In the stables in the backyard of the Xiao Mansion, carriages were lined up. Servants of the Xiao Mansion carried some valuables onto the carriages. Xiao Du would occasionally come over and put some things he liked on the carriages. Xiao Ling would bring his wives to get on the carriages one by one.
Although the Xiao family will leave a few servants to look after their mansion in the capital, it is difficult to say when they will return to the capital this time, so it can be considered a big move, and some precious or valuable things are prepared to be taken away.
“Cough cough… cough cough cough…”
Xiao Du coughed, came out holding a few paintings and calligraphy, and walked to the back of a carriage full of paintings and calligraphy. An old servant hurried forward.
"Master, let me do it. You haven't fully recovered yet. Go inside and rest. It's still a little cold outside."
"Ahem... No, ahem, it's okay. These things are my treasures. I feel more at ease if I take them myself!"
As he spoke, Xiao Du slowly walked to the back of the carriage, put the scroll in his hand into a long wooden box through the opened back cover, and then closed the box. There was also an empty long nanmu box inlaid with copper edges and finely carved on the side.
"Watch it."
"Why!"
Xiao Du gave an order and turned back again, brushing shoulders with the busy servants of the Xiao family, and returned to his study again. He walked into the room and looked inside. Many shelves were empty, but many things were still there.
The Xiao family is not short of money. Even if the return date is uncertain, it is impossible to move all the things in the Xiao Mansion, and it is difficult to move everything. They only need to take what must be taken away.
Xiao Du walked around the curtain of the study and came to the inner position to look at the white wall behind the desk. There was a large copybook hung on it. At the top of it was written "Spring Water Post". It was a long and eloquent scroll with thousands of words. The content was the scenery of the Chunmu River, which also eased the author's mind. The iron-like and silver-hooked words showed his elegance. The final signature was actually Yin Zhaoxian.
Xiao Du took the hanging rod in the study, carefully took down the "Spring Water Post", placed it on the table, brushed off the non-existent dust on it, and then rolled up the calligraphy bit by bit.
After Xiao Du took the "Spring Water Post", he looked back at the study he had used for many years. Finally, he sighed and left with a low cough.
When he arrived at the stable, Xiao Du saw his son and some maids fiddling with things beside the carriage, and realized that his daughters-in-law had already boarded the carriage.
"Dad, why don't you go take a rest and let the servants or the children do the moving!"
Xiao Ling hurried over to support Xiao Du. His father had been particularly afraid of the cold recently, and the days of anxiety had caused him to have a cold that had not fully healed. He didn't have any other bad symptoms, but his cough wouldn't go away.
"Ahem... some things, ahem, how can we let the servants come, what if they break, ahem... Daddy has to do it himself!"
Xiao Du walked to the carriage where his collectibles were placed, put the calligraphy in his hand into the box, and then locked it before he breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Ling saw it clearly from the side. From the gold border of the calligraphy, he knew it must be the "Spring Water Post" in his father's study, one of the most proud works of the literary giant Yin Zhaoxian. If this calligraphy alone was released, there would be countless people willing to pay a staggering price to buy it.
"Dad, get in the car, we'll be leaving soon."
"well."
Xiao Ling helped Xiao Du onto one of the carriages, then gave a few instructions to the servants beside the carriage before walking towards a large carriage at the back. There, a woman was lifting the curtain and looking in the direction he was coming from. It was Xiao Ling's wife Duan Muwan, the former famous prostitute Hong Xiu.
Seeing Xiao Ling coming, his wife looked in the direction he came from and asked a question.
"Husband, what you just said was 'Three Points Close to Immortality', right?"
Although Duan Muwan is Xiao Ling's wife, she has never been to Xiao Du's study, and she doesn't know what the furnishings inside are like. But she has heard her husband mention the calligraphy and paintings there.
Xiao Ling nodded.
"Yes, it is Yin Xiang's "Spring Water Sticker". Legend has it that Yin Xiang wrote this when he was drunk. He laughed and said that this handwriting was three points close to immortality. The emperor almost snatched it from Yin Xiang's hands. My father has made many contributions in handling cases over the years. Two years ago, on the eve of my father's 70th birthday, the emperor privately asked my father in the imperial study what reward he wanted. He asked for this "Spring Water Sticker", which made the emperor very angry, but he still gave it to him."
Thinking of this, Xiao Ling couldn't help but smile, while his wife beside him said with some emotion.
“Sometimes I can’t understand it, but when I think about it carefully, I agree with it…”
"Stop talking and just sit inside."
The people in the Xiao residence started packing their things yesterday. Today, everything they needed to take has been loaded into the car, and the servants who were supposed to go have also arrived. The servants who were supposed to be dismissed have also been paid the corresponding fees and let them leave. At half past the hour of Si, everything was ready. Xiao Ling and some guards rode in front, leading a team of more than a dozen large and small carriages, and left the Xiao residence where they had lived since they were little. Only a few servants were left at the door of their house, watching the convoy go away. It was difficult to express the feeling in their hearts in words.
In the carriage, most of the people in the Xiao family were in a heavy mood, but some felt that being able to leave the capital would give them a break.
Xiao Ling rode on his horse, looking at the people of the capital along the way and the prosperity of Kyoto. He knew that he might not come back for a long time. He didn't even have time to say goodbye to some of his friends. But this was good for both parties. It is worth mentioning that the new marriage that the Xiao family had been arranging has finally fallen through.
The Xiao family's ship on the Tongtian River had already been prepared. Before boarding the ship, Xiao Ling and several guards with high martial arts skills checked every corner of the ship, and then sent people on board to load all the things. After everything was ready, they did not stop at all and went along the Tongtian River by water.
…
"Drive..." "Drink..."
“Patta, patta, patta…”
"Hello..."
The sound of horses' hooves trampling the ground seemed like waves of rolling past.
Yin Zhong, along with A Yuan and ten other good fighters from the Yin family, a total of twelve people, were riding their horses in a hurry. They did not follow the Xiao family's team. When the Xiao family began to pack their luggage and prepare to leave, Yin Zhong took his men and went straight to the appropriate location he judged.
It is absolutely impossible for the Xiao family to get into trouble from the Tongtian River Pier, because the distance is short and it is within the capital. The old turtle is in Tongtian River. Yin Chongting's brother Yin Qing has talked to him about the old turtle, so he knows a little about it. The possibility of the Xiao family's ship being attacked or successfully attacked in Tongtian River is not high. The most vulnerable time is when landing in Wanzhou and going to Jizhou.
Yin Zhong dispatched several experts who were good at light work and were also agile to secretly follow Xiao's whereabouts, while he led others to follow at a safe distance. While they rode horses while others sailed, they were naturally much more tired and had to change horses frequently, otherwise the horsepower would not be enough. However, everyone, including Yin Zhong, was no ordinary person, so this little hardship was nothing.
After traveling for six consecutive days, late at night one day, Yin Qing and his companions were resting when they heard the cry of a night owl approaching.
"Sir, there is a report from a spy!"
Yin Zhong opened his eyes and sat up. About ten breaths later, a man in a dark blue nightgown trotted over to him.
"Sir, the Xiao family's ship anchored at Yanluoqiu an hour before nightfall, and there is no movement at the moment."
"An hour before nightfall? It seems a little early... Yan Luoqiu?"
Yin Zhong felt something was wrong, frowned and gave instructions to his subordinates.
"Bring me the map."
"yes!"
The subordinates took the oil-paper map and used a tinder to light a small lantern. Everyone gathered around the lantern to check the map in the temporary camp. Yin Zhong followed the Tongtian River to find Yanluoqiu. He traced his fingers over several waterways on the side and whispered after thinking for a moment.
"Secretly crossing Yanluoqiu?"
Yin Zhong looked up at the sky. The weather was good tonight. It was a cloudy day with extremely poor visibility after the lights were turned off.
"Master, do you mean that someone from the Xiao family will secretly be in Yanluoqiu tonight and go back in two ways, one in the open and one in secret?"
"Great!" "As expected of a former Imperial Censor, he thought of getting off the ship here!"
"Well, there are many small waterways around Yanluoqiu. If a small boat moves forward secretly, it will be difficult to predict its location afterwards."
"How do you know they will do this, sir?"
Yin Zhong's expression was calm.
"The Xiao family is very shrewd and calculating. It is not difficult to infer this from their character. However, doing so is equivalent to separating their manpower. After all, they have to maintain the illusion of a building ship. The risk of accidents is small, but their ability to resist risks is greatly weakened..."
…
Five days later, Yin Zhong's worries became a reality. The Xiao family's boat docked at a small town pier and bought some horse-drawn carriages to continue their journey. The first day was fine, but before nightfall on the second day, Xiao Ling noticed something was wrong.
A group of people were making a fire and cooking on a sheltered mound in the wilderness. Xiao Ling and other martial artists suddenly felt the ground shaking slightly.
"Everyone, be careful, a large group of people is approaching!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud roar was heard in the distance.
"Hahahaha, brothers, the fat sheep are right ahead, kill anyone who resists, be careful not to hurt those little girls!"
“Hahahaha…” “Go ahead!”
Xiao Ling was shocked.
"Everyone be careful, it's a horse thief!"
More than a dozen Xiao family guards drew their swords and ran to the outer area with Xiao Ling. They could vaguely see a large group of horses coming from afar, and the rumbling sound of horses' hooves was deafening.
"About forty riders, we can handle them, everyone..."
Before Xiao Ling finished speaking, his pupils contracted violently, because he saw that many of the horse thieves were leaning back and raising long poles, and some of them had crossbows in their hands.
"Throwing spears and riding crossbows!? They are not horse thieves!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh… Woo woo woo…
There was a whistling sound, and more than 20 javelins shot in an arc, with extremely fast speed and great accuracy...
“Puff…” “Puff…”
“Ah…” “Uh…” “Pfft…”
Even though the Xiao family guards were all good at martial arts, three of them were still nailed to the ground by javelins. Then they were attacked by crossbow arrows and several people were also injured.
"Kill them all and leave Xiao Du behind!"
The leading cavalry sergeant no longer pretended and shouted orders. As a group of knights rushed towards the Xiao family camp, the sounds of fighting and screaming rang out in the wilderness.
The Xiao family members, including Xiao Du, could only huddle in the corner of the camp, either at a loss or trembling. Xiao Ling had gone crazy and used all means to attack frantically with his guards, and his body was already covered in wounds.
At this moment, there was another sound of approaching horse hooves, which made the Xiao family feel despair. A hand grabbed Xiao Ling's shoulder. It was a guard covered in blood.
"Young Master, please take the Master and Madam away. We will block them here!"
"Puff..."
The guard had barely finished saying this when his head disappeared. The general-looking leader rode past on horseback, laughing.
"No one can leave!"
Xiao Ling was sprayed in the face with his subordinates' blood, and he just waved his sword randomly and retreated. His vision was greatly disturbed, and his heart was filled with fear. He was not afraid of death, but afraid of the consequences after his death.
The general spurred his horse forward again, raising the long heavy sword in his hand, aiming directly at Xiao Ling who was swinging the sword wildly over there.
"Hahahaha... Xiao Ling, die!"
The broadsword had been raised and the horse's hooves were approaching Xiao Ling, but at this moment, a faint whistling sound tearing the air rang out in the darkness near Xiao Ling.
"Woo... Bang..."
A fist suddenly appeared and hit the head of the horse under the general's crotch directly. At this moment, the general felt his body being thrown away by a tremendous force.
With a loud "bang", both the man and his horse were knocked to the ground and dragged sideways for several feet. The general was directly pressed under the horse and dragged, and died halfway.
"No need for a live person!"
"yes!"
As Yin Zhong gave orders in a hoarse voice, Yin family masters rushed into the battlefield from three directions. Yin Zhong was unarmed, and he used stolen swords, stolen spears, and even javelins. He was like a god of war, and people and horses fell wherever he passed.
The Xiao family members were already exhausted physically, and they just stayed behind to protect their families. They all watched as if they were possessed. They could tell which side had the advantage.
More than a quarter of an hour later, the battlefield calmed down. In the darkness, Yin Zhong held a broken knife in his left hand and a spear with a head on it in his right hand. He stood on a pile of corpses. The moonlight broke through the clouds and shone down, revealing his blood-red body.
"Chief, we lost two brothers and seven were injured."
"Well, take the dead and wounded brothers with you and let's go."
After saying this in a hoarse voice, Yin Zhong turned his head to look towards the Xiao family camp, then turned around and strode away.
"Brave man! Brave man, can you please leave your name! Brave man, can you please tell me who is helping you?"
Xiao Du shouted from behind, but Yin Zhong and the others had no intention of stopping. It was just that pair of eyes that were still bright under the shadows that were deeply imprinted in the hearts of everyone in the Xiao family.