Chapter 2 The second round of peerless wonders is best in friendship and first meeting in the rumors
Yangzhou City has been a prosperous resort since ancient times. In the Tang Dynasty, Du Mu wrote in a poem: "A dream of Yangzhou once every ten years, wins the reputation of a brothel." Emperor Yangdi dug a canal, and Yangzhou is located in the canal, and it is a must pass through for the Jiangsu-Zhejiang water transport.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was also inhabited by great salt merchants, and the Yin and the rich were the best in the world.
In the early years of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, Mingyufang by the Slender West Lake in Yangzhou was a gathering place for famous brothels.This day is the late spring weather, when the lanterns are first lit, there is a sound of silk bamboo and laughter in the courtyards of Mingyufang, and there are guessing orders, singing and drinking in the middle.
All of a sudden, there were five or six people in Fangnan and Fangbei yelling in unison: "Friends in the business of each yard, girls, friends who come to spend money to play, everyone listen: Let's find someone to talk to Others are irrelevant, and no one is allowed to shout or move around. If you don't obey orders, don't blame us for being rude!" After a while of yelling, Mingyufang stood still for a while, followed by noises from all over the courtyard, the woman was startled Voices, shouts from men, became a mess.
There is a big banquet in Lichun Courtyard, more than ten big salt merchants are sitting at three tables, each of them is sitting next to a prostitute, upon hearing this call, everyone's expressions changed greatly.Qi asked: "What's the matter?" "Who is it?" "Is the government investigating the case?" Suddenly there was a knock on the door like a drum beating on the door.
With a bang, the door burst open, and seventeen or eighteen big men poured in.
These big men are in short attire, with white cloth covering their heads, blue belts around their waists, and holding shining steel knives or iron rulers and iron rods in their hands.When all the salt merchants saw it, they recognized him as a salt lord who smuggled salt.At that time, the salt tax was very heavy. If you evaded the salt tax and sold private salt, you could make a lot of money.The area around Yangzhou is the place where Huai salt in the north of the Yangtze River is collected and distributed. There are generally groups of desperadoes who evade taxes and sell salt.These salt owls are extremely fierce, and when they meet the officers and soldiers of the large group, they disperse in a rush.Therefore, the government often opens its eyes and closes its eyes without intervening.All the salt merchants know that the salt lords have always been selling private salt, not robbing merchants or doing other evil things, and usually buying and selling salt with the common people, they are also fair and honest, and they don't bully others. , all were panic and surprise.
An old man in his fifties among the salt owls said: "My friends, don't bother me, I will accompany you." He clasped his fists from left to right, and then from right to left, and said in a loud voice: "The surname of Tiandihui Jia's friend, Jia Lao Liu, brother Jia, is he here?" He said, looking at the faces of all the salt merchants one by one.
When all the salt merchants met his eyes, they all looked terrified and shook their heads repeatedly, but they were calm in their hearts: "The gangs in the Jianghu will make troubles and seek revenge among themselves, and they have nothing to do with others."
The old salt owl raised his voice and shouted: "Jia Laoliu, this afternoon, you are talking nonsense in the tavern next to the Slender West Lake, saying that the salt smugglers in Yangzhou have no kind, and they dare not kill officials to rebel. They only smuggle and evade taxes. Small business without guts. You are full of yellow soup, yelling loudly, saying that if the salt smugglers in Yangzhou refuse to accept it, they can come to Mingyufang to find you. Aren’t we here? Jia Laoliu, you He is a good guy from the Tiandihui, why did he become a turtle?"
The rest of the dozen or so salt owls followed suit and yelled: "A good guy from the Tiandihui, how did you become a turtle with a shrunken head?"
The old man said: "This is Jia Laoliu talking nonsense alone, don't get involved with the good friends of the Tiandihui. We are salt smugglers, we only earn a hard meal, how can we compare with the heroes of the Tiandihui ? But we don’t do it like turtles.”
After waiting for a long time, Jia Laoliu from the Tiandihui still refused to speak.The old man shouted: "Go and look around the house, and when you see that shrunken man surnamed Jia, invite him out. This man has a big scar on his face, so he's very recognizable." All the salt owls agreed abruptly, and they all Room to room to search.
Suddenly, a rough voice from the east wing said: "Who is here yelling and disturbing me to have fun?"
All the salt owls shouted: "Jia Laoliu is here!" "Jia Laoliu, get out!" "Damn it, this bastard is so bold!"
The man in the east wing laughed loudly, and said, "My surname is not Jia, but it's just that you guys are cursing the Tiandihui. I don't like it. I'm not from the Tiandihui, but I know that all the friends of the Tiandihui are Heroes. You salt smugglers are not worthy of lifting their shoes and wiping their asses."
All the salt owls screamed in anger, and the three men rushed into the east wing with steel knives in their hands.But they heard "Ouch" and "Ah yo" repeatedly, and the three of them flew upside down one by one and fell to the ground.A big man hit his forehead with a steel knife in his hand, blood flowed profusely, and he fainted immediately.Then another six Yan Xiao rushed into the room one after another, but after hearing repeated calls, those six people fell out one by one.These people kept shouting and cursing, but no one rushed into the room anymore.
The old man walked up a few steps, looked inward, and dimly saw a big bearded man sitting on the bed, his head was wrapped in a white cloth, and there was no scar on his face, he really wasn't Jia Laoliu.The old man asked loudly: "Your Excellency is very skilled, may I ask your name?"
The person in the room scolded: "What is your father's surname, what is my surname naturally. Good boy, I even forgot your grandfather's name."
Among the prostitutes standing aside, a middle-aged prostitute in her thirties suddenly laughed out loud.A private salt dealer took a step forward and slapped the prostitute twice, causing tears and snot to flow from the prostitute.The salt owl scolded: "Fucking bitch, what's so funny?" The prostitute was too frightened to say anything.
Suddenly, a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy emerged from the lobby and scolded loudly: "You dare to hit my mother! You dead turtle, you rotten bastard, you will be struck by lightning as soon as you go out, and boils will rot on the back of your hands and palms immediately!" Sores, rotted through your hands, rotted through your tongue, swallowed pus and blood, and rotted your stomach."
The Yan Xiao was furious and reached out to grab the child.The child dodged and hid behind a salt merchant.The salt owl pushed the salt merchant with his left hand, causing him to fall, and punched the child hard on the back with his right hand.The middle-aged prostitute was shocked, and shouted: "Grandfather, spare me!" The child was very slippery, and as soon as he got short, he slipped under the salt owl's crotch, stretched out his hand, just caught his scrotum, and squeezed hard, The pain made the big man scream strangely.The child had already fled away.
The salt owl couldn't vent his anger, and he punched the middle-aged prostitute in the face.The prostitute immediately fainted.The child jumped on her and shouted: "Mom, mother!" The Yan Xiao grabbed the child by the collar and lifted him up, and was about to punch him, the old man shouted: "Don't make a fuss! Put down the little boy. "The salt owl put down the child, kicked him on the butt, kicked him a few somersaults and rolled him out, and hit the wall with a bang.
The old man glanced at the Yan Xiao, and said to the door: "We are brothers from the Qing Gang. We came here because a friend named Jia from the Tiandihui openly insulted the Qing Gang and said he was waiting for us to judge in Mingyufang. Looking for someone. Since you are not from the Tiandihui, and you don’t have any trouble with our gang, how can you speak out to hurt people? Please leave your name, and the lord and the others will check it out, so that we can have an explanation."
The man in the room said with a smile: "You want to settle accounts with friends from the Tiandihui, what does it have to do with me? I'm here to have a good time. Since everyone's river water doesn't interfere with well water, then don't bother me. But I advise you, brother, The people of Tiandihui, dude can’t afford to offend them, if they are scolded by others, it’s still for nothing, why don’t you hold your tail, and obediently sell salt and earn money.” The old man said angrily: “Above the rivers and lakes, there is no one I've seen unreasonable people like you." The man in the room said coldly: "I'm unreasonable, what has it to do with you? Could it be that you want to recruit a man into the house, and you want to call me brother-in-law?"
At this moment, three people sneaked in from outside the door, all dressed as salt dealers.A thin man with a chain gun in his hand asked in a low voice: "What's the origin of the idea?" The old man shook his head and said, "He won't say, but he keeps telling the world, maybe that Jia is hiding in his room." . " The thin man swung his chain gun and turned his head, and the old man took out two short swords about a foot long from his waist.Suddenly, the four rushed into the room together.
Only the sound of swords clashing could be heard in the room, Lichun Courtyard is one of the four courtyards of Mingyufang, each room is very elegantly furnished, pear wood tables and chairs, mahogany beds.There was a constant sound of ping-pong, rattling, and it was obvious that the utensils in the room were broken one by one.The fat on the old bustard's face was trembling, and he was chanting Buddha's name in his mouth, his heart ached.The four salt owls kept yelling and shouting, but the guest in the room was silent.Everyone in the hall stood far away, fearing that they would be killed by the fish in the pond.But the sound of weapons colliding became faster and faster, and suddenly someone let out a long and miserable cry, guessing that a leader of the salt lord was injured.
The big man who kicked the child down was still in severe pain in his scrotum. Seeing the child get up from the wall, he was annoyed and punched him again.The child dodged sideways, and the big man slapped the child backhand, making the child spin around twice.All the tortoise slaves and salt merchants saw that the salt owl was so vicious, and if he continued to fight, he would definitely beat the child to death, but no one dared to speak out to persuade him.The big man raised his right fist and shot it down on the child's head.The child rushed forward and had nowhere to hide, so he pushed open the door of the wing room and rushed in.Everyone in the hall said "ah".The big man was startled, but he didn't dare to rush into the room and chase him.
The child ran into the wing room, he couldn't see clearly for a moment, suddenly the swords collided, with a bang, sparks burst out, and there was a person sitting on the bed, his head was wrapped in white bandages, his appearance was horrific.He only screamed "Ah" in fright.Sparks flashed, the room was dark again, and the light of candles in the hall came in from the door, and it was gradually seen that the bandaged man was wielding a single knife in his hand and fighting.There were only two of the four salt owl leaders left, and the two skinny men were lying on the ground, only the old man holding two daggers and a burly man were still fighting.The child thought to himself: "This man has suffered a serious head injury. He can't even stand up. He can't beat these private salt dealers. I have to run away quickly. But I don't know what happened to my mother?"
He thought of his mother being insulted, so he got angry and cursed through the door of the side room: "The thief king, your grandma's bear, I'll fuck with the stinky salt skin of your eighteenth generation ancestors...Your private salt dealer has a lot of salt in your house. Grandma, old lady, and wife died, they were all salted, and they were sold on the street as sow pork for a penny and three catties, but no one bought this stinky salt meat..." The salt lord in the hall heard him scold viciously, Furious, he wanted to rush into the room to grab him and beat him to death, but he didn't dare to enter the room.
The man in the room suddenly slashed at the left shoulder of the burly man with a single knife, cutting off even the shoulder bone.The big man yelled loudly like an earth-shattering man, shaking to the point of falling.The old man drew out both swords and stabbed at the man's chest.The man raised his saber to parry, at this moment, there was a muffled slap, the big man hit his right shoulder with a whip, and the sword fell to the ground with a single clang.The old man yelled and stabbed with both swords.The man flipped out his left palm, there were a few clicks, the old man's ribs were broken, he flew straight out of the room, spurted blood wildly, and fainted on the ground.Although the big man was seriously injured on his left shoulder, he was still extremely brave, he raised his steel whip and shot it down on the man's head.The man didn't dodge, he seemed to be exhausted, unable to move.The big man's strength was also very low, the steel whip fell very slowly.
Seeing the danger, the child felt a sense of hatred against the enemy, rushed forward, hugged the big man's legs, and pulled back violently.This big man weighs at least two hundred catties, and the child is thin and small, so he would never want to touch him at ordinary times, but now he was seriously injured, relying on all his support, suddenly he was pulled by the child, fell down, and lay in a pool of blood The middle motion did not move.
The man on the bed took a few breaths and laughed loudly: "Come in and beat those who have the guts!" The child waved his hands again and again, telling him not to challenge outsiders again.When the old man flew out of the room, he knocked the door of the side room open and closed suddenly, at this moment the door was still shaking back and forth, and the candlelight from the hall came into the room.When it shone on the man's grass-like beard and blood-stained face, it was indescribably hideous and frightening.
All the salt owls in the hall couldn't see the situation in the room clearly, they looked at each other in horror, only to hear the man in the room shout again: "Bastards, you dare not come in, I will come out and kill you one by one." The wounded rushed out the door one after another.
The man laughed loudly, and said in a low voice: "Son, you...you went and bolted the door." The child thought that the door must be bolted, so he hurriedly replied: "Yes!" Walking to the bed, there was only a smell of blood in the darkness.
The man said: "You...you..." Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly turned to one side, as if he had fainted, his body wobbled, and he wanted to fall off the bed.The child rushed to grab him, the man was very heavy, he tried his best to straighten him and put his head on the pillow.The man was panting, and after a while, he said in a low voice: "Those salt sellers came again in a blink of an eye. I haven't regained my strength, so I have to avoid...fucking avoidance." When he got to the point of pain, he let out a loud snort.
The child went over to help him, the man said: "Pick up the knife and pass it to me!" The child picked up the underground single knife and handed it to his right hand, the man slowly got off the bed, his body shaking uncontrollably.The child walked over and placed his right shoulder under his left armpit.The man said: "I'm going out, don't help me. Otherwise, those salt dealers will see you, and even you will be killed." The child said: "Damn it, kill me if you kill me, I'm not afraid, our good friends I must help you." The man laughed loudly, coughing repeatedly in the laughter, and said with a smile: "You tell me about loyalty?" The child said: "Why not? Good friends share the blessings, It’s hard to be the same.”
There are quite a lot of storytellers in teahouses in Yangzhou City, telling heroic stories such as "Three Kingdoms", "Biography of Heroes of the Great Ming Dynasty" and so on.Day and night, the kid went in and out of brothels, casinos, teahouses, and restaurants, running errands and buying things for others, collecting some oil and water, and begging for a few rewards. Whenever he had free time, he squatted by the tea table and listened to white books.He yelled sweetly at the tea doctor's uncles in the teahouse, and the tea doctor didn't drive him away.He listened to the books a lot, and was fascinated by the hero in the story. Seeing that this man was seriously injured, he was able to injure many leaders of salt lords in succession.
The man laughed loudly and said: "These two sentences are very good. I have heard people say it thousands of times in the Jianghu. I have seen many people who share blessings, but few people who share difficulties. .Let's go!"
The child supported the man's left arm with his right shoulder, opened the door, and walked to the hall.When everyone saw it, they all paled in horror and scattered to avoid it.The child's mother shouted: "Xiaobao, Xiaobao, where are you going?" The child said: "I sent this friend out and came back." The man laughed: "This friend! Haha, I have become your friend!" The child's mother shouted: "Don't go, you hide quickly." The child smiled and strode out of the hall.
When the two walked out of the Lichun Courtyard, there was no one in the alley, presumably the salt lords met a strong enemy and went back to rescue the soldiers. The man turned out of the alley, came to the side street, looked up at the stars in the sky, and said, "Let's go west!" After walking a few feet, a donkey cart came to meet him.The man shouted: "Hire a car!" The driver stopped, seeing the two covered in blood, his face was surprised and suspicious.The man took out an ingot of silver from his bosom, about four or five taels in weight, and said: "Take the silver first!" Seeing that the silver ingot was not small, the driver immediately stopped and put down the pedal. The man slowly moved his body to the car, took out a twelve-weight ingot from his arms, handed it to the child, and said, "Little friend, I'm leaving, this ingot is for you." When the child saw this big ingot, he couldn't help grumbling, swallowed his mouth, and secretly called out: "Good guy!" But he had heard many chivalrous stories, and knew that heroes only make friends and don't love money. It is so easy to have a chance to be a hero, to do what you say to the end, but you can’t be greedy for money, and said loudly: "We only care about loyalty, not money. If you give me ingots, you are looking down on me. You have Hurt, I'll give you a ride." The man was startled, looked up to the sky and laughed wildly, and said: "Very good, very good, interesting!" Putting the ingot into his arms.The boy climbed into the donkey cart and sat beside him. The coachman asked: "Guest officer, where are you going?" The man said: "To the west of the city, Desheng Mountain!" A light tap on the shaft.The coachman was frightened, and hurriedly said: "Yes, yes!" He put down the curtain of the cart and drove the donkey out of the city.The man closed his eyes and meditated, his breathing was rapid, and he sometimes coughed a few times. Desheng Mountain is located in Dayi Township, 30 miles northwest of Yangzhou City. During the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty, Han Shizhong defeated the Jin soldiers here, so the mountain is named "Desheng". The coachman was in a hurry to drive the donkey, and after more than an hour, he arrived at the foot of the mountain and said, "Guest officer, Desheng Mountain is here!" "Is this the fucking Desheng Mountain?" The coachman said: "It is!" The child said: "This is indeed Desheng Mountain. My mother and sisters went to the Temple of Mrs. Yingying to burn incense. I followed and played here. Pass. After a little further, there is the Temple of Mrs. Yinglie.” The Temple of Mrs. Yinglie is dedicated to Liang Hongyu, Mrs. Han Shizhong, and Yangzhou people also call it the “Temple of Different Prostitutes”.Liang Hongyu worked as a prostitute when she was young, and met Han Shizhong through the wind and dust.Prostitutes in Yangzhou will go to the Temple of Mrs. Yinglie every year to burn incense and make a wish, praying that Mrs. Anguo of the Song Dynasty will have a spirit and take care of her sisters in the future. The man said: "Since you know, you can't be wrong. Go down." The child jumped out of the car and helped the man get off.Seeing the darkness all around, I thought: "Yes, this place is very wilderness, hiding here, those salt thieves will definitely not find it." The driver was afraid that the bloody man would want him to take him to another place, so he turned the donkey's head and swung his whip to go.The man said: "Wait a minute, you take this little friend back to the city." The driver said: "Yes!" The child said: "I will accompany you for a while. I will buy you steamed buns in the morning." The man said: "Do you really want to accompany me?" The child said: "No one is serving you, it's not right." The man laughed again, and said to the coachman: "Then you go back!" The coachman hurriedly drove Just do it. The man went to a rock and sat down. Seeing the donkey cart go far away, and there was no sound in the surroundings, he suddenly shouted: "The two turtle bastards behind the willow tree, get out of here." The child was startled, and thought: "Is there someone here?" Seeing two people slowly coming out from behind the willow tree, the two of them wrapped their heads in white cloth and tied their waists with blue belts, they must be the Yanxiao gang.The steel knives in their hands flickered, they took two steps and then stopped.The man shouted: "The son of a turtle, you bastard, you nailed me here from the cellar, but you didn't come up to die, what are you doing?" The child thought, "Yes, they want to find out where this man is so they can move The rescuers came to kill him." The two discussed in a low voice, then turned and ran.The man jumped up and was about to catch up with him, but with a sound of "Ai", he sat down again.Apart from being seriously injured, he was unable to chase people. The child thought to himself: "The donkey cart has gone, we can't go far, these two people went to report the news, and the brigade came to kill, that's terrible." Suddenly he burst into tears and shouted: "Ah, you How did you die? You can't die, you can't die!" The two salt owls were running wildly when they suddenly heard a child crying, they were startled, they immediately stopped and turned around, only to hear him crying loudly: "Why did you die?"One person said: "This villain is dead?" The other person said: "He was seriously injured and couldn't take it anymore. This kid is crying like this, so he must be dead." Looking from afar, I saw the man curled up in a ball , lying on the ground.First one said: "Even if he is not dead, there is no need to be afraid of him. Wouldn't it be a great achievement for us to cut off his head and go back?" The other said: "Wonderful!" The two slowly approached with their swords upright.I could only hear the child beating his chest and stamping his feet, wailing loudly, and shouting: "Brother, why did you die suddenly? How can I resist those salt smugglers coming after me?" The two were overjoyed and rushed forward.One of them shouted: "Evil thief, a good death!" Grabbing the child by the vest, the other raised a knife and chopped off the boy's neck.Suddenly there was a flash of the knife, and the head of one person flew away, and a long gash was opened from the chest to the abdomen of the person who grabbed the child.The man laughed and stood up. The child cried: "Oh, why did this salt smuggler friend lose his head? You two old people went to see the King of Hades, and who went back to report the news? Isn't this bad?" At the end, I couldn't help but Live laughing. The man laughed and said, "You kid is really smart, and you cry like that. If you didn't cry like this, these two bastards really wouldn't come here." The child laughed and said: "If you want to pretend to cry, don't Easy? My mother is going to beat me, the whip is not on my body yet, I have been crying to death, she will not be heavy when she whips." The man asked: "Why did your mother beat you?" The child said: "That's not necessarily the case. , Sometimes I stole her money, and sometimes I played tricks on Po Min and Uncle You in the courtyard for me." The man sighed, and said, "If these two spies don't kill them, something is really wrong. Hey, why didn't you call me Master and Uncle when you pretended to cry just now, but Brother?" The child Said: "You are my friend, so naturally I call you brother. What kind of goddamn master are you? If you want me to call you master, the devil will care about you?" The man laughed and said, "Very good! My little friend, what's your name?" The child said, "Are you asking me for my name? My name is Xiaobao." The man laughed and said, "Your name is Xiaobao." , what about your surname?" The child frowned and said, "I...my surname is Wei." This child was born in a brothel, his mother's name was Wei Chunhua, his father's name, even his mother didn't know, everyone always called him Xiaobao, and no one ever asked his surname.At this moment, the person suddenly asked, and he brought out his mother's surname.This Wei Xiaobao was born in a brothel, grew up in a brothel, and never studied.He called himself "Zun Xing Da Ming", not joking, but he heard that the word "Zun Xing Da Ming" was often mentioned in the books, but he didn't know that it was a respectful title when speaking to others, and it was inappropriate to use it on himself. He then asked, "Then what is your last name?" The man smiled slightly and said, "Since you consider me a friend, I can't hide it from you. My surname is Mao, the grass of thatch, not the caterpillar. Ranked eighteenth. Mao Shiba is me." Wei Xiaobao jumped up with an "ah", and said: "I heard people say that the government... isn't the government arresting you? They say you are some kind of gangster." Mao Shiba let out a hey, and said, "That's right. Are you afraid of me?" Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? I don't have any gold and silver treasures. If you want to rob money, you won't rob me. Why do Jiangyang bandits fight? Shanglin Chong and Wu Song are heroes, too. Great robber." Mao Shiba was very happy, and said, "Comparing me with heroes like Lin Chong and Wu Song, that's very good. Who did you listen to when the government wants to arrest me?" Wei Xiaobao said: "The city of Yangzhou is full of notices, saying that it is to capture Jiangyang thief Mao Shiba, it doesn't matter what it is, as long as someone kills you, you will be rewarded with two thousand taels of silver. If someone tips the news and thus catches you, Then the reward will be less, and the reward will be one thousand taels of silver. Yesterday I was in the teahouse listening to everyone talking about your great ability. If you want to catch you and kill you, then don’t even think about it. It’s better to know your whereabouts , informed the government and received a reward of one thousand taels of silver, which is a windfall." Mao Shiba looked at him sideways and let out a hey. A thought flashed in Wei Xiaobao's mind: "If I get this one thousand taels of silver reward, my mother and I will have something to spend, chicken, duck, fish, gambling and fun, and we can't spend it all in a few years." Looking at himself sideways, with a strange expression on his face, Wei Xiaobao said angrily: "What are you thinking? Do you think I will go to inform you and get the reward?" Mao Shiba said: "Yes, it's white and white. Who doesn't love Yinzi?" Wei Xiaobao scolded angrily: "Fuck your grandma! How can you talk about loyalty when you betray a friend?" Mao Shiba said: "That's up to you." Wei Xiaobao said: "Since you don't trust me, why did you say your real name? You have so many strips of cloth wrapped around your head and face, which is completely different from the picture on the bulletin board. If you don't say you are Mao Shiba, who will recognize you?" You?" Mao Shiba said, "You said that we share our blessings and share our troubles. If I hide my name and identity from you, then what kind of good friend is I?" Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed, and said: "Exactly! Even if there is a bounty of ten thousand taels or one hundred thousand taels of silver, I will never go to report it." But he thought in his heart: "If there is really one thousand taels, one hundred thousand taels of silver Reward, do you want to do the thing of betraying a friend?" I was a bit undecided. Mao Shiba said: "Okay, let's sleep for a while. At noon tomorrow, two friends will come to see me. We made an appointment to meet at Desheng Mountain in the west of Yangzhou City. We will see you soon." Wei Xiaobao had been in a mess all day, and he was already sleepy and tired. Hearing what he said, he leaned against the tree trunk and fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day, Mao Shiba put his hands on his chest and said with a smile, "You're awake too, you drag these two dead people behind a tree and sharpen the three knives." Wei Xiaobao dragged the dead man away according to his words, when the sun was just rising, he saw clearly that Mao Shiba was about forty years old, his arms were muscular, his eyes were shining, and his expression was fierce, and he took the three steel knives to the stream Next to it, dipped in water and ground it on a stone.He thought to himself: "To deal with salt dealers, one knife is enough. If this old man Mao is killed by someone, what are the other two knives for sharpening? Could someone use it to kill me, Wei Xiaobao?" He has always been lazy and put on an air. After sharpening the knife for a while, he said, "I'm going to buy some fried dough sticks and steamed buns to eat." Mao Shiba said: "Where can you sell steamed buns?" Wei Xiaobao said: "In the past, there was a small town not far there. Brother Mao, how much money do you have around you, how many liang can you borrow?" Mao Shiba smiled. , took out the ingot again, and said, "Both brothers, what you have is mine, and what is mine is yours. Just use it for convenience. Why don't you borrow it or not?" Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed and thought to himself: "This hero really treats me as a friend, even if there is a reward of 10,000 taels of silver, I can't report it to the officials. What about 100,000 taels? It's a bit nerve-wracking. Bah, with his behavior Virtue, is it worth so much money? I don't need to worry about it." Taking the money, he asked, "Do you want me to buy you some medicine?" Mao Shiba said, "No, I have medicine for myself." Wei Xiaobao said: "Okay, I'm going. Brother Mao, don't worry, if Tolerance catches me, even if I kill my head, I will never say that you are Mao Shiba." Mao Shiba saw that he spoke sincerely, nodded. Wei Xiaobao said to himself: "You still have two friends coming, it's better to buy another pot of wine and a few catties of cooked beef." Mao Shibaxi said: "It's best to have wine and meat, go and come back quickly, you'll be full when you're full." Fight." Wei Xiaobao was surprised: "The salt dealer knows you are here? Are you going to chase after him?" Mao Shiba said: "No! I asked other people to fight at Desheng Mountain, otherwise what are you doing here?" Wei Xiaobao With a sigh of relief, he said, "You are injured, how can you fight again? This fight, it won't be too late after the injury is healed, it's just... just because I'm afraid that people won't agree." Mao Shiba said: "Hey, he is a famous hero, how could he refuse? I refused. Today is March 29th, isn't it? Half a year ago, this fight was arranged. Later I gave The government caught him and put him in prison, thinking about this date, he had to come here, so he escaped from prison and killed a few eagle-clawed grandchildren, the city of Yangzhou was such a mess, and offered a fucking reward Capture Lao Tzu. His grandma met several eagle claws with strong kung fu the day before yesterday, and killed three of them, and he was injured a little bit, which is really bad luck." Wei Xiaobao said: "Okay, I'll go and buy some food, we can fight when you're full." Immediately he ran quickly, turned around the hillside, ran for six or seven miles, and there was a small town, thinking about it : "Brother Mao is so injured that he can't walk, how can he fight with someone? He said that the other party is a famous hero, and his martial arts must be good. How can I help him?" Holding the money in his hand, he felt itchy It's hard to scratch, I've never held so much money in my life, I have to spend a lot of money, I'm so happy, I went to the cooked butcher's shop, bought two catties of cooked beef, a sauced duck, and I went to buy two bottles of rice wine, and there was still a lot of money left over. I bought a dozen or so steamed buns and eight deep-fried dough sticks, which only cost me a little more than 20 Wen. Tripping the rope. During a fight, if the opponent accidentally trips on the rope and falls to the ground, Brother Mao can kill him with a single knife." He remembered the story told by the storyteller, the general went into battle, his horse tripped and fell off, the enemy general raised his knife and cut it into two pieces, he was in a hurry to buy rope.When I came to a grocery store, I saw four large vats in a row, one for white rice, one for soybeans, one for salt, and the other for crushed lime.Immediately remembered: "Last year, the private salt gang by the Fairy Bridge fought with someone, and they sprinkled lime in their eyes, and immediately turned the victory into defeat. Why didn't I think of this idea?" I didn't buy the rope, I bought a bag of lime, Putting it on his back, he returned to Mao Shiba's side. Mao Shiba lay sleeping by the tree, and when he heard his footsteps, he woke up immediately, opened the bottle, drank a couple of sips, praised loudly, and said, "Do you want to drink?" The heroic man took a big gulp from the bottle, only to feel a rush of hot air rushing into his belly, and immediately coughed loudly.Mao Shiba laughed loudly, and said: "The little hero has not yet learned how to drink." Suddenly, someone in the distance said loudly: "Brother Shiba, don't come here, okay?"
Mao Shiba said: "Brother Wu, Brother Wang, you two are very healthy!" Wei Xiaobao's heart skipped a beat, he raised his head to look where the sound came from, and saw two people walking quickly on the road, and in an instant to the front. One was an old man with a white beard hanging down to his chest, but his face was ruddy and glowing without any wrinkles.The other was a middle-aged man in his forties, short, fat, and bald, with a small braid on the back of his head and a smooth front like a shelled egg. Mao Shiba clasped his hands and said, "Brother's legs are inconvenient, so he can't stand up and salute." The bald man frowned slightly.The old man smiled and said: "Why be polite?" Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "Brother Mao is too honest, he has an injury on his leg, how can he tell others about it?" Mao Shiba said: "There is wine and meat here, the two of you Do you want some?" The old man said, "Sorry for bothering you!" Sitting beside Mao Shiba, he took the wine bottle.Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed: "It turns out that these two are friends of Brother Mao, they didn't come to fight with him, that's wonderful. When the enemy comes, these two can also help fight." The old man brought the wine bottle to his mouth, and when he was about to drink, the bald man said, "Brother Ang, you don't need to drink this wine!" Man, can there be poison in the wine?" Gudu and Gudu took two sips, handed the wine bottle to the bald man, and said, "If you don't drink, you will look down on your good friend." The bald man looked hesitant, but he didn't care about the old man. The words seemed to be inconvenient, he took the wine bottle, just put it to his mouth, Mao Shiba snatched it with his hands, and said: "There is not enough wine! Brother Wang doesn't like to drink, save a few sips for me." He raised his head and drank. I took two big mouthfuls.The bald man blushed, sat down and grabbed the beef and ate it. Mao Shiba said: "I will introduce a good friend to the two of you." Pointing to the old man, he said: "This old man Wu, his name is Dapeng, and people in the world are called 'Moyunshou'. Famous." The old man said with a smile: "Brother Mao put gold on my face." As he spoke, he looked around and saw no one else, so he couldn't help being rather surprised.Mao Shiba pointed to the bald man and said, "Master Wang's single name is the word 'Tan', and his nickname is 'Shuangbi Kaishan'. A pair of magistrates and pen envoys will come out. They are really superb." The bald man said: "Brother Mao made fun of me Now, I am your defeated general, so I am ashamed." Mao Shiba said: "Don't dare to do that." Pointing to Wei Xiaobao, he said: "This kid is my new good brother..." When he said this, Wu Wang and Wang looked at each other in astonishment, and they stared at Wei Xiaobao together, they couldn't tell What is the origin of this dry and thin boy of twelve or thirteen years old? I only heard Mao Shiba continue: "This kid's surname is Wei, and his name is Xiaobao. It's... called..." After a pause, he said: "It's called 'Little White Dragon'. It's the most amazing water skills. It swims in the water for three days and three nights, eats raw fish and shrimp, and doesn't change its face." He wanted to save face for this new kid, not to make him look discouraged in front of outsiders, he wanted to brag a little bit, but Wei Xiaobao had no martial arts at all, the two of Wu and Wang were both experts, and they could tell the truth as soon as they stretched out their hands, so it was hard to deceive them. After a moment of contemplation, he said that he was very good at water skills. The two kings and kings of Wu are heroes in the north, and they don't know how to swim, so they can't know the truth.他接着说道：“你们三位都是好朋友，多亲近亲近。”吴王二人抱拳道：“久仰，久仰！” 韦小宝依样学样，也抱拳道：“久仰，久仰！”又惊又喜：“茅大哥给我吹牛，其实我是什么江湖好汉了？这西洋镜却拆穿不得。” 四人过不多时，便将酒肉馒头吃得干干净净。这秃头王潭食量甚豪，初食时有些顾忌，到后来放量大嚼，他独个儿所吃的牛肉、馒头和油条，比三人加起来还多。 茅十八伸衣袖抹了抹嘴，说道：“吴老爷子，这位小朋友水性固是极好，陆上功夫却还没学，在下只好一对二。这可不是瞧不起两位。”吴大鹏道：“咱们这个约会，我看还是再推迟半年罢。”茅十八道：“那为什么？”吴大鹏道：“茅兄身上有伤，显不出真功夫。老朽打赢了固然没什么光采，打输了更是没脸见人。” 茅十八哈哈一笑，说道：“有伤没伤，没多大分别，再等半年，岂不牵肚挂肠？”左手扶着树干，慢慢站起身来，右手已握单刀，说道：“吴老爷子向来赤手空拳，王兄便亮兵刃罢！”王潭道：“好！”伸手入怀，呛啷一声轻响，摸出一对判官笔来。 吴大鹏道：“既然如此，王贤弟，你替愚兄掠阵。愚兄要是不成，你再上不迟。”王潭应道：“是！”退开三步。吴大鹏左掌上翻，右手兜了个圈子，轻飘飘挥掌向茅十八拍来。 茅十八单刀斜劈，径砍他左臂。吴大鹏一低头，自他刀锋下抢进，左手向他右臂肘下拍去。茅十八一侧身转在树旁，拍的一声响，吴大鹏那掌击在树干之上。这棵大树高五六丈，树身粗壮，给吴大鹏这么一拍，树上黄叶便似雨点般撒下来。茅十八叫道：“好掌力！”单刀拦腰挥去。吴大鹏突然纵起身子，从半空中扑将下来，白须飘扬，甚是好看。茅十八一招“西风倒卷”，单刀自下拖上。吴大鹏在半空中一个倒翻筋斗，跃了出去。茅十八这一刀和他小腹相距不到半尺。刀势固然劲急，吴大鹏的闪避却也迅速灵动之极。 韦小宝一生之中，打架是见得多了，但都是市井流氓抱腿拉辫、箍颈撞头的烂打，除了昨日丽春院中茅十八恶斗盐枭之外，从未见过高手如此凶险的比武。但见吴大鹏忽进忽退，双掌翻飞，茅十八将单刀舞得幻成一片银光，挡在身前。吴大鹏几次抢上，都被刀光逼了出来。
正斗到酣处，忽听得蹄声响动，十余人骑马奔来，都是满清官兵的打扮。十余骑奔到近处，散将开来，将四人围在垓心，为首的军官喝道：“且住！咱们奉命捉拿江洋大盗茅十八，跟旁人并不相干，都退开了！” 吴大鹏一听，住手跃开。茅十八道：“吴老爷子，鹰爪子又找上来啦！他们冲着我来，你不用理会，再上啊！”吴大鹏向众官兵道：“这位兄台是安分良民，怎地是江洋大盗？你们认错了人罢？”为首的军官冷笑道：“他是安分良民，天下的安分良民未免太多了。茅朋友，你在扬州城里做下了天大的案子，好汉一人做事一人当，乖乖的跟我们去罢！” 茅十八道：“你们等一等，且瞧我跟这两位朋友分了胜败再说。”转头向吴大鹏和王潭道：“吴老爷子，王兄，咱们今日非分胜负不可，再等上半年，也不知我姓茅的还有没有性命。爽爽快快，两位一起上罢！” 那军官喝道：“你们两个若不是跟茅十八一伙，快快离开这是非之地，别惹事上身。” 茅十八骂道：“你奶奶的，大呼小叫干什么？” 那军官道：“茅十八，你越狱杀人，那是扬州地方官的事，本来用不着我们理会。不过听说你在妓院里大叫大嚷，说道天地会作乱造反的叛贼都是英雄好汉，这话可是有的？” 茅十八大声道：“天地会的朋友们当然是英雄好汉，难道倒是你这种给鞑子舐卵蛋的汉奸，反而是英雄好汉？” 那军官眼露凶光，说道：“鳌少保派我们从北京到南方来，为的是捉拿天地会反贼。茅十八，你跟我们走。”说着转头向吴大鹏与王潭道：“两位正在跟这逆贼相斗，想来不是一路的了，两位这就请便罢。” 吴大鹏道：“请教阁下尊姓大名？”那军官在腰间一条黑黝黝的软鞭上一拍，说道：“在下'黑龙鞭'史松，奉了鳌少保将令，擒拿天地会反贼。” 吴大鹏点了点头，向茅十八道：“茅兄，天父地母！” 茅十八睁大了双眼，问道：“你说什么？” 吴大鹏微微一笑，道：“没什么，茅兄，你好像并不是天地会中的兄弟，却干么要大说天地会的好话？”茅十八道：“天地会保百姓，杀鞑子，做的是英雄好汉的勾当，自然是英雄好汉了。江湖上有言道：'为人不识陈近南，就称英雄也枉然。'陈近南陈总舵主，便是天地会的头脑。天地会的朋友们，都是陈总舵主的手下，岂有不是英雄好汉之理？”吴大鹏道：“茅兄可识得陈总舵主么？”茅十八怒道：“什么？你讥笑我不是英雄吗？”他为此发怒，自然是不识陈近南了。吴大鹏微笑道：“不敢。”茅十八又道：“难道你又识得陈总舵主了？”吴大鹏摇了摇头。 史松向吴王二人问道：“你们两个识得天地会的人吗？要是有什么讯息，说了出来，我们拿到了天地会的头目，好比那个陈近南什么的，鳌少保必定重重有赏。” 吴大鹏和王潭尚未回答，茅十八仰天大笑，说道：“发你妈的清秋大梦，凭你这块料，也想去拿天地会的陈总舵主？你开口闭口的鳌少保，这鳌拜自称是满洲第一勇士，武功到底怎样？”史松道：“鳌少保天生神勇，武功盖世，曾在北京街上一拳打死一头疯牛，你这反贼也知道吗？”茅十八骂道：“他奶奶的，我就不信鳌拜有这等厉害，我正要上北京去斗他一斗。”史松冷笑道：“凭你也配和鳌少保动手？他老人家伸一根手指头，就将你捺死了。姓茅的，闲话别多说了，跟我们走罢！” 茅十八道：“哪有这般容易？你们这里一共一十三人，老子以一敌十三，明知打不过，也得打一打。” 吴大鹏微笑道：“茅兄怎能如此见外？咱们是以三敌十三，一个打四个，未必便输。” 史松和茅十八都是一惊。史松道：“两位别转错了念头，造反助逆，可不是好玩的。” 吴大鹏笑道：“助逆那也罢了。造反却是不敢。”史松道：“助逆即是造反！你们两个想清楚些，是不是帮定了这反贼？”吴大鹏道：“半年之前，茅兄和这位王兄弟约定了，今日在这里以武会友，并将在下牵扯在内。想不到官府不识趣，将茅兄关在狱里。他是言而有信的好汉子，今日若不践约，此后在江湖上如何做人？他越狱杀人，都是给官府逼出来的。这叫做官逼民反，不得不反。史大人，你如卖老汉的面子，那就收队回去，待老汉和茅兄较量一下手底下功夫，明日你捉不捉他，老汉和王兄弟就管不了啦！”史松道：“不成！” 军官队中忽有一人喝道：“老家伙，哪有这么多说的？”说着拔刀出鞘，双腿一央，纵马冲将过来，高举单刀，便向吴大鹏头顶砍落。吴大鹏斜身一闪，避过了他这一刀，右臂探出，身子纵起，抓住了他背心，顺手一甩，将他摔了出去。 众军官大叫：“反了，反了！”纷纷跃下马来，向吴大鹏等三人围了上去。 茅十八大腿受伤，倚树而立，手起刀落，便劈死了一名军官，钢刀横削，又一名军官被他拦腰斩死。余人见他悍勇，一时不敢逼近。史松双手叉腰，骑在马上掠阵。 韦小宝本给军官围在垓心，当史松和茅十八、吴大鹏二人说话之际，他一步一步的退出圈子。众军官也不知这干瘦小孩在这里干什么？谁也不加理会。待得众人动上手，他已躲在数丈外的一株树后，心想：“我快快逃走呢，还是在这里瞧着？茅大哥他们只三个人，定会给这些官兵杀了。这些军爷会不会又来杀我？”转念又想：“茅大哥当我是好朋友，说过有难同当，有福共享。我若悄悄逃走，可太也不讲义气。” 吴大鹏挥掌劈倒了一名军官。王潭使开双笔，和三名军官相斗。这时茅十八又将一名军官右腿砍断。这军官倒在血泊之中，大声呼叫喝骂，声音凄厉。 史松一声长啸，黑龙鞭出手，跟着纵身下马。他双足尚未落地，鞭梢已向茅十八卷去。茅十八使开“五虎断门刀”刀法，见招拆招，史松的软鞭一连七八招厉害招数，都给他单刀挂了回来。但听得吴大鹏长声吆喝，一人飞了出去，拍哒一响，掉在地下，军官中又少了一人。 这边王潭以一敌三，却渐渐落了下风，左腿上被锯齿刀拉了一条口子，鲜血急喷。他一跛一拐，浴血苦斗。和吴大鹏急斗的三人武功均颇不弱，双刀一剑，在他身边转来转去，吴大鹏的摩云掌力一时击不到他们身上。 史松的软鞭越使越快，始终奈何不了茅十八，突然间一招“白蛇吐信”，鞭梢向茅十八右肩点去。茅十八举刀竖挡，不料史松这一招乃是虚招，手腕抖动，先变“声东击西”，再变“玉带围腰”，黑龙鞭倏地挥向左方，随即圈转，自左至右，远远向茅十八腰间围来。 茅十八双腿难以行走，全仗身后大树支撑。史松这一招“玉带围腰”卷将过来，本来只须向前窜出，或是往后纵跃，即能避过，但此刻却非硬接硬架不可，当下单刀对准黑龙鞭的鞭梢拍落。史松斗然放手，松脱鞭柄，那软鞭一沉，忽儿兜转，迅疾无伦的卷将过来，将茅十八绕在树上，一共绕了三匝，噗的一声，鞭梢击中他右胸。史松要将茅十八生擒，以便逼问天地会的讯息，眼见吴大鹏和王潭尚未降服，急欲取下黑龙鞭使用，当即俯身拾起地下丢弃的一柄单刀，要砍下茅十八的一条右臂。 他拾刀在手，刚抬起身，蓦地里白影晃动，无数粉末冲进眼里、鼻里、口里，一时气为之窒，跟着双眼剧痛，犹似万枚钢针同时扎刺一般，待欲张口大叫，满嘴粉末，连喉头嗌住了，再也叫不出声来。这一下变故突兀之极，饶是他老于江湖，却也心慌意乱，手一松，单刀跌落，双手去揉擦眼睛，擦得一擦，这才恍然：“啊哟，敌人将石灰撒入了我眼睛。”生石灰遇水即沸，立即将他双眼烧烂，便在此时，肚腹上一阵冰凉，一柄单刀插入了肚中。 茅十八为软鞭绕身，眼见无幸，陡然间白粉飞扬，史松单刀脱手，双手去揉擦眼睛，正诧异间，只见韦小宝拾起单刀，一刀插入了史松肚中，随即转身又躲在树后。 史松摇摇晃晃，转了几转，翻身摔倒。几名军官大惊，齐叫：“史大哥，史大哥！”吴大鹏左掌一招“铁树开花”，掌力吐处，一名军官身子飞出数丈，口中鲜血狂喷，余下五人眼见不敌，再也无心恋战，转身便奔，连坐骑也不要了。 吴大鹏回头说道：“茅兄当真了得，这黑龙鞭史松武功高强，今日命丧你手！”他眼见史松肚腹中刀而死，想来自然是茅十八所杀。 茅十八摇头道：“惭愧！是韦小兄弟杀的。”吴王二人大为诧异，齐声道：“是这小孩所杀？”他二人适才忙于对付敌人，没见到韦小宝撒石灰。地下满是死尸鲜血，伤者身上滚得满身是泥，虽有石灰粉末撒在地下，他二人也没留意。 茅十八左手抓住黑龙鞭鞭梢，抖开软鞭，呼的一声，抽在史松头上。史松肚腹中刀，一时未死，给这一鞭击正在天灵盖上，立时毙命。茅十八叫道：“韦兄弟，你好功夫啊！” 韦小宝从树后转出，想到自己居然杀了一个官老爷，心中有一分得意，倒有九分害怕。吴王二人将信将疑，上上下下的向韦小宝打量，但见他脸色苍白，全身发抖，双目含泪，摇摇晃晃的立足不定，只像随时随刻要放声大哭，又或是大叫：“我的妈啊！”说什么也不像是杀了黑龙鞭史松之人。吴大鹏道：“小兄弟，你使什么招式杀了此人？”韦小宝颤声道：“我……我……是我杀了这……官……官老爷吗？不，不是我杀的，不……不是我……”他知道杀官之罪极大，心慌意乱之下，惟有拚命抵赖。 茅十八皱起眉头，摇了摇头，说道：“吴老爷子，王兄，承你二位拔刀相助，救了兄弟性命。咱们还打不打？”吴大鹏道：“救命之话，休得提起。王兄弟，我看这场架是不必打了？”王潭道：“不打了！我和茅兄原没什么深仇大怨，大家交上了朋友，岂不是好？茅兄武功高强，有胆量，有见识，兄弟是十分佩服的。”吴大鹏道：“茅兄，咱们就此别过，山长水远，后会有期。茅兄十分钦佩天地会的陈总舵主，这一句话，兄弟当设法带给陈总舵主他老人家知晓。” 茅十八大喜，抢上一步，说道：“你……你……识得陈总舵主？” 吴大鹏笑道：“我和这位王兄弟，都是天地会宏化堂属下的小脚色。承茅大哥对敝会如此瞧得起，别说大伙儿本来没什么过节，就算真有梁子，那也是一笔勾销了。”茅十八又惊又喜，说道：“原来……原来你果然识得陈近南。”吴大鹏道：“敝会弟兄众多，陈总舵主行踪无定，在下在会中职司低下。的确没见过陈总舵主的面，刚才并不是有意相欺。”茅十八道：“原来如此。” 吴大鹏一拱手，转身便行，双掌连扬，拍拍之声不绝，在每个躺在地下的军官身上补了一掌，不论那军官本来是死是活，再中了他的摩云掌力。死者筋折骨裂，活着的也即气绝。 茅十八低声喝彩：“好掌力！”眼见二人去得远了，喃喃的道：“原来他二人倒是天地会的。”隔了一会，向韦小宝道：“去牵匹马过来！”
韦小宝从未牵过马，见马匹身躯高大，心中害怕，从马匹身后慢慢挨近。茅十八喝道：“向着马头走过去。你从马屁股过去，马儿非飞腿踢你不可。”韦小宝绕到马前，伸手去拉缰绳，那马倒甚驯良，跟着他便走。 茅十八撕下衣襟，裹了右臂的伤口，左手在马鞍上一按，跃上马背，说道：“你回家去罢！”韦小宝问道：“你到哪里去？”茅十八道：“你问来干么？”韦小宝道：“咱们既是朋友，我自然要问问。”茅十八脸一沉，骂道：“你奶奶的，谁是你朋友？”韦小宝退了一步，小脸儿胀得通红，泪水在眼中滚来滚去，不明白他为什么好端端突然大发脾气。 茅十八道：“你为什么用石灰撒在那史松的眼里？”声音严厉，神态更是十分凶恶。 韦小宝甚是害怕，退了一步，颤声道：“我……我见他要杀你。”茅十八问道：“石灰哪里来的？”韦小宝道：“我……我买的。”茅十八道：“买石灰来干什么？”韦小宝道：“你说要跟人打架，我见你身上有伤，所以……所以买了石灰粉帮你。”茅十八大怒，骂道：“小杂种，你奶奶的，这法子哪里学来的？” 韦小宝的母亲是娼妓，不知生父是谁，最恨的就是人家骂他小杂种，不由得怒火上冲，也骂道：“你奶奶的老杂种，我操你茅家十七八代老祖宗，乌龟王八蛋，你管我从哪里学来的？你这臭王八，死不透的老甲鱼……”一面骂，一面躲到了树后。 茅十八双腿一挟，纵马过来，长臂伸处，便将他后颈抓住，提了起来，喝道：“小鬼，你还骂不骂？”韦小宝双足乱踢，叫道：“你这贼王八，臭乌龟，路倒尸，给人斩上一千刀的猪猡……”他生于妓院之中，南腔北调的骂人言语，学了不计其数，这时怒火上冲，满口的污言秽语。 茅十八更是恼怒，拍的一声，重重打了他一记耳光。韦小宝放声大哭，骂得更是响了，突然之间。张口在茅十八手背上狠狠咬了一口。茅十八手背一痛，脱手将他摔在地下。韦小宝发足便奔，口中兀自骂声不绝。茅十八纵马自后缓缓跟来。 韦小宝虽然跑得不慢，但他人小步短，哪里撇得下马匹的跟踪？奔得十几丈，便已气喘力竭，回头一看，茅十八的坐骑和他相距不过丈许，心中一慌，失足跌倒，索性便在地上打滚，大哭大叫。他平日在妓院之中，街巷之间，时时和人争闹，打不过时便耍这无赖手段，对手都是大人，总不成继续追打，将他打死？生怕被人说以大欺小，只好摇头退开。 茅十八道：“你起来，我有话跟你说。”韦小宝哭叫：“我偏不起来，死在这里也不起来！”茅十八道：“好！我放马过来，踹死了你！” 韦小宝最不受人恐吓，人家说：“我一拳打死你，我一脚踢死你”这等言语，他几乎每天都会听到一两次，根本就没放在心上，当即大声哭叫：“打死人啦，大人欺侮小孩哪！乌龟王八蛋骑了马要踏死我啦！”茅十八一提马缰，坐骑前足腾空，人立起来。韦小宝一个打滚，滚了开去。茅十八笑骂：“小鬼，你毕竟害怕。”韦小宝叫道：“我怕了你这狗入的，不是英雄好汉！” 茅十八见他如此惫赖，倒也无法可施，笑道：“凭你也算英雄好汉？好啦，你起来，我不打你了。我走啦！”韦小宝站起身来，满脸都是眼泪鼻涕，道：“你打我不要紧。可不能骂我小杂种。”茅十八笑道：“你骂我的话，还多了十倍，更难听十倍，大家扯直，就此算了。”韦小宝伸衣袖抹了抹，当即破涕为笑，说道：“你打我耳光，我咬了你一口，大家扯直，就此算了。你去哪里？” 茅十八道：“我上北京。”韦小宝奇道：“上北京？人家要捉你，怎么反而自己送上门去？”茅十八道：“我老是听人说，那鳌拜是满洲第一勇士，他妈的，还有人说他是天下第一勇士。我可不服气，要上北京去跟他比划比划。” 韦小宝听他说要去跟满洲第一勇士比武，这热闹不可不看，平时在茶馆中，听茶客说起天子脚下北京的种种情状。心下早就羡慕，又想到自己杀了史松，官老爷查究起来可不是玩的，虽然大可赖在茅十八身上，但万一拆穿西洋镜，那可乖乖不得了，还是溜之大吉为妙，说道：“茅大哥，我求你一件事，成不成？这件事不大易办，只怕你不敢答应。” 茅十八最恨人说他胆小，登时气往上冲，骂道：“你奶奶的，小……”他本想骂“小杂种”，总算及时收口，道：“什么敢不敢的？你说出来，我一定答应。”又想自己性命是他所救，天大的难事，也得帮他。 韦小宝道：“大丈夫一言既出，什么马难追，你说过的话，可不许反悔。”茅十八道：“自然不反悔。”韦小宝道：“好！你带我上北京去。”茅十八奇道：“你也要上北京？去干什么？”韦小宝道：“我要看你跟那个鳌拜比武。” 茅十八连连摇头，道：“从扬州到北京，路隔千里，官府又在悬赏捉我，一路上甚是凶险，我怎能带你？”韦小宝道：“我早知道啦，你答应了的事定要反悔。你带着我，官府容易捉到你，你自然不敢了。”茅十八大怒，喝道：“我有什么不敢？”韦小宝道：“那你就带我去。”茅十八道：“带着你累赘得很。你又没跟你妈说过，她岂不挂念？”韦小宝道：“我常常几天不回家，妈从来也不挂念。” 茅十八一提马缰，纵马便行，说道：“你这小鬼头花样真多。” 韦小宝大声叫道：“你不敢带我去，因为你打不过鳌拜，怕我见到了丢脸！”茅十八怒火冲天，兜转马头，喝道：“谁说我打不过鳌拜？”韦小宝道：“你不敢带我去，自然因为怕我见到你打输了的丑样。你给人家打得爬在地下，大叫：'鳌拜老爷饶命，求求鳌拜大人饶了小人茅十八的狗命'，给我听到，羞也羞死了！” 茅十八气得哇哇大叫，纵马冲将过来，一伸手，将韦小宝提将起来，横放鞍头。怒道：“我就带你去，且看是谁大叫饶命。”韦小宝大喜，道：“我若不是亲眼目睹，猜想起来，大叫饶命的定然是你，不是鳌拜。” 茅十八提起左掌，在他屁股上重重打了一记，喝道：“我先要你大叫饶命！”韦小宝痛得“啊”的一声大
When the two walked out of the Lichun Courtyard, there was no one in the alley, presumably the salt lords met a strong enemy and went back to rescue the soldiers. The man turned out of the alley, came to the side street, looked up at the stars in the sky, and said, "Let's go west!" After walking a few feet, a donkey cart came to meet him.The man shouted: "Hire a car!" The driver stopped, seeing the two covered in blood, his face was surprised and suspicious.The man took out an ingot of silver from his bosom, about four or five taels in weight, and said: "Take the silver first!" Seeing that the silver ingot was not small, the driver immediately stopped and put down the pedal. The man slowly moved his body to the car, took out a twelve-weight ingot from his arms, handed it to the child, and said, "Little friend, I'm leaving, this ingot is for you." When the child saw this big ingot, he couldn't help grumbling, swallowed his mouth, and secretly called out: "Good guy!" But he had heard many chivalrous stories, and knew that heroes only make friends and don't love money. It is so easy to have a chance to be a hero, to do what you say to the end, but you can’t be greedy for money, and said loudly: "We only care about loyalty, not money. If you give me ingots, you are looking down on me. You have Hurt, I'll give you a ride." The man was startled, looked up to the sky and laughed wildly, and said: "Very good, very good, interesting!" Putting the ingot into his arms.The boy climbed into the donkey cart and sat beside him. The coachman asked: "Guest officer, where are you going?" The man said: "To the west of the city, Desheng Mountain!" A light tap on the shaft.The coachman was frightened, and hurriedly said: "Yes, yes!" He put down the curtain of the cart and drove the donkey out of the city.The man closed his eyes and meditated, his breathing was rapid, and he sometimes coughed a few times. Desheng Mountain is located in Dayi Township, 30 miles northwest of Yangzhou City. During the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty, Han Shizhong defeated the Jin soldiers here, so the mountain is named "Desheng". The coachman was in a hurry to drive the donkey, and after more than an hour, he arrived at the foot of the mountain and said, "Guest officer, Desheng Mountain is here!" "Is this the fucking Desheng Mountain?" The coachman said: "It is!" The child said: "This is indeed Desheng Mountain. My mother and sisters went to the Temple of Mrs. Yingying to burn incense. I followed and played here. Pass. After a little further, there is the Temple of Mrs. Yinglie.” The Temple of Mrs. Yinglie is dedicated to Liang Hongyu, Mrs. Han Shizhong, and Yangzhou people also call it the “Temple of Different Prostitutes”.Liang Hongyu worked as a prostitute when she was young, and met Han Shizhong through the wind and dust.Prostitutes in Yangzhou will go to the Temple of Mrs. Yinglie every year to burn incense and make a wish, praying that Mrs. Anguo of the Song Dynasty will have a spirit and take care of her sisters in the future. The man said: "Since you know, you can't be wrong. Go down." The child jumped out of the car and helped the man get off.Seeing the darkness all around, I thought: "Yes, this place is very wilderness, hiding here, those salt thieves will definitely not find it." The driver was afraid that the bloody man would want him to take him to another place, so he turned the donkey's head and swung his whip to go.The man said: "Wait a minute, you take this little friend back to the city." The driver said: "Yes!" The child said: "I will accompany you for a while. I will buy you steamed buns in the morning." The man said: "Do you really want to accompany me?" The child said: "No one is serving you, it's not right." The man laughed again, and said to the coachman: "Then you go back!" The coachman hurriedly drove Just do it. The man went to a rock and sat down. Seeing the donkey cart go far away, and there was no sound in the surroundings, he suddenly shouted: "The two turtle bastards behind the willow tree, get out of here." The child was startled, and thought: "Is there someone here?" Seeing two people slowly coming out from behind the willow tree, the two of them wrapped their heads in white cloth and tied their waists with blue belts, they must be the Yanxiao gang.The steel knives in their hands flickered, they took two steps and then stopped.The man shouted: "The son of a turtle, you bastard, you nailed me here from the cellar, but you didn't come up to die, what are you doing?" The child thought, "Yes, they want to find out where this man is so they can move The rescuers came to kill him." The two discussed in a low voice, then turned and ran.The man jumped up and was about to catch up with him, but with a sound of "Ai", he sat down again.Apart from being seriously injured, he was unable to chase people. The child thought to himself: "The donkey cart has gone, we can't go far, these two people went to report the news, and the brigade came to kill, that's terrible." Suddenly he burst into tears and shouted: "Ah, you How did you die? You can't die, you can't die!" The two salt owls were running wildly when they suddenly heard a child crying, they were startled, they immediately stopped and turned around, only to hear him crying loudly: "Why did you die?"One person said: "This villain is dead?" The other person said: "He was seriously injured and couldn't take it anymore. This kid is crying like this, so he must be dead." Looking from afar, I saw the man curled up in a ball , lying on the ground.First one said: "Even if he is not dead, there is no need to be afraid of him. Wouldn't it be a great achievement for us to cut off his head and go back?" The other said: "Wonderful!" The two slowly approached with their swords upright.I could only hear the child beating his chest and stamping his feet, wailing loudly, and shouting: "Brother, why did you die suddenly? How can I resist those salt smugglers coming after me?" The two were overjoyed and rushed forward.One of them shouted: "Evil thief, a good death!" Grabbing the child by the vest, the other raised a knife and chopped off the boy's neck.Suddenly there was a flash of the knife, and the head of one person flew away, and a long gash was opened from the chest to the abdomen of the person who grabbed the child.The man laughed and stood up. The child cried: "Oh, why did this salt smuggler friend lose his head? You two old people went to see the King of Hades, and who went back to report the news? Isn't this bad?" At the end, I couldn't help but Live laughing. The man laughed and said, "You kid is really smart, and you cry like that. If you didn't cry like this, these two bastards really wouldn't come here." The child laughed and said: "If you want to pretend to cry, don't Easy? My mother is going to beat me, the whip is not on my body yet, I have been crying to death, she will not be heavy when she whips." The man asked: "Why did your mother beat you?" The child said: "That's not necessarily the case. , Sometimes I stole her money, and sometimes I played tricks on Po Min and Uncle You in the courtyard for me." The man sighed, and said, "If these two spies don't kill them, something is really wrong. Hey, why didn't you call me Master and Uncle when you pretended to cry just now, but Brother?" The child Said: "You are my friend, so naturally I call you brother. What kind of goddamn master are you? If you want me to call you master, the devil will care about you?" The man laughed and said, "Very good! My little friend, what's your name?" The child said, "Are you asking me for my name? My name is Xiaobao." The man laughed and said, "Your name is Xiaobao." , what about your surname?" The child frowned and said, "I...my surname is Wei." This child was born in a brothel, his mother's name was Wei Chunhua, his father's name, even his mother didn't know, everyone always called him Xiaobao, and no one ever asked his surname.At this moment, the person suddenly asked, and he brought out his mother's surname.This Wei Xiaobao was born in a brothel, grew up in a brothel, and never studied.He called himself "Zun Xing Da Ming", not joking, but he heard that the word "Zun Xing Da Ming" was often mentioned in the books, but he didn't know that it was a respectful title when speaking to others, and it was inappropriate to use it on himself. He then asked, "Then what is your last name?" The man smiled slightly and said, "Since you consider me a friend, I can't hide it from you. My surname is Mao, the grass of thatch, not the caterpillar. Ranked eighteenth. Mao Shiba is me." Wei Xiaobao jumped up with an "ah", and said: "I heard people say that the government... isn't the government arresting you? They say you are some kind of gangster." Mao Shiba let out a hey, and said, "That's right. Are you afraid of me?" Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? I don't have any gold and silver treasures. If you want to rob money, you won't rob me. Why do Jiangyang bandits fight? Shanglin Chong and Wu Song are heroes, too. Great robber." Mao Shiba was very happy, and said, "Comparing me with heroes like Lin Chong and Wu Song, that's very good. Who did you listen to when the government wants to arrest me?" Wei Xiaobao said: "The city of Yangzhou is full of notices, saying that it is to capture Jiangyang thief Mao Shiba, it doesn't matter what it is, as long as someone kills you, you will be rewarded with two thousand taels of silver. If someone tips the news and thus catches you, Then the reward will be less, and the reward will be one thousand taels of silver. Yesterday I was in the teahouse listening to everyone talking about your great ability. If you want to catch you and kill you, then don’t even think about it. It’s better to know your whereabouts , informed the government and received a reward of one thousand taels of silver, which is a windfall." Mao Shiba looked at him sideways and let out a hey. A thought flashed in Wei Xiaobao's mind: "If I get this one thousand taels of silver reward, my mother and I will have something to spend, chicken, duck, fish, gambling and fun, and we can't spend it all in a few years." Looking at himself sideways, with a strange expression on his face, Wei Xiaobao said angrily: "What are you thinking? Do you think I will go to inform you and get the reward?" Mao Shiba said: "Yes, it's white and white. Who doesn't love Yinzi?" Wei Xiaobao scolded angrily: "Fuck your grandma! How can you talk about loyalty when you betray a friend?" Mao Shiba said: "That's up to you." Wei Xiaobao said: "Since you don't trust me, why did you say your real name? You have so many strips of cloth wrapped around your head and face, which is completely different from the picture on the bulletin board. If you don't say you are Mao Shiba, who will recognize you?" You?" Mao Shiba said, "You said that we share our blessings and share our troubles. If I hide my name and identity from you, then what kind of good friend is I?" Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed, and said: "Exactly! Even if there is a bounty of ten thousand taels or one hundred thousand taels of silver, I will never go to report it." But he thought in his heart: "If there is really one thousand taels, one hundred thousand taels of silver Reward, do you want to do the thing of betraying a friend?" I was a bit undecided. Mao Shiba said: "Okay, let's sleep for a while. At noon tomorrow, two friends will come to see me. We made an appointment to meet at Desheng Mountain in the west of Yangzhou City. We will see you soon." Wei Xiaobao had been in a mess all day, and he was already sleepy and tired. Hearing what he said, he leaned against the tree trunk and fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day, Mao Shiba put his hands on his chest and said with a smile, "You're awake too, you drag these two dead people behind a tree and sharpen the three knives." Wei Xiaobao dragged the dead man away according to his words, when the sun was just rising, he saw clearly that Mao Shiba was about forty years old, his arms were muscular, his eyes were shining, and his expression was fierce, and he took the three steel knives to the stream Next to it, dipped in water and ground it on a stone.He thought to himself: "To deal with salt dealers, one knife is enough. If this old man Mao is killed by someone, what are the other two knives for sharpening? Could someone use it to kill me, Wei Xiaobao?" He has always been lazy and put on an air. After sharpening the knife for a while, he said, "I'm going to buy some fried dough sticks and steamed buns to eat." Mao Shiba said: "Where can you sell steamed buns?" Wei Xiaobao said: "In the past, there was a small town not far there. Brother Mao, how much money do you have around you, how many liang can you borrow?" Mao Shiba smiled. , took out the ingot again, and said, "Both brothers, what you have is mine, and what is mine is yours. Just use it for convenience. Why don't you borrow it or not?" Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed and thought to himself: "This hero really treats me as a friend, even if there is a reward of 10,000 taels of silver, I can't report it to the officials. What about 100,000 taels? It's a bit nerve-wracking. Bah, with his behavior Virtue, is it worth so much money? I don't need to worry about it." Taking the money, he asked, "Do you want me to buy you some medicine?" Mao Shiba said, "No, I have medicine for myself." Wei Xiaobao said: "Okay, I'm going. Brother Mao, don't worry, if Tolerance catches me, even if I kill my head, I will never say that you are Mao Shiba." Mao Shiba saw that he spoke sincerely, nodded. Wei Xiaobao said to himself: "You still have two friends coming, it's better to buy another pot of wine and a few catties of cooked beef." Mao Shibaxi said: "It's best to have wine and meat, go and come back quickly, you'll be full when you're full." Fight." Wei Xiaobao was surprised: "The salt dealer knows you are here? Are you going to chase after him?" Mao Shiba said: "No! I asked other people to fight at Desheng Mountain, otherwise what are you doing here?" Wei Xiaobao With a sigh of relief, he said, "You are injured, how can you fight again? This fight, it won't be too late after the injury is healed, it's just... just because I'm afraid that people won't agree." Mao Shiba said: "Hey, he is a famous hero, how could he refuse? I refused. Today is March 29th, isn't it? Half a year ago, this fight was arranged. Later I gave The government caught him and put him in prison, thinking about this date, he had to come here, so he escaped from prison and killed a few eagle-clawed grandchildren, the city of Yangzhou was such a mess, and offered a fucking reward Capture Lao Tzu. His grandma met several eagle claws with strong kung fu the day before yesterday, and killed three of them, and he was injured a little bit, which is really bad luck." Wei Xiaobao said: "Okay, I'll go and buy some food, we can fight when you're full." Immediately he ran quickly, turned around the hillside, ran for six or seven miles, and there was a small town, thinking about it : "Brother Mao is so injured that he can't walk, how can he fight with someone? He said that the other party is a famous hero, and his martial arts must be good. How can I help him?" Holding the money in his hand, he felt itchy It's hard to scratch, I've never held so much money in my life, I have to spend a lot of money, I'm so happy, I went to the cooked butcher's shop, bought two catties of cooked beef, a sauced duck, and I went to buy two bottles of rice wine, and there was still a lot of money left over. I bought a dozen or so steamed buns and eight deep-fried dough sticks, which only cost me a little more than 20 Wen. Tripping the rope. During a fight, if the opponent accidentally trips on the rope and falls to the ground, Brother Mao can kill him with a single knife." He remembered the story told by the storyteller, the general went into battle, his horse tripped and fell off, the enemy general raised his knife and cut it into two pieces, he was in a hurry to buy rope.When I came to a grocery store, I saw four large vats in a row, one for white rice, one for soybeans, one for salt, and the other for crushed lime.Immediately remembered: "Last year, the private salt gang by the Fairy Bridge fought with someone, and they sprinkled lime in their eyes, and immediately turned the victory into defeat. Why didn't I think of this idea?" I didn't buy the rope, I bought a bag of lime, Putting it on his back, he returned to Mao Shiba's side. Mao Shiba lay sleeping by the tree, and when he heard his footsteps, he woke up immediately, opened the bottle, drank a couple of sips, praised loudly, and said, "Do you want to drink?" The heroic man took a big gulp from the bottle, only to feel a rush of hot air rushing into his belly, and immediately coughed loudly.Mao Shiba laughed loudly, and said: "The little hero has not yet learned how to drink." Suddenly, someone in the distance said loudly: "Brother Shiba, don't come here, okay?"
Mao Shiba said: "Brother Wu, Brother Wang, you two are very healthy!" Wei Xiaobao's heart skipped a beat, he raised his head to look where the sound came from, and saw two people walking quickly on the road, and in an instant to the front. One was an old man with a white beard hanging down to his chest, but his face was ruddy and glowing without any wrinkles.The other was a middle-aged man in his forties, short, fat, and bald, with a small braid on the back of his head and a smooth front like a shelled egg. Mao Shiba clasped his hands and said, "Brother's legs are inconvenient, so he can't stand up and salute." The bald man frowned slightly.The old man smiled and said: "Why be polite?" Wei Xiaobao thought to himself: "Brother Mao is too honest, he has an injury on his leg, how can he tell others about it?" Mao Shiba said: "There is wine and meat here, the two of you Do you want some?" The old man said, "Sorry for bothering you!" Sitting beside Mao Shiba, he took the wine bottle.Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed: "It turns out that these two are friends of Brother Mao, they didn't come to fight with him, that's wonderful. When the enemy comes, these two can also help fight." The old man brought the wine bottle to his mouth, and when he was about to drink, the bald man said, "Brother Ang, you don't need to drink this wine!" Man, can there be poison in the wine?" Gudu and Gudu took two sips, handed the wine bottle to the bald man, and said, "If you don't drink, you will look down on your good friend." The bald man looked hesitant, but he didn't care about the old man. The words seemed to be inconvenient, he took the wine bottle, just put it to his mouth, Mao Shiba snatched it with his hands, and said: "There is not enough wine! Brother Wang doesn't like to drink, save a few sips for me." He raised his head and drank. I took two big mouthfuls.The bald man blushed, sat down and grabbed the beef and ate it. Mao Shiba said: "I will introduce a good friend to the two of you." Pointing to the old man, he said: "This old man Wu, his name is Dapeng, and people in the world are called 'Moyunshou'. Famous." The old man said with a smile: "Brother Mao put gold on my face." As he spoke, he looked around and saw no one else, so he couldn't help being rather surprised.Mao Shiba pointed to the bald man and said, "Master Wang's single name is the word 'Tan', and his nickname is 'Shuangbi Kaishan'. A pair of magistrates and pen envoys will come out. They are really superb." The bald man said: "Brother Mao made fun of me Now, I am your defeated general, so I am ashamed." Mao Shiba said: "Don't dare to do that." Pointing to Wei Xiaobao, he said: "This kid is my new good brother..." When he said this, Wu Wang and Wang looked at each other in astonishment, and they stared at Wei Xiaobao together, they couldn't tell What is the origin of this dry and thin boy of twelve or thirteen years old? I only heard Mao Shiba continue: "This kid's surname is Wei, and his name is Xiaobao. It's... called..." After a pause, he said: "It's called 'Little White Dragon'. It's the most amazing water skills. It swims in the water for three days and three nights, eats raw fish and shrimp, and doesn't change its face." He wanted to save face for this new kid, not to make him look discouraged in front of outsiders, he wanted to brag a little bit, but Wei Xiaobao had no martial arts at all, the two of Wu and Wang were both experts, and they could tell the truth as soon as they stretched out their hands, so it was hard to deceive them. After a moment of contemplation, he said that he was very good at water skills. The two kings and kings of Wu are heroes in the north, and they don't know how to swim, so they can't know the truth.他接着说道：“你们三位都是好朋友，多亲近亲近。”吴王二人抱拳道：“久仰，久仰！” 韦小宝依样学样，也抱拳道：“久仰，久仰！”又惊又喜：“茅大哥给我吹牛，其实我是什么江湖好汉了？这西洋镜却拆穿不得。” 四人过不多时，便将酒肉馒头吃得干干净净。这秃头王潭食量甚豪，初食时有些顾忌，到后来放量大嚼，他独个儿所吃的牛肉、馒头和油条，比三人加起来还多。 茅十八伸衣袖抹了抹嘴，说道：“吴老爷子，这位小朋友水性固是极好，陆上功夫却还没学，在下只好一对二。这可不是瞧不起两位。”吴大鹏道：“咱们这个约会，我看还是再推迟半年罢。”茅十八道：“那为什么？”吴大鹏道：“茅兄身上有伤，显不出真功夫。老朽打赢了固然没什么光采，打输了更是没脸见人。” 茅十八哈哈一笑，说道：“有伤没伤，没多大分别，再等半年，岂不牵肚挂肠？”左手扶着树干，慢慢站起身来，右手已握单刀，说道：“吴老爷子向来赤手空拳，王兄便亮兵刃罢！”王潭道：“好！”伸手入怀，呛啷一声轻响，摸出一对判官笔来。 吴大鹏道：“既然如此，王贤弟，你替愚兄掠阵。愚兄要是不成，你再上不迟。”王潭应道：“是！”退开三步。吴大鹏左掌上翻，右手兜了个圈子，轻飘飘挥掌向茅十八拍来。 茅十八单刀斜劈，径砍他左臂。吴大鹏一低头，自他刀锋下抢进，左手向他右臂肘下拍去。茅十八一侧身转在树旁，拍的一声响，吴大鹏那掌击在树干之上。这棵大树高五六丈，树身粗壮，给吴大鹏这么一拍，树上黄叶便似雨点般撒下来。茅十八叫道：“好掌力！”单刀拦腰挥去。吴大鹏突然纵起身子，从半空中扑将下来，白须飘扬，甚是好看。茅十八一招“西风倒卷”，单刀自下拖上。吴大鹏在半空中一个倒翻筋斗，跃了出去。茅十八这一刀和他小腹相距不到半尺。刀势固然劲急，吴大鹏的闪避却也迅速灵动之极。 韦小宝一生之中，打架是见得多了，但都是市井流氓抱腿拉辫、箍颈撞头的烂打，除了昨日丽春院中茅十八恶斗盐枭之外，从未见过高手如此凶险的比武。但见吴大鹏忽进忽退，双掌翻飞，茅十八将单刀舞得幻成一片银光，挡在身前。吴大鹏几次抢上，都被刀光逼了出来。
正斗到酣处，忽听得蹄声响动，十余人骑马奔来，都是满清官兵的打扮。十余骑奔到近处，散将开来，将四人围在垓心，为首的军官喝道：“且住！咱们奉命捉拿江洋大盗茅十八，跟旁人并不相干，都退开了！” 吴大鹏一听，住手跃开。茅十八道：“吴老爷子，鹰爪子又找上来啦！他们冲着我来，你不用理会，再上啊！”吴大鹏向众官兵道：“这位兄台是安分良民，怎地是江洋大盗？你们认错了人罢？”为首的军官冷笑道：“他是安分良民，天下的安分良民未免太多了。茅朋友，你在扬州城里做下了天大的案子，好汉一人做事一人当，乖乖的跟我们去罢！” 茅十八道：“你们等一等，且瞧我跟这两位朋友分了胜败再说。”转头向吴大鹏和王潭道：“吴老爷子，王兄，咱们今日非分胜负不可，再等上半年，也不知我姓茅的还有没有性命。爽爽快快，两位一起上罢！” 那军官喝道：“你们两个若不是跟茅十八一伙，快快离开这是非之地，别惹事上身。” 茅十八骂道：“你奶奶的，大呼小叫干什么？” 那军官道：“茅十八，你越狱杀人，那是扬州地方官的事，本来用不着我们理会。不过听说你在妓院里大叫大嚷，说道天地会作乱造反的叛贼都是英雄好汉，这话可是有的？” 茅十八大声道：“天地会的朋友们当然是英雄好汉，难道倒是你这种给鞑子舐卵蛋的汉奸，反而是英雄好汉？” 那军官眼露凶光，说道：“鳌少保派我们从北京到南方来，为的是捉拿天地会反贼。茅十八，你跟我们走。”说着转头向吴大鹏与王潭道：“两位正在跟这逆贼相斗，想来不是一路的了，两位这就请便罢。” 吴大鹏道：“请教阁下尊姓大名？”那军官在腰间一条黑黝黝的软鞭上一拍，说道：“在下'黑龙鞭'史松，奉了鳌少保将令，擒拿天地会反贼。” 吴大鹏点了点头，向茅十八道：“茅兄，天父地母！” 茅十八睁大了双眼，问道：“你说什么？” 吴大鹏微微一笑，道：“没什么，茅兄，你好像并不是天地会中的兄弟，却干么要大说天地会的好话？”茅十八道：“天地会保百姓，杀鞑子，做的是英雄好汉的勾当，自然是英雄好汉了。江湖上有言道：'为人不识陈近南，就称英雄也枉然。'陈近南陈总舵主，便是天地会的头脑。天地会的朋友们，都是陈总舵主的手下，岂有不是英雄好汉之理？”吴大鹏道：“茅兄可识得陈总舵主么？”茅十八怒道：“什么？你讥笑我不是英雄吗？”他为此发怒，自然是不识陈近南了。吴大鹏微笑道：“不敢。”茅十八又道：“难道你又识得陈总舵主了？”吴大鹏摇了摇头。 史松向吴王二人问道：“你们两个识得天地会的人吗？要是有什么讯息，说了出来，我们拿到了天地会的头目，好比那个陈近南什么的，鳌少保必定重重有赏。” 吴大鹏和王潭尚未回答，茅十八仰天大笑，说道：“发你妈的清秋大梦，凭你这块料，也想去拿天地会的陈总舵主？你开口闭口的鳌少保，这鳌拜自称是满洲第一勇士，武功到底怎样？”史松道：“鳌少保天生神勇，武功盖世，曾在北京街上一拳打死一头疯牛，你这反贼也知道吗？”茅十八骂道：“他奶奶的，我就不信鳌拜有这等厉害，我正要上北京去斗他一斗。”史松冷笑道：“凭你也配和鳌少保动手？他老人家伸一根手指头，就将你捺死了。姓茅的，闲话别多说了，跟我们走罢！” 茅十八道：“哪有这般容易？你们这里一共一十三人，老子以一敌十三，明知打不过，也得打一打。” 吴大鹏微笑道：“茅兄怎能如此见外？咱们是以三敌十三，一个打四个，未必便输。” 史松和茅十八都是一惊。史松道：“两位别转错了念头，造反助逆，可不是好玩的。” 吴大鹏笑道：“助逆那也罢了。造反却是不敢。”史松道：“助逆即是造反！你们两个想清楚些，是不是帮定了这反贼？”吴大鹏道：“半年之前，茅兄和这位王兄弟约定了，今日在这里以武会友，并将在下牵扯在内。想不到官府不识趣，将茅兄关在狱里。他是言而有信的好汉子，今日若不践约，此后在江湖上如何做人？他越狱杀人，都是给官府逼出来的。这叫做官逼民反，不得不反。史大人，你如卖老汉的面子，那就收队回去，待老汉和茅兄较量一下手底下功夫，明日你捉不捉他，老汉和王兄弟就管不了啦！”史松道：“不成！” 军官队中忽有一人喝道：“老家伙，哪有这么多说的？”说着拔刀出鞘，双腿一央，纵马冲将过来，高举单刀，便向吴大鹏头顶砍落。吴大鹏斜身一闪，避过了他这一刀，右臂探出，身子纵起，抓住了他背心，顺手一甩，将他摔了出去。 众军官大叫：“反了，反了！”纷纷跃下马来，向吴大鹏等三人围了上去。 茅十八大腿受伤，倚树而立，手起刀落，便劈死了一名军官，钢刀横削，又一名军官被他拦腰斩死。余人见他悍勇，一时不敢逼近。史松双手叉腰，骑在马上掠阵。 韦小宝本给军官围在垓心，当史松和茅十八、吴大鹏二人说话之际，他一步一步的退出圈子。众军官也不知这干瘦小孩在这里干什么？谁也不加理会。待得众人动上手，他已躲在数丈外的一株树后，心想：“我快快逃走呢，还是在这里瞧着？茅大哥他们只三个人，定会给这些官兵杀了。这些军爷会不会又来杀我？”转念又想：“茅大哥当我是好朋友，说过有难同当，有福共享。我若悄悄逃走，可太也不讲义气。” 吴大鹏挥掌劈倒了一名军官。王潭使开双笔，和三名军官相斗。这时茅十八又将一名军官右腿砍断。这军官倒在血泊之中，大声呼叫喝骂，声音凄厉。 史松一声长啸，黑龙鞭出手，跟着纵身下马。他双足尚未落地，鞭梢已向茅十八卷去。茅十八使开“五虎断门刀”刀法，见招拆招，史松的软鞭一连七八招厉害招数，都给他单刀挂了回来。但听得吴大鹏长声吆喝，一人飞了出去，拍哒一响，掉在地下，军官中又少了一人。 这边王潭以一敌三，却渐渐落了下风，左腿上被锯齿刀拉了一条口子，鲜血急喷。他一跛一拐，浴血苦斗。和吴大鹏急斗的三人武功均颇不弱，双刀一剑，在他身边转来转去，吴大鹏的摩云掌力一时击不到他们身上。 史松的软鞭越使越快，始终奈何不了茅十八，突然间一招“白蛇吐信”，鞭梢向茅十八右肩点去。茅十八举刀竖挡，不料史松这一招乃是虚招，手腕抖动，先变“声东击西”，再变“玉带围腰”，黑龙鞭倏地挥向左方，随即圈转，自左至右，远远向茅十八腰间围来。 茅十八双腿难以行走，全仗身后大树支撑。史松这一招“玉带围腰”卷将过来，本来只须向前窜出，或是往后纵跃，即能避过，但此刻却非硬接硬架不可，当下单刀对准黑龙鞭的鞭梢拍落。史松斗然放手，松脱鞭柄，那软鞭一沉，忽儿兜转，迅疾无伦的卷将过来，将茅十八绕在树上，一共绕了三匝，噗的一声，鞭梢击中他右胸。史松要将茅十八生擒，以便逼问天地会的讯息，眼见吴大鹏和王潭尚未降服，急欲取下黑龙鞭使用，当即俯身拾起地下丢弃的一柄单刀，要砍下茅十八的一条右臂。 他拾刀在手，刚抬起身，蓦地里白影晃动，无数粉末冲进眼里、鼻里、口里，一时气为之窒，跟着双眼剧痛，犹似万枚钢针同时扎刺一般，待欲张口大叫，满嘴粉末，连喉头嗌住了，再也叫不出声来。这一下变故突兀之极，饶是他老于江湖，却也心慌意乱，手一松，单刀跌落，双手去揉擦眼睛，擦得一擦，这才恍然：“啊哟，敌人将石灰撒入了我眼睛。”生石灰遇水即沸，立即将他双眼烧烂，便在此时，肚腹上一阵冰凉，一柄单刀插入了肚中。 茅十八为软鞭绕身，眼见无幸，陡然间白粉飞扬，史松单刀脱手，双手去揉擦眼睛，正诧异间，只见韦小宝拾起单刀，一刀插入了史松肚中，随即转身又躲在树后。 史松摇摇晃晃，转了几转，翻身摔倒。几名军官大惊，齐叫：“史大哥，史大哥！”吴大鹏左掌一招“铁树开花”，掌力吐处，一名军官身子飞出数丈，口中鲜血狂喷，余下五人眼见不敌，再也无心恋战，转身便奔，连坐骑也不要了。 吴大鹏回头说道：“茅兄当真了得，这黑龙鞭史松武功高强，今日命丧你手！”他眼见史松肚腹中刀而死，想来自然是茅十八所杀。 茅十八摇头道：“惭愧！是韦小兄弟杀的。”吴王二人大为诧异，齐声道：“是这小孩所杀？”他二人适才忙于对付敌人，没见到韦小宝撒石灰。地下满是死尸鲜血，伤者身上滚得满身是泥，虽有石灰粉末撒在地下，他二人也没留意。 茅十八左手抓住黑龙鞭鞭梢，抖开软鞭，呼的一声，抽在史松头上。史松肚腹中刀，一时未死，给这一鞭击正在天灵盖上，立时毙命。茅十八叫道：“韦兄弟，你好功夫啊！” 韦小宝从树后转出，想到自己居然杀了一个官老爷，心中有一分得意，倒有九分害怕。吴王二人将信将疑，上上下下的向韦小宝打量，但见他脸色苍白，全身发抖，双目含泪，摇摇晃晃的立足不定，只像随时随刻要放声大哭，又或是大叫：“我的妈啊！”说什么也不像是杀了黑龙鞭史松之人。吴大鹏道：“小兄弟，你使什么招式杀了此人？”韦小宝颤声道：“我……我……是我杀了这……官……官老爷吗？不，不是我杀的，不……不是我……”他知道杀官之罪极大，心慌意乱之下，惟有拚命抵赖。 茅十八皱起眉头，摇了摇头，说道：“吴老爷子，王兄，承你二位拔刀相助，救了兄弟性命。咱们还打不打？”吴大鹏道：“救命之话，休得提起。王兄弟，我看这场架是不必打了？”王潭道：“不打了！我和茅兄原没什么深仇大怨，大家交上了朋友，岂不是好？茅兄武功高强，有胆量，有见识，兄弟是十分佩服的。”吴大鹏道：“茅兄，咱们就此别过，山长水远，后会有期。茅兄十分钦佩天地会的陈总舵主，这一句话，兄弟当设法带给陈总舵主他老人家知晓。” 茅十八大喜，抢上一步，说道：“你……你……识得陈总舵主？” 吴大鹏笑道：“我和这位王兄弟，都是天地会宏化堂属下的小脚色。承茅大哥对敝会如此瞧得起，别说大伙儿本来没什么过节，就算真有梁子，那也是一笔勾销了。”茅十八又惊又喜，说道：“原来……原来你果然识得陈近南。”吴大鹏道：“敝会弟兄众多，陈总舵主行踪无定，在下在会中职司低下。的确没见过陈总舵主的面，刚才并不是有意相欺。”茅十八道：“原来如此。” 吴大鹏一拱手，转身便行，双掌连扬，拍拍之声不绝，在每个躺在地下的军官身上补了一掌，不论那军官本来是死是活，再中了他的摩云掌力。死者筋折骨裂，活着的也即气绝。 茅十八低声喝彩：“好掌力！”眼见二人去得远了，喃喃的道：“原来他二人倒是天地会的。”隔了一会，向韦小宝道：“去牵匹马过来！”
韦小宝从未牵过马，见马匹身躯高大，心中害怕，从马匹身后慢慢挨近。茅十八喝道：“向着马头走过去。你从马屁股过去，马儿非飞腿踢你不可。”韦小宝绕到马前，伸手去拉缰绳，那马倒甚驯良，跟着他便走。 茅十八撕下衣襟，裹了右臂的伤口，左手在马鞍上一按，跃上马背，说道：“你回家去罢！”韦小宝问道：“你到哪里去？”茅十八道：“你问来干么？”韦小宝道：“咱们既是朋友，我自然要问问。”茅十八脸一沉，骂道：“你奶奶的，谁是你朋友？”韦小宝退了一步，小脸儿胀得通红，泪水在眼中滚来滚去，不明白他为什么好端端突然大发脾气。 茅十八道：“你为什么用石灰撒在那史松的眼里？”声音严厉，神态更是十分凶恶。 韦小宝甚是害怕，退了一步，颤声道：“我……我见他要杀你。”茅十八问道：“石灰哪里来的？”韦小宝道：“我……我买的。”茅十八道：“买石灰来干什么？”韦小宝道：“你说要跟人打架，我见你身上有伤，所以……所以买了石灰粉帮你。”茅十八大怒，骂道：“小杂种，你奶奶的，这法子哪里学来的？” 韦小宝的母亲是娼妓，不知生父是谁，最恨的就是人家骂他小杂种，不由得怒火上冲，也骂道：“你奶奶的老杂种，我操你茅家十七八代老祖宗，乌龟王八蛋，你管我从哪里学来的？你这臭王八，死不透的老甲鱼……”一面骂，一面躲到了树后。 茅十八双腿一挟，纵马过来，长臂伸处，便将他后颈抓住，提了起来，喝道：“小鬼，你还骂不骂？”韦小宝双足乱踢，叫道：“你这贼王八，臭乌龟，路倒尸，给人斩上一千刀的猪猡……”他生于妓院之中，南腔北调的骂人言语，学了不计其数，这时怒火上冲，满口的污言秽语。 茅十八更是恼怒，拍的一声，重重打了他一记耳光。韦小宝放声大哭，骂得更是响了，突然之间。张口在茅十八手背上狠狠咬了一口。茅十八手背一痛，脱手将他摔在地下。韦小宝发足便奔，口中兀自骂声不绝。茅十八纵马自后缓缓跟来。 韦小宝虽然跑得不慢，但他人小步短，哪里撇得下马匹的跟踪？奔得十几丈，便已气喘力竭，回头一看，茅十八的坐骑和他相距不过丈许，心中一慌，失足跌倒，索性便在地上打滚，大哭大叫。他平日在妓院之中，街巷之间，时时和人争闹，打不过时便耍这无赖手段，对手都是大人，总不成继续追打，将他打死？生怕被人说以大欺小，只好摇头退开。 茅十八道：“你起来，我有话跟你说。”韦小宝哭叫：“我偏不起来，死在这里也不起来！”茅十八道：“好！我放马过来，踹死了你！” 韦小宝最不受人恐吓，人家说：“我一拳打死你，我一脚踢死你”这等言语，他几乎每天都会听到一两次，根本就没放在心上，当即大声哭叫：“打死人啦，大人欺侮小孩哪！乌龟王八蛋骑了马要踏死我啦！”茅十八一提马缰，坐骑前足腾空，人立起来。韦小宝一个打滚，滚了开去。茅十八笑骂：“小鬼，你毕竟害怕。”韦小宝叫道：“我怕了你这狗入的，不是英雄好汉！” 茅十八见他如此惫赖，倒也无法可施，笑道：“凭你也算英雄好汉？好啦，你起来，我不打你了。我走啦！”韦小宝站起身来，满脸都是眼泪鼻涕，道：“你打我不要紧。可不能骂我小杂种。”茅十八笑道：“你骂我的话，还多了十倍，更难听十倍，大家扯直，就此算了。”韦小宝伸衣袖抹了抹，当即破涕为笑，说道：“你打我耳光，我咬了你一口，大家扯直，就此算了。你去哪里？” 茅十八道：“我上北京。”韦小宝奇道：“上北京？人家要捉你，怎么反而自己送上门去？”茅十八道：“我老是听人说，那鳌拜是满洲第一勇士，他妈的，还有人说他是天下第一勇士。我可不服气，要上北京去跟他比划比划。” 韦小宝听他说要去跟满洲第一勇士比武，这热闹不可不看，平时在茶馆中，听茶客说起天子脚下北京的种种情状。心下早就羡慕，又想到自己杀了史松，官老爷查究起来可不是玩的，虽然大可赖在茅十八身上，但万一拆穿西洋镜，那可乖乖不得了，还是溜之大吉为妙，说道：“茅大哥，我求你一件事，成不成？这件事不大易办，只怕你不敢答应。” 茅十八最恨人说他胆小，登时气往上冲，骂道：“你奶奶的，小……”他本想骂“小杂种”，总算及时收口，道：“什么敢不敢的？你说出来，我一定答应。”又想自己性命是他所救，天大的难事，也得帮他。 韦小宝道：“大丈夫一言既出，什么马难追，你说过的话，可不许反悔。”茅十八道：“自然不反悔。”韦小宝道：“好！你带我上北京去。”茅十八奇道：“你也要上北京？去干什么？”韦小宝道：“我要看你跟那个鳌拜比武。” 茅十八连连摇头，道：“从扬州到北京，路隔千里，官府又在悬赏捉我，一路上甚是凶险，我怎能带你？”韦小宝道：“我早知道啦，你答应了的事定要反悔。你带着我，官府容易捉到你，你自然不敢了。”茅十八大怒，喝道：“我有什么不敢？”韦小宝道：“那你就带我去。”茅十八道：“带着你累赘得很。你又没跟你妈说过，她岂不挂念？”韦小宝道：“我常常几天不回家，妈从来也不挂念。” 茅十八一提马缰，纵马便行，说道：“你这小鬼头花样真多。” 韦小宝大声叫道：“你不敢带我去，因为你打不过鳌拜，怕我见到了丢脸！”茅十八怒火冲天，兜转马头，喝道：“谁说我打不过鳌拜？”韦小宝道：“你不敢带我去，自然因为怕我见到你打输了的丑样。你给人家打得爬在地下，大叫：'鳌拜老爷饶命，求求鳌拜大人饶了小人茅十八的狗命'，给我听到，羞也羞死了！” 茅十八气得哇哇大叫，纵马冲将过来，一伸手，将韦小宝提将起来，横放鞍头。怒道：“我就带你去，且看是谁大叫饶命。”韦小宝大喜，道：“我若不是亲眼目睹，猜想起来，大叫饶命的定然是你，不是鳌拜。” 茅十八提起左掌，在他屁股上重重打了一记，喝道：“我先要你大叫饶命！”韦小宝痛得“啊”的一声大