"—This is truly gratifying!" When the merchant got excited, his face flushed. He grabbed the tea bowl that the audience had filled for him, tilted his head back and drank it all down his throat. He raised his hand to wipe the water stains from the corners of his mouth, his mood was up and down.
Some listeners expressed doubts.
"… This doesn't sound real. I heard that Mr. Shen is only fourteen or fifteen years old. What are we doing at our age?"
The merchant waved him away unhappily.
He started to curse, "You idiot, it's your business that you're still wearing ragged pants and playing with birds at your age. Mr. Shen is a young talent. Otherwise, how come he's the head of a county, and you're still a mud-legged peasant? You're just daydreaming!"
Someone nearby echoed, "That's right."
The others laughed too.
The man's face turned red.
He refuted the ridicule of the crowd: "Whether it is good or bad, isn't it just what you, Old Nine, said? Who knows if it is true? I just don't believe that two thousand people, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old kid can come back with him, isn't that ridiculous?"
Gong Xichou was unhappy when he heard this.
He said, “That must be true.”
When the man saw Gong Xichou speaking, he pointed the gun at him.
He said sarcastically, "What's wrong? Have you seen it?"
Gong Xichou was chewing beans.
He smiled and said, "I have met Mr. Shen."
When everyone heard this, their attention was drawn to it.
They all mocked Gong Xichou for dreaming.
Gong Xichou blinked and said, "Why don't you believe me? Not only do I know her, I've even sung with her."
Someone grinned and said, "Oh, yes, yes, you have sung a song with Shen Jun, but did you know that Shen Jun and I have also peed in the same pot?" Everyone has a mouth, and everyone can brag.
Unexpectedly, Gong Xichou looked him up and down and shook his head silently.
He held his father's urn and said sincerely, "I don't believe you two. You can't pee together."
The person who was scolded was speechless.
The rest of the crowd slapped their thighs and laughed.
For a while, the teahouse was filled with joyful laughter. The others had not heard enough of the story and pestered the merchant to tell them more details. The merchant had not witnessed it himself, and most of it was hearsay, so how could he know too many details? He simply wanted to have fun. The framework of the story was true, but he let him make up the details, saying whatever he wanted to attract attention and exaggerate.
The Shen Tang in his words was nine feet and three inches tall, with a broad forehead and face, a tiger's body, bear's waist, and monkey's arms. His voice was as loud as a bell. He rode a majestic long-maned warhorse and led his troops to attack the capital of the Ten Crows. The scene was so powerful that it shook the mountains and collapsed the sky!
The scholars under the command were graceful and at ease, and they arranged the battle array calmly. The soldiers were fierce and brave, and they killed the ten crows until they screamed and cried.
How could the Ten Crows be willing to suffer this loss
They tried to chase and intercept them but were fooled by the troops led by Shen Tang.
As for Yonggu Pass, the battle was even more intense.
The drums were so loud during the battle that the Ten Crows were trembling with fear. The fighting spirit was low. The three battles were more intense and anxious than the last. Everyone couldn't help but sweat for the people fighting. It was also said that a mysterious scholar appeared on Shen Tang's side. He waved his sleeves and countless golden lights appeared. He scattered beans and turned them into soldiers, causing the battlefield to rise with thousands of auspicious clouds, calling countless heavenly soldiers and generals to come down to earth to help.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the ten crows fled in all directions.
Gong Xichou listened with great interest.
He clapped from time to time, which was very much like a childcare worker.
The lecture lasted for more than half an hour, and even the golden crow above his head began to tilt slightly. The audience who had gathered around him gradually dispersed, still unsatisfied. The merchant also packed his bags and prepared to return home. At this time, the sound of horse hooves approached in the distance.
For some reason, the teahouse owner's face was visibly tense, and he clenched the cloth he was using to wipe the table in his hands so tightly that his knuckles turned slightly white.
Only when he saw the horses and men at the end of the road did he breathe a sigh of relief and continue to do what he was supposed to do. Gong Xichou placed his father's urn on the horse's saddlebag and was about to climb on the horse when he caught a glimpse of the approaching person and stopped.
There were more than ten people coming.
There was a bloody smell on his body.
It was obvious that he looked embarrassed as if a battle had just ended.
If it were an ordinary situation, Gong Xichou wouldn't even bother to care.
But this time it was not possible, because these were the guards he had trained personally, and they were entrusted to Gongxi Lai to escort her back to the clan safely. Why was she like this? Could it be that Alai had met with an accident? Gongxi Qiu shouted at them to stop.
When the men heard the familiar sound, they hurriedly tightened the reins, jumped off their horses and saluted Gong Xichou: "General!"
"Why are you here?"
Each of them looked like they had been beaten up by someone.
Then he asked, "Where is Alai?"
The leading soldier's eyes were slightly red, which made Gong Xichou's heart skip a beat. His originally calm expression suddenly turned fierce. The unnatural aura of a warrior made everyone nearby feel a little difficult to breathe. He demanded, "Hurry up and tell me!"
How dare they hide it
He confessed everything.
This matter is not difficult to explain.
To put it simply, someone is greedy for money!
The twenty carts of wealth that Gongxichou gave Gongxilai were not a small sum, and anyone would be jealous. But with a group of elite guards escorting him, even the thieves along the way would have to think twice before committing a crime! It was relatively safe along the way.
Until we entered the territory of Minfeng County. Although it was called a county, it was actually only the size of a small palm. There were many mountains, forests and valleys around it, which was a good place for bandits to hide and fight guerrilla warfare. Because there was very little arable land, there were also very few common people here, and the whole environment was relatively closed.
The Gongxi tribe's territory is located in Minfeng.
As soon as he arrived, he was targeted by bandits.
But the guards were strong and easily fought off wave after wave until a tough group came. Dozens of brothers were captured, and Gong Xilai and 20 carts of valuables were also seized by the bandits.
Several people struggled to escape and wanted to go back to find Gong Xichou.
Who knew we would meet halfway.
When Gong Xichou heard this, he exploded instantly.
"Where is that blind bandit?"
"I'm going to screw his head off!"
"You bully Gongxi and you are courting death!"
He immediately grabbed a personal guard and threw him on the horse.
With a grim expression, he said, "Lead the way!"
We must flatten that hill!
The few of them did not dare to neglect and immediately set off. The audience in the teahouse had not yet completely dispersed. Seeing this situation, and recalling Gong Xichou's imposing manner, and remembering that the young man said that he had met Shen Jun, the credibility of the story soared on the spot, infinitely close to 100%.
The war horses galloped wildly.
The scenery on both sides quickly fell backwards.
Although Gong Xichou was angry, he still had some rationality.
His personal guards were not very strong, but they had all been on the battlefield and seen blood, and half of them were brave warriors. Even though they were of low rank, it was easy for them to kill a few small thieves. It seemed that it was not easy for them to lose so miserably.
With quick galloping, they arrived at the foot of the mountain in just a quarter of an hour. Gong Xichou was too lazy to climb the mountain, so he directly transformed into his armor.
He shouted, "Little thief, hand over Alai!"
The sound echoed in the valley.
The nearby mountains were shaken so badly that rocks rolled everywhere.
at the same time-
Bandits' den.
The young man was dressed in armor, half of his body was covered with a large insect skin, and his appearance was elegant and handsome. Two rows of majestic and energetic younger brothers stood. His style was incompatible with the entire bandit den. To be precise, the entire bandit den was incompatible with the word "bandit". Has anyone seen the four big characters "Minfeng County Government" hanging on the door of a bandit den? The young man had an official seal hanging on his waist.
He held a huge fruit in his hand, wiped it with his sleeve, brought it to his mouth and took two big bites.
Gong Xilai secretly clenched his teeth.
Although she was panicking, she still managed to remain calm and explained, "… I have said everything I need to say. These properties were indeed given to me by my brother, not looted. I am returning to my hometown to live permanently. Please do not make things difficult for me, magistrate."
Yes-
The young man in front of him, who looked like a bandit, claimed to be the governor of Minfeng County. He was originally a knight-errant. When he traveled here, he single-handedly challenged several bandit camps and led the bandits to attack the Minfeng County Government. He killed the gentry, eliminated the corrupt officials, and stole the official seal to proclaim himself the governor of Minfeng County.
The county government was also moved to the mountain.
All the bandits in Minfeng had to pay taxes to him.
The lives of the common people were not greatly affected, and they even benefited from it - the bandits were controlled by the young man and dared not attack the common people in the territory, so their lives became much more stable - they had no objection to the county magistrate who had risen to power through his own efforts.
Of course, some people have reported this problem.
But how can the Geng Kingdom’s court be in charge
Zheng Qiao, the legitimate ruler of Geng State, is not here.
This issue has been dragged on and on.
Besides, Minfeng is a tiny place, even though it is called a county, it is only the size of a small town. Who would be willing to take care of this trivial matter
The young man settled down here and lived a carefree life. A while ago, I heard reports from many bandit camps on the mountaintops that a group of suspicious people had entered the country, carrying countless ill-gotten gains. It just so happened that the mountain camp was so poor that it could barely make ends meet, so let's do something about it!
So, this scene happened.
The young man did not touch Gong Xilai and others.
They just tortured the person to find out where he was from, where he came from and where he was going. They checked the property and found that many things had official seals on them.
The young man asked, "Did your brother give it to you?"
He held his chin up and smiled, "Do you know how much wealth is here? Is your brother a prince or a noble, or one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, to be able to amass so much wealth? I have never heard of any minister in the court with the last name Gongxi, so this lie is not the slightest bit careless."
Gong Xilai pursed his lips.
It's clear that the young man's goal is money.
Now, I am at the mercy of others and all the guards I can rely on have been arrested. Do I really have to spend money to avoid disaster
Gong Xilai was naturally unwilling in his heart.
But she knew more clearly that the man in front of her was the bandit leader!
If he was unhappy, he might even reward her to one of his subordinates, or a group of subordinates. When she thought of that scene, her lips turned pale and her whole body trembled. Just as she was struggling with herself and was about to grit her teeth and use her wealth to exchange for the safety of everyone, the young man who was lazily leaning on the table looked solemn, sat up straight, and looked up at the gate of the village. In a moment, a dark green martial energy rose to the sky.
He said, "Here comes a tough guy!"
The breath is extremely dangerous!
Gong Xilai and Yang Ying also looked towards the noise.
But then a familiar figure rushed out from the martial energy, falling from the sky like a cannonball, shaking the ground slightly.
"Brother!"
Gong Xichou glanced at her and saw that she was clean and not in a mess. He thought that she had not been tortured much, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come, get behind my brother, don't be afraid."
Perhaps because he thought Gong Xilai and Yang Ying were both weak women, he did not tie them up. When Gong Xilai heard this, he immediately ran behind him, grabbed a piece of his armor, pointed at the young man and complained: "Brother, this is the man who robbed us!"
Gong Xichou sneered: "I saw it."
Then he said, "Alai, how do you want him to die?"
Gong Xilai also has a vengeful personality. If he doesn't shake now, when will he shake? However, thinking of his identity as a young man, he didn't want to cause trouble for Gong Xichou, so he whispered, "Brother, he seems to be the governor of Minfeng County, so don't kill him."
But a severe beating is definitely necessary!
The young man crossed his chest and curled his lips: "Can he kill me?"
Gong Xichou sneered: "How do you know if you don't try?"
When the bandits heard this, they rushed forward and surrounded Gong Xichou and his group with their sharp blades. The young man raised his hand to stop them and shouted at them to retreat. He flexed his wrist and said, "How about we fight it out with our hands?"
Gong Xichou said: "Very good."
If you want to fight, you have to change the place.
Most of the people around were ordinary people like Gong Xilai, who had weak constitutions. How could they withstand the impact of the martial energy burst at close range? One dark green and one flower blue, the two martial energy rose into the air almost at the same time, tacitly flying towards another hilltop.
Gong Xilai nervously grabbed Yang Ying's wrist.
Yang Ying patted the back of her hand soothingly.
He whispered, "General Gongxi will not lose."
Yang Ying had not known who had taken her in before. When she found out it was Gongxichou, she could not help but think of the gossip she had heard on the way to escape. The general who led the troops to attack Xiaocheng was Gongxichou! He was also the one who fought against her father.
In other words—
My father died at the hands of this man.
Yang Ying was grief-stricken but did not feel much hatred. She was born into a military family and often heard her father Yang Gong mention that it was a good death for a brave warrior to die on the battlefield, at least more glorious than dying on the bed with a dying body.
Life and death on the battlefield depends entirely on your ability.
If you die in battle, it's because you are not as skilled as your opponent.
Yang Ying swallowed the matter silently and digested it alone, not daring to tell Gong Xilai anything. How could a warrior who could beat her father lose to a bandit leader so easily
He thought he could win easily, but he didn't expect it to drag on for quite a while, which even surprised Gong Xichou himself. Although his internal injuries had not healed and he could not use his full strength, the gap between the young man and him was too big, and this gap was an insurmountable chasm!
"The intention of a warrior..."
Gong Xichou saw the clue.
This young man actually has the intention of becoming a warrior!
To his shame, he doesn't have this thing.
Because a warrior's intention is that there is only a 10% chance of realizing a killing skill between life and death! It is rare and precious! Except for the night of the genocide, Gong Xichou always forces others into desperate situations.
The intention of a warrior is just icing on the cake for him.
No matter how strong the enemy is, it is still death if your head is chopped off.
However, this enemy is a bit interesting.
There is a faint familiar smell.
Gong Xichou stepped forward and asked, "How old are you?"
The young man's hide had been burnt, and his armor was nearly half broken. Although he was in a sorry state, he did not beg for mercy. He raised his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, sneering: "Why are you asking this?"
Gong Xichou looked carefully at the young man's face.
"Is there thirty-seven or thirty-eight?"
The young man rolled his eyes and didn't want to answer.
The next moment, Gong Xichou made a strange movement.
He took off his breastplate and used it as a mirror, muttering, "He is handsome, but not like..."
After taking the photo, put it on and go back.
"Is your last name Jimo or Gongxi?"
The young man was annoyed: "My last name is Xun!"
Gong Xichou was disappointed: "Oh, seeing that you have some talent, maybe you can become my opponent in the future, so I won't twist your head."
If one good seedling is pulled out, there will be one less.
How boring it will be in the future.
"But you have to apologize to Alai. You scared her! If you don't apologize, I'll break your legs!"
As for why this young man surnamed Xun has a familiar aura, he will ask later. The young man looked down at his limp, drooping left arm with a twisted angle, and said with a slight twitch of the corner of his mouth: "Oh, OK!"
He is flexible!
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