latelenovela Chapter 117: Suppressing Bandits at Fenglin Mountain
Chapter 117: Suppressing Bandits at Fenglin Mountain
Qi Xiao put a piece of crispy meat into Tang Ling's bowl and said, "Originally, I didn't know the reason. Those bandits seemed to have popped out of nowhere and were very familiar with Fenglin Mountain. Every time the government soldiers came to crack down on them, they would attack the Hanchen Sect. After a while, Master realized something was wrong and even opened the sect gates to the Yuanzhou Prefecture soldiers to search. But even so, the dirty water of slander could not be washed away. Whenever the Hanchen Sect members left the mountains and entered the city, they would be detained by the government, convicted of banditry, and imprisoned and punished. In less than a year, the Hanchen Sect members became rats crossing the streets. Master dismissed the disciples and lived in seclusion in the mountains, but even so, the Yuanzhou Prefecture still refused to let them go."
As Qi Xiao spoke, his hand gripping the teacup became tighter and tighter, his knuckles turning white.
Tang Ling placed a hand on his wrist and asked, "Bai Liu was already dead, and the Dingyuan Army had been disbanded. It would have been much easier for Qi's spies to cross Fenglin Mountain and infiltrate Chen. Why bother with all this trouble?"
Qi Xiao sighed: "This is what I want to find out. Who is it that is determined to kill Bai Liu and Master?"
Qi Xiao was so angry that he lost control of the teacup in his hand and crushed it into pieces. The tea spilled all over the table and porcelain shards flew everywhere. Tang Ling leaned back in shock and raised her hands to cover her face.
"Are you hurt?" Qi Xiao was startled and hurried to check on Tang Ling.
Tang Ling shook her head: "I'm fine." Tang Ling dodged in time and only got her sleeves wet.
Tang Ling was fine, but Qi Xiao was. His hand was cut by the porcelain shards of the teacup, and he was bleeding without even realizing it.
"Uncle Liu!" Tang Ling hurriedly covered Qi Xiao's wound with a silk handkerchief. Without time to check on Qi Xiao's wound, she saw drops of blood dripping down like a thread, and the handkerchief was dyed crimson in an instant. Tang Ling felt distressed and called out hurriedly, "Uncle Liu!"
"What do you want, sir... Oh!" Uncle Liu came in and saw that Qi Xiao had injured his hand. He quickly turned around to fetch water and get clean gauze.
"I'm fine, it's just a minor injury, it doesn't hurt..."
As soon as Qi Xiao opened his mouth, Tang Ling glared at him fiercely. Seeing Tang Ling's red eyes, Qi Xiao was stunned and didn't dare to speak anymore. He scared Tang Ling.
Uncle Liu collected the broken porcelain and apologized profusely to Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao repeatedly explained that it was his own fault, but Uncle Liu still panicked and trembled as he knelt down to kowtow. How could a commoner like him afford to offend the princes of Yuanjing? Even if these two seemed good-tempered, they were still precious treasures. Even pulling a hair could be enough to kill him, let alone hurting his hand.
"Uncle Liu, it's not your fault, don't worry. This cup, no, I'll give you a set as compensation. Is that okay with you?"
"How can you say that, sir! It's all my fault! The broken things in the shop are old, how could they hurt your hand?"
Qi Xiao was a little worried. He had been "bullying and dominating" every day in Fuzhou. The people were afraid of him and would kowtow to him and apologize no matter what. He was used to it, but he didn't expect that after returning to Yuanjing City, he changed from being arrogant and domineering to being honest and upright, which still made Liu Bo sweat.
Qi Xiao looked at Tang Ling with some resignation. Tang Ling bandaged the wound on his palm, then stood up and helped Uncle Liu, who was lying on the ground with broken porcelain pieces, to his feet. She said, "Uncle Liu, we're very grateful that we've disturbed your business today. We must compensate for the damage, so I hope you won't mind. If we really make you unhappy, we won't come again."
"Sir, I...you are really embarrassing me with what you said..." Uncle Liu looked at Tang Ling and then at Qi Xiao. The two of them didn't seem to be angry at all.
"Uncle Liu, could you please cook us two more bowls of noodles? This brat is so careless with his hands that he broke things and delayed our noodles."
Uncle Liu glanced at the two swollen bowls of noodle soup on the table and said, "Hey, yes, I'll go make some new noodles for you two."
After picking up the large pieces of broken porcelain, Uncle Liu swept the small pieces into the corner with a broom, then turned around and went to the kitchen to cook noodles.
"How did I become a gangster?" Qi Xiao looked at Tang Ling, feeling a little aggrieved. He held his injured hand, feeling a little pitiful.
Tang Ling held Qi Xiao's injured hand and sighed, "I know you value friendship and loyalty, but I also know you've been suppressing this for a long time. Tell me, what exactly happened?"
"Banditism has plagued Fenglin Mountain for many years. Nie Guangli, the prefect of Yuanzhou Prefecture, branded the Hanchen Sect as bandits and even accused Master of having secret dealings with the State of Qi. He issued an arrest warrant. Over a year ago, Lu Fangjin received orders to eliminate the bandits and exterminate them all. It was during that time that I met and became friends with Lu Fangjin."
At that time, the Dingyuan Army was confronting the Qi Army at Fenglin Mountain. The Yuanzhou Prefecture reported to the court that the Hanchen Sect was collaborating with the enemy and requested the court to send assistance. So Lu Fangjin was given the tiger talisman and received the imperial order, and rushed from Linjiang Prefecture to Fenglin Mountain.
"Lu Fangjin was unfamiliar with Fenglin Mountain and needed a guide, so I took the opportunity to infiltrate Lu Fangjin's army. To slow down Lu Fangjin's march, I spoke in Yuanzhou dialect. The route was correct, but Lu Fangjin didn't understand, and it was very frustrating at first."
Tang Ling couldn't help laughing when she heard this. This kind of clever idea was really Qi Xiao's specialty.
"Lu Fangjin tried several times to get rid of me and find a different guide. I discovered that Yuanzhou Prefecture Governor Nie Guangli had no intention of helping him. He even secretly spread the word that anyone who dared to lead Lu Fangjin would be imprisoned. The hunters in the mountains couldn't afford to offend and had to hide. Only then did Lu Fangjin vaguely feel that something was wrong. I also realized that suppressing the bandits was necessary, but Yuanzhou Prefecture only wanted to use Lu Fangjin and didn't want him to take any credit."
"So you took this opportunity to make friends with Lu Fangjin?"
Qi Xiao nodded slightly. "I've been in Lu Fangjin's army for a few days and I find him quite interesting. He has a very interesting temperament. I've been causing trouble for him in the army, but I've been very angry when he can't punish me according to military law. It's quite interesting."
Qi Xiao couldn't help but smile as he thought back to those few short days. He'd caused trouble in front of Lu Fangjin's tent, fought with his personal guards, and drunk in his tent. He'd ignored military regulations and repeatedly violated taboos, so enraged that Lu Fangjin himself drew his sword to strike him. So, they'd had a hearty, grueling fight in the pouring rain. Seeing his skills, Lu Fangjin knew he was no mere mountain hunter.
Although Lu Fangjin was young, he was not a hot-blooded fool, nor was he a soldier who had been in the army for many years. He was a smart man. Qi Xiao liked smart people.
"You showed off your skills in front of Lu Fangjin, he might think you are a spy." Tang Ling looked at Qi Xiao, this was probably exactly what Qi Xiao intended.
Qi Xiao nodded: "Yes, so I surrendered. It gave me a chance to talk to Lu Fangjin alone in detail."
Tang Ling knew Qi Xiao well. Since he had entered Lu Fangjin's military camp and deliberately let Lu Fangjin capture him, he must be confident that he could persuade Lu Fangjin to help him. Looking back now, there was no suspense at all.