"Ah!"
Old Seven, the coachman, sneezed heavily.
He rubbed his arms, poured the medicine he had finally got in line, and then shivered with pain.
Looking at the gradually clearing sky, many people in the caravan had smiles on their faces.
Those who can't find an empty house are no longer noisy, and the people of the Spirit Medicine Village are asking random prices, and they are not uncommon to live! As long as it doesn't rain, you can go to the next village and wait for two days until the flood recedes! So people from neighboring villages who came to buy medicine happily rowed their boats back, and called in more boat-borne merchants.
Soon there were only the first few caravans left in the village, as well as people who were afraid to leave even after taking medicine.
Lao Qi stretched his waist, it was really uncomfortable to crowd people just now.
The caravan steward was gloomily counting the flooded goods. When the water receded, they couldn't get on the road immediately, because there was mud everywhere, and it was difficult for the wheels to sink in and get up. The caravan steward was already figuring out how much it would cost to hire someone to bring them into the city.
Old Seven sneaked behind the wheel and found a low wall for shelter from the wind, ready to take a nap.
Just when he was half asleep, Qiangguai suddenly stretched out a hand coated with black ointment, covered Lao Qi's mouth with lightning speed, and dragged him out.
The driver Lao Qi opened his eyes wide and tried to struggle with his legs on the ground, but the wind whistled in his ears, and the whole person "flyed" like a cloud.
"boom."
With a muffled sound, Lao Qi fell into the weeds.
He was covered in mud. Fortunately, he had been running outside for many years and his skin was rough. There were thick calluses on his elbows and shoulders that were not covered by the single clothes.
Lao Qi was about to struggle to get up when someone grabbed his neck with his palm and tiger's mouth from behind.
"If you dare to move, it will cost you your life."
The sound was strange and gritty, like a bone rubbing against a wooden board.
Lao Qi's pupils contracted, and he could feel the power contained in those fingers, which was definitely not a good thing.
There are many people who practice weird kung fu in the arena. Often, they don't have a great reputation in kung fu, and they toss themselves to the point of being neither a ghost nor a ghost, especially the evil way. Those who are good at using poison all have yellow faces and thin muscles, like skeletons, they are afraid of cold and heat, and their voices are worse than ghosts.
"You... who are you?" Lao Qi pretended to be afraid, and quietly touched his waist with his fingers.
Then his wrist hurt and his right hand fell limply to the side.
"Don't play tricks and don't yell."
"..." Lao Qi's goose bumps appeared, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
He had seen the other's hand before, and now this hand was pinching his neck, no different from pinching a chicken.
There was still a choking smell of ointment on his face, and Lao Qi didn't even dare to breathe, listening to the person behind him smiling gloomily: "I know you are the pawn of Fengxing Pavilion, Fengxing Pavilion has been so powerful recently, Destroyed a few stockades on the Green Forest Road... You are so majestic, do you think that you have become the Jinyiwei of the old dynasty, digging up your privacy and selling news can't fill your appetite, and even take care of things you shouldn't?"
The coachman Lao Qi's heart jumped, it turned out to be for this matter.
The corners of his mouth drooped, his eyes turned upward, and he said bitterly: "This senior, he is not even a Jianghu person when he is young, but he learned a little about three-legged cats from a boxer before, and driving a car is tiring and has little money. Only then did I start thinking about making money. You said that I was working for Fengxing Pavilion. Three years ago, I was running errands for Dongting. And ten years ago, I was still living in Yangzhou, but I was lazy and afraid of death. , the worse it gets, the Fengxing Pavilion - hey, you can say that I am from the Fengxing Pavilion, but other than the shopkeeper and the guy who sells the news, no one else in the Fengxing Pavilion recognizes me, a little guy like me, There are not one thousand and eight hundred."
"What nonsense."
Meng Qi pretended to drink.
Mo Li has been watching and listening by the side.
Doctor Mo was very curious about Meng Qi's strange voice. It is said that there are artists in the folk who can speak ventriloquism and can speak even without moving their mouths. Meng Qi does not know ventriloquism, but the way of vocalization is vaguely similar.
Talking the same, but the voice swallowed in the stomach, tossing out a gloomy and gritty sound.
"The old man lost his apprentice, and was going to settle accounts with Fengxing Pavilion. Who would have thought that he was delayed by a storm and bumped into you, a dishonest boy. If you look around, there will be ghosts! If you cheat, I didn't expect it to be really Fengxing Pavilion. the lackey!"
The driver Lao Qi was so angry that he rolled his eyes, but at this time, he was a fish and a knife, so he could only continue to apologize: "Although it is useless, I also know the rules of Fengxing Pavilion, and I don't do anything without money. As for Peng Ze, this A whole area of water... Uh, no, the Green Forest Brothers really wronged us!"
"Don't be rhetoric, tell me, who is the last person in charge of the helm, the old man wants to hear whether the name of this son of a bitch works well on the road."
Meng Qi's speech was one set after another, but the driver Lao Qi was a little hesitant.
This tone is not quite like the Jianghu people here.
Where is the devil from? Talking and acting are all old-fashioned, like a book!
But the hand strangling his neck could not be faked, the driver Lao Qi struggled quietly, and it was of no use at all, and the guy behind him probably didn't need a second trick to kill him.
Yes, people have to bow their heads under the eaves and accompany them to be good!
"Senior, rest your anger, rest your anger!" Old Seven, the driver, rolled his eyes and quickly thought about his words.
His line of sight was blocked by the weeds as tall as a person, and he didn't dare to move, so he couldn't see the black carp diagonally ahead on his right.
Mo Li's eyesight is very good, and he can see the expression of the driver Lao Qi, including the initial reaction to Meng Qi's questioning about the death of the water bandit.
—It was an angry, resentful look.
The driver, Old Seven, may feel that it is thankless to exterminate the water bandits, but now he is unlucky for this matter, so his anger cannot be vented.
This didn't surprise Mo Li, as Lao Qi himself said, Fengxing Pavilion is very big, and there are many people running errands for it. Most people don't care what Fengxingge wants to do, and they don't know why they do it. It's not easy to be in the world. It's enough to have a backer and a meal to eat.
The driver Lao Qi was afraid of losing his life, so he said ruthlessly: "Senior, spare your life, in fact, I have news, I don't know if it is true or not, it is said that the business of killing water bandits is related to the government."
The ink carp was shocked when he heard the sound.
"What's wrong with the water bandits, they robbed things that shouldn't be robbed?" Meng Qi continued to ask in that creepy tone.
"I don't know, I really don't know, why don't you... Seniors go and ask Yuan Ting, the tiger out of the mountains, he is the person in charge in our area, and he is the most knowledgeable about Peng Ze's affairs. We should all call Yuan Ting. God's."
The coachman Lao Qi was spineless and directly reported the person above.
Meng Qi raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his palms to slap the old seventh.
Mo Li came over and handed Meng Qi a coarse cloth, who slowly wiped the ointment on his hands.
There have been talented people who are very good at tracking temperature in the rivers and lakes. Since this driver, Lao Qi, is a person from Fengxing Pavilion, despite his poor martial arts, Meng Qi did not take it lightly, and he still made some preparations. The ointment is pungent, and now everyone in the village is applying it, let alone people, even if it really grows a dog's nose, it doesn't help.
"This man..."
Mo Li only said two words, frowning silently.
First, he doesn't know whether what the driver and the seventh say is true or not. Second, it is common for such little people in the arena to want to save their lives and unwilling to keep loyalty. Nor will they take people's lives for granted just because they despise each other's actions.
Mo Li changed his mouth and said, "Government? Why did King Ning's people suddenly clear the water bandits, and they still have to go around like this?"
"Ha, of course it's not for the invisible baby. What I said just now was an excuse I made casually, because people in Jianghu think this way." Meng Qi waved his hand and said solemnly, "If I'm not wrong, this is to clear the way. "
"Clear the way?"
"Yes, this is the jurisdiction of King Ning. The capable Mr. Qiu under King Ning provoked a confrontation between the Jingzhou navy and the Qi Chao navy. Once the war begins, the first thing to do is to clear the food route. There are many waterways in the south, and it is easier to transport food by water. Therefore, not to mention the water bandits entrenched in Pengze, all other bandits who have become established will be wiped out. It's the so-called 'clearing the way'."
Mo Li heard the words suddenly.
Mainly when it comes to strategizing and fighting food, Meng Qi is a proper expert.
"...In addition to the news we got before, the owner of Fengxing Pavilion, Qiu Jing, may be the daughter of the counselor. With this level of relationship, it is not a problem to call Fengxing Pavilion as a 'sword' with the mentality of that counselor."
Mr. Qiu's ability is very good, and he uses the Jianghu people to clear the road, so that people try not to detect the movement of King Ning's intention to start a war. However, Meng Qi already has enough clues in his hands, and the soldiers are even more "national affairs". There are all kinds of clues left, which can't be covered up by a discerning person.
"We have to go to Luling County."
Meng Qi said to Mo Li that it was because of A Furong, and now it is determined that the war will start.
It can even be said that this advisor of King Ning has been dormant for many years, and is finally about to show his edge.
Mo Li was silent, he didn't want Fengxing Pavilion's true face to be a chess piece laid out by advisor Ning Wang.
He felt that Qiu Jing was not such a person.
But if all this is true—
"There may have been two voices inside Fengxing Pavilion."
Meng Qi used voice transmission to enter the secret and said to Mo Li, "One is the real Jianghu people, and the other has other thoughts. Because of the brilliant counselor and his transcendent status as a father, there has never been a conflict within the Fengxing Pavilion. Far away, such as selling ointment to help Doctor Peng, and near by, such as clearing and paying water bandits, Qiu Jing believes that this is to help the people, and her father wants more people to farm and fish in the land under the jurisdiction of King Ning, and have enough people to fill the water. Being a soldier... Because the far-sighted counselor knows that evil diseases cannot spread, so he does not object, and will support Qiu Jing's approach."
Mo Li sighed in his heart.
Meng Qi threw the driver Lao Qi aside and whispered, "There may be a problem with this person as well."
"How to say?"
"I have been thinking about why King Wu wanted to recruit Jianghu people so much and give them money for official positions. At first I thought he was greedy for life and fear of death, and was afraid that someone would assassinate him. Later, in Shimo Shanzhai, we met a group of Jianghu people who wanted to cut off the dragon veins of the Qi Dynasty. Man, I thought King Wu was a fool who believed in the nonsense of alchemists."
Meng Qi thought about it, turned to look at Mo Li and smiled, "But no matter if he is a fool or a ghost, he is the King of Wu. There are capable people under King Ning, but there may not be none under King Wu, Qiantang is the best in the world. The wealthy place is full of merchants. If there are ministers of King Wu who feel the inappropriateness of Fengxing Pavilion, they are very likely to take such countermeasures. Recruit martial arts experts, borrow Jianghu people to observe Fengxing Pavilion's every move, and even more ... Arrange some people in Fengxing Pavilion, anyway, there are as many people at the bottom of the rivers and lakes, and there are many people who do things for whom I don't know, as long as a message is revealed at that time."
Meng Qi looked down at Lao Qi, the driver, obviously suspicious of this man.
Mo Li suddenly sighed deeply, and he heard Meng Qi say in his ear:
"Where is Fengxing Pavilion going now, it's not about you and me, but the Autumn Pavilion Master.