three days without asking why.Later, Liang Futong and more than a dozen old ministries kept persuading, Meng Qihe couldn't bear it anymore, raised the gossip sword, and led his men to loot a batch of official food. Before the trial period for the Wuju Township Examination, he went up the mountain again up. Although Meng Qihe didn't become a thief because of Bolong Shuwang, but he knew that Shuwang's martial arts and poison were powerful, so he never dared to provoke them.Hearing that Wang Shouren also knew about King Shu, he couldn't help but blush. "What exactly do you want here?" Meng Qihe looked at Wang Shouren and said.Before that, he had already started his subordinates to carefully observe and inspect the surrounding areas at the foot of Mapiling Mountain, to make sure that Wang Shouren did not bring soldiers to crusade. Wang Shouren stroked his long beard and said slowly: "I'm here to give you another chance to live like a man again." The hooded young man who had been following the ramp before jumped out like an ape, already holding a curved sickle in his hand. "Do you know..." The young man's eyes were fierce, he raised his sickle and pointed at Wang Shouren, gnashing his teeth, and said, "We can cut you off at any moment?" "You can try." Wang Shouren looked back at the tall and thin young man, his eyes full of challenges. This young man's name is Tang Ba, and he is the bravest and most agile under Meng Qihe's subordinates. He is always a trailblazer in every robbery, and he is also in charge of guarding and patrolling the village.He has been learning from martial arts masters since he was a child in the countryside, and after he joined the group, he was taught by Meng Qihe and taught him a lot of Bagua sect exercises. He has never lost a fight this year, and he already regards Meng Qihe as his elder brother. Seeing the leader being humiliated repeatedly, Tang Ba was already furious. Hearing what Wang Shouren said, he couldn't hold back anymore. He jumped forward and swung his saber at Wang Shouren without waiting for Meng Qihe's order! He only caught a glimpse of a silver light flashing in front of him, and there was a shock in his hand—— Stopping to gather his senses, he found that half of the sickle in his hand was left! Except for Meng Qihe, no one saw what happened. Only half of the curved broken blade nailed to the beam above can be seen. There is also Yan Heng who holds the "Tiger Pi" behind his left hand, protecting him in front of Wang Shouren. Tang Ba's age and experience were far younger than that of Sichuan Guan County's Ghost Sword Chen. Facing Yan Heng's extraordinary fast sword, he didn't feel the huge gap between him and Yan Heng.As a newborn calf, he was dazzled by anger, still set up his sickle, which was only in half, and turned to Yan Heng to kill him! "Don't kill him!" With one move, Meng Qihe had seen Yan Heng's speed and strength above the world, and the broad-bladed dagger in his hand was even more extraordinary, but he didn't have time to stop Tang Ba from sending him to death, so in desperation he asked Yan Heng shouted. "Cut off his clothes!" Wang Shouren, who was less than a foot behind Yan Heng, shouted at the same time. Yan Heng was stunned when he heard Lord Wang's order. The swordsmanship of the Qingcheng School that he practiced hard since he was a child is aimed at killing the enemy in a duel, he must go all out in every battle, and he will not be merciless in his shots. Brother Jing once teased Xinyi's disciples to show off their skills by throwing wine glasses, which is not martial arts at all. But Yan Heng had long agreed to lend the sword to Lord Wang.No matter how he wants to use it. ——Take it as the criterion for practicing the left-handed sword... With a flick of his wrist, he has rotated "Tiger Pi" in his palm, turning it into a positive grip. Tang Ba fiercely stabbed the still sharp broken blade towards Yan Heng's front door! ——But for Yan Heng, who possesses the reaction speed of "innate strength", Tang Ba is not much different from a wooden doll. Yan Heng's left fist turned back to the sky, "Tiger Pi" swung his backhand horizontally from right to left, passing between Tang Ba's chest and neck, and following the swing, his left forearm blocked Tang Ba's thrusting forearm. This swing of the sword didn't seem to hit anything at first glance, but there were strange sounds on both collarbones of Tang Ba. It turned out that the point of the "Tiger Pi" sword had cut off the two shoulder straps of his bamboo breastplate. The armor fell down and hung on the waist! Before Tang Ba knew what happened, Yan Heng hooked his right wrist holding the sickle with the end of the hilt of the sword with his left hand, and drew it down half a circle.Yan Heng then slapped his right palm to seal the wrist, and sent the sword in his left hand forward, and the blade of "Hu Pi" was already attached to Tang Ba's right waist. Tang Ba felt the cold metal of the short sword stick to the skin of his waist, and thought for a moment that he was going to die. As long as Yan Heng dragged his sword along the trend, it was really easy to cut Tang Ba to pieces.But he turned the blade so that the spine of the sword was attached to Tang Ba's waist, and the blade only slashed downwards for a short time! This cut cut off the waist cord Tang Ba used to tie the breastplate together with the belt at the top of his trousers. ——It may seem like a silly trifle, but Yan Heng's two swords completely showed the preciseness of his shots. Tang Ba's opened bamboo armor fell to the ground together with the shabby trousers underneath that had been mended countless times. Instinctively, he threw away the severed blade in his hand, and hurriedly grabbed his trousers with both hands and pulled them back up. At the same time, Yan Heng had already retreated to his original position, returned the "Tiger Pi" to the scabbard behind his backhand, and returned to the posture of standing naturally with both hands empty, as if nothing had happened. This is exactly the feeling of watching those bandits: completely unable to see what happened, only Yan Heng's figure flashed twice, and Tang Ba's upper and lower clothes fell off as if they had been peeled. Meng Qihe had already stood up and reached out to hold the handle of the gossip sword beside him. Seeing that Tang Ba was safe and sound, he heaved a sigh of relief and had no intention of making a move. "I forgot to introduce you." Wang Shouren smiled slyly at Meng Qihe at this moment: "This is the swordsman of the Qingcheng School, Yan Hengyan Shaoxia." Everyone was so surprised that their mouths were stuffed with fists. This injured boy in front of him, who looked extremely embarrassed, was actually a disciple of the famous "Bashu Wushuang" Qingcheng School! No one was more surprised than Meng Qihe: Although all the rogues from Ji'an Mansion in Jiangxi had heard of the name of the Qingcheng faction, they were neither from Sichuan nor from martial arts, and they didn't really know the horror of the Qingcheng swordsmen; Only Meng Qihe had studied Baguamen Boxing Gym, and had heard a lot of anecdotes from his teachers, and he knew how powerful the hidden warriors of "Six Mountains" in "Nine Schools, Six Mountains and Three Schools" were. ——Wang Boan, the old fox... No wonder he is so bold, he brought only one person to Mapi Ridge... How could he form a companion with the Qingcheng faction swordsman?I heard that they don't go down the mountain easily, and this is Jiangxi... ——Meng Qihe has been hiding in the mountains for more than a year, and has not heard the news that the Qingcheng faction was wiped out by Wudang. Wang Shouren continued: "Shaoxia Yan and several other chivalrous men have already promised to draw their swords to help, and rid the people of Luling of the monsters of King Bolongshu!" As soon as these words came out, all the thieves were stirred up again. "It's okay to kill those monsters..." "But judging by his martial arts just now, maybe..." "Didn't you see that his whole body is covered with injuries? Such a guy, I can't believe it..." "If you really put Bo Longshu King is beaten away, we will have a good life..." Meng Qihe stretched out his palm to prevent everyone from talking. "The surname is Wang." He said: "You came up this time, you want me to take this group of brothers and join you to fight the Bolongshu King?" Wang Shouren nodded. "This is the opportunity I said. Become a person again." Wang Shouren's previous scowl has disappeared, and there is more tolerance in that awe-inspiring look: "As long as you agree to join, after the First World War is successful, I, Wang Bo'an, promise to let you be a person again." Good people, just like last time, don't blame the past." "Can you guarantee it?" Meng Qihe sneered. "I am now an official obeisance to the Shaoqing of Nanjing Taipu Temple, which is a fourth-rank position. This small matter can probably be done." "Thank you so much." Meng Qihe let go of the handle of the knife and sat back on the chair again, with a smile on his face full of disdain: "But Lord Wang, please look around at the faces of my subordinates. You want me Take them to die? For what?" Wang Shouren and Yan Heng looked around, only to see this group of bandits who had been showing off their might, but when they heard that they were being asked to attack King Bolongshu, they immediately fell silent, and every face turned pale. "I'm not from this place. Neither are Shaoxia Yan and the others." Wang Shouren said, "But we all risked our lives. What about you? Are you all children of Ji'an Mansion? This battle was supposed to be for you Fight. Aren’t you ashamed to ask outsiders to take risks instead of you?” Hearing Wang Shouren's words, Tang Ba, Liang Futong and many of the bandits were all moved. Meng Qihe put away his smile.Wang Shouren's words also touched his heartstrings.But at the same time, he knew very well how terrifying the Shu Wang gang, known as Wudang disciples, was.He is the leader of hundreds of people in this Mapiling cottage, which means that a hundred lives are in his hands.He is absolutely unwilling to endanger these brothers who live and die together for the sake of impulsiveness. "Then... what are you fighting for?" Meng Qihe looked at Wang Shouren and asked. "Young Xia Yan, why don't you answer him?" Wang Shouren looked at Yan Heng. Wang Shouren had always told Yan Heng not to say a word in the mountains, Yan Heng felt relieved, after all speaking was not his specialty; how could Master Wang suddenly hand him over to speak at such a critical moment, Yan Heng blushed completely , It doesn't match the chic fencing posture just now. He stared at Wang Shouren dumbfounded, but saw the encouraging look in his eyes. ——As long as it is said from the heart, it must be valuable. Yan Heng took a deep breath, straightened his chest, and said to Meng Qihe: "For justice. And conscience." As soon as Yan Heng exited the door, everyone in the cottage burst into laughter. Meng Qihe also laughed and laughed. "Then why do you bother to come to me? Didn't I say it before? We are thieves, and we have lost our ancestors long ago, and we have forgotten all the proprieties, righteousness and shame! What do you mean by 'conscience'? Mr. Wang, Have you read too many books and gone crazy?" Wang Shouren turned a deaf ear to the laughter around him, and just said loudly, "No. I believe you still have a conscience." He pointed to Tang Ba's waist.Tang Ba still held on to his trousers tightly. "Look. That's where your conscience lies." The laughter stopped immediately.The bandits were all silent, unable to refute what Wang Shouren said. But Meng Qihe jumped out of the middle, took off the copper-inlaid bamboo armor on his arms, kicked off a pair of straw sandals, untied his belt and took off his trousers, and took off all his clothes in the blink of an eye, revealing his naked body without a trace of fat . Meng Qihe spread his arms, faced Wang Shouren and Yan Heng without any shame, his face was full of disbelief, and asked like a challenge: "So what?" "Take that off too." Wang Shouren pointed at Meng Qihe's neck. Meng Qihe's expression changed.He stretched out his hand to grab the tiger-tooth necklace, but he couldn't pull it off for a long time. This tiger tooth was a token given to him by Orion's father when he was fifteen years old.Only by selling that piece of tiger skin, Meng Qihe was able to travel far to the northeast to study art in Fuzhou City, which changed his life. “小七，打死这头老虎，已经是我这生人最自豪的事情。”父亲把项绳挂上孟七河颈项时这样说：“可是你不同。你还可以干更大的事。” 孟七河躲开了眼睛，没能再跟王守仁对视。 ——就好像王守仁变成了他已过世的父亲。 梁福通看见首领气势消失了，心中不忍，上前取下椅子上那块兽皮，披到孟七河的肩上。 "I'm waiting for you." 王守仁说完这句，就转身朝大门走去。燕横也戒备着跟随。 两人出了大门，再走往外头用竹搭建的围墙闸口。他们在空地上，沿途无人拦阻，山贼们只是默默目送这两条带剑的背影。 出了闸门外，他们解开拴在树上的缰绳，牵着马儿朝下山的路走去。沿途燕横一直在想：那孟七河属八卦门，总算是“九大门派”的名门子弟，怎么竟会沦为贼寇？ ——他不知道的是：孟七河拜入的八卦门抚州支系，本身是从浙江的旁支传来，至江西已相隔了好几代，与徽州八卦门总馆已经无甚关系；即便学成后出外谋生，也没有名门的人脉帮助，虽然武艺还是正宗，出路却差得远了。 “王大人……”燕横迟疑地问：“你真的相信他吗？” 王守仁稍一回头，看看已半隐在树林中的那竹围与草棚。他苦笑。 “我们没有其他办法了吧？” 燕横搔搔头：“也对……” “可是这还不是最重要的。”王守仁的眼神收起了苦涩，代之以热切的光芒。 “我希望相信他。”
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