On the other side, Zhao Yue and Lu Zhui also successfully arrived at the mountain pass of Hutougang. The two of them bumped into a headless corpse on the way earlier. Looking closely, it was the wild puppet who injured Wen Liunian that day. Although it had been beheaded However, he was still walking on the ground at an extremely slow speed, his feet were covered with bones, and his clothes had already turned into gray and black rags.
Lu Zhui said, "No wonder it's called Centipede Gu, it's dead but not stiff."
"Fortunately, it's still in the mountains. If the common people see it, what kind of rumors will the city know?" Zhao Yue drew his knife backhand and cut off his heart.
The wild puppet shook on the spot twice, then fell headlong to the ground, emitting bursts of corruption.
"Won't you get up again?" Lu asked.
"No." Zhao Yue said, "I don't know if I will meet other wild puppets again, be careful."
Lu Zhui nodded and continued walking with him.
Different from the previous two rounds, this time there are a lot more guards at the entrance of the Tiger Head Gang. At a glance, there are twenty people. The torches are shining brightly, illuminating the surrounding area extremely brightly. Can't fly in.
"Did something happen?" Zhao Yue frowned slightly, how did he defend so tightly.
"It's not like something happened, but it looks like I'm waiting for someone." Lu Zhui said.
Zhao Yue took a closer look, and sure enough, he saw a man in the lead looking at the other side of the mountain road, as if he was waiting for someone.
"Is there any other bandits in Cangmang Mountain that haven't been wiped out?" Zhao Yue said.
Lu Zhui joked, "Do we count?"
Zhao Yue: ...
"Here we come." Lu Zhui raised his chin.
A burly man appeared at the intersection. He walked very fast, and he obviously had kung fu skills. When he got closer, although his face was covered by a black scarf, he could still be discerned. This man was the second son of Mujiazhuang. The owner, Mu Wanxiong.
Zhao Yue clenched his fists instantly.
Lu Zhui patted him on the shoulder and continued to stare at the movement below.
"The distinguished guest is here." The man in the lead had a very respectful attitude.
"Who are you?" Mu Wanxiong was very vigilant.
"Naturally, it's a member of the Tiger Head Gang." The man said, "I'm here to welcome distinguished guests by the order of my clan leader."
Mu Wanxiong snorted coldly, "Why didn't he come out in person?"
The man didn't answer his question, but said, "It's better not to let the leader hear this sentence."
Although Mu Wanxiong didn't react much when he heard the words, he couldn't help being disdainful in his heart. Hiding in the barren hills in the backcountry, he really regarded himself as a big shot.
The man led Mu Wanxiong into the mountain, and his back quickly disappeared into the mist. After about half a cup of tea, the guard disciples dispersed. When Zhao Yue and Lu chased into the mountain, the surrounding area was already The silence was restored again, not to mention Mu Wanxiong, not even a ghost.
"It's pitch black everywhere, so I'm afraid it's hard to find." Lu Zhui said, "If, as Protector Zuo said that day, the mourning birds are kept underground, then there is likely to be a large dark room." Even more clueless.
"The more you say it, the more evil it becomes." Zhao Yue shook his head, "But at least one thing is certain, Mujiazhuang does overlap with Hutougang, no matter when it started, at least wild puppet and charred corpse can find the victim, snake If there is a nest of rats, no one will be wronged."
"The mourning bird likes to be cold and humid. The most humid place here should be the one to the north." Lu Zhui said, "Go and have a look first."
Cangmang City's waterways are not well-developed, and there are relatively more streams in the mountains, but they are far from being comparable to Yumi Jiangnan. Even for the Hutou Gang, which occupies a large area, there is only one river in the north in the entire village. The water quality is not only turbid but also bitter, and few people drink it, so moss grows on both sides of the village, and the water plants can grow as tall as a person.
There was no one around, Zhao Yue stood on a high place and looked down, and saw a large piece of aquatic plants being trampled down, and a piece of moss on the boulders by the river was also cleared.
The two jumped down together, Lu Zhui pulled out a water plant, checked it, and said, "It looks like it was trampled off a few days ago, and it's still very fresh."
"There are two buckets tied under the boulder, which should be used to fetch water." Zhao Yue said, "However, the river is so dirty that we can't cook and do laundry, but we can feed the animals."
Lu Zhui guessed, "Report the mourning bird?"
Zhao Yue nodded, "Moreover, in all likelihood, it's the mourning bird after being infected by the Gu." Only then can he drink such turbid river water.
"According to our years of experience in the mountains, Hutougang is located in a low-lying area, so it should be easy to dig a well." Lu Zhui said, "It can only show that it is greedy for convenience."
"Go and have a look around." Zhao Yue said, "Maybe we can really find the mourning bird."
Lu Zhui nodded, and went back to Hutou Hill together with him. It's just that the two of them searched a lot, but they didn't find anything unusual. As for Mu Wanxiong and the man before, there was no trace at all.
Zhao Yue was a little irritable in his heart. He spied three times in a row, but he could only go around by himself every time. It sounded really aggrieved.
Lu Zhui comforted, "My lord will not blame the boss."
Zhao Yue's expression froze when he heard this, as if someone had broken his mind, he turned to look at Lu Zhui.
Lu Erdao was extremely calm, "Let's go ahead and have a look." Be sure to change the subject, and don't fight here.
Zhao Yue was in a complicated mood.
This feeling that everyone seems to understand is really... bad.
Lu chased ahead and said, "The master."
Zhao Yue really wanted to pinch his mouth, how could anyone talk so much when spying on him
Lu Zhui said, "I made a remarkable discovery."
"Huh?" Zhao Yue stepped forward.
"There are flax seeds in this room." Lu Zhui stepped aside and let him look in through the window.
"What about flax seeds?" Zhao Yue was puzzled.
Lu Zhui said, "It's the most common bird food."
Zhao Yue glanced inside again, and saw that apart from the scattered ones on the ground, there were dozens of big bags piled up in the corner, which should contain the same thing.
Lu Zhui said, "There is water and flax seeds. It really seems to be feeding mourning birds."
Zhao Yue took out a copper wire from his bosom, and pried open the door in two or three strokes.
Lu Zhui frowned and followed, "What are you going to do?"
Zhao Yue took out two bottles of powder from his arms, opened them and sprinkled them into the flax seeds.
Lu Zhui became more and more confused.
"Let's go." Zhao Yue turned around and went out, locking the door again.
Lu asked, "Poison?"
Zhao Yue shook his head, "No."
"What is that?" Lu Zhui asked again.
Zhao Yue said, "Happy medicine."
Lu Zhui: ...
Lu Zhui: ...
Lu Zhui: ...
Zhao Yue was disgusted, "Do you see a ghost with your expression?"
Lu Zhui asked, "Why does the boss carry aphrodisiacs with him?" It's fine to be so proficient at twisting doors and picking locks, but he still carries such things with him! If Mr. Wen finds out that it's okay, he might be arrested as a flower picker.
Zhao Yue stared and said, "It's a booster drug, not an aphrodisiac!"
Why are you still so hypocritical after all this time, Lu asked, "What's that helping?"
Zhao Yue was silent.
Of course it was that kind of thing.
"Well, even if it's not an aphrodisiac," Lu Zhui took the initiative to take a step back, "Then why does the master carry the booster drug with him?" It's also very unreasonable!
Master Zhao continued to remain silent.
Because it was given to him by the dark guard.
Yesterday, I was wiping my knife in the courtyard, and suddenly I was stuffed with two bottles of this stuff, and said something with joy, "As long as you are in love with each other, no matter if you are a fairy or a fairy, you can use it, and my son can testify" and so on. The words disappeared in an instant, and there was no room for rejection.
After the people left, Zhao Yue looked at the two small red bottles on the table, and finally took them back into the house by accident, but he didn't expect it to come in handy tonight.
"What will happen if you give the mourning bird a booster drug?" Seeing that he still didn't answer, Lu Zhui had no choice but to ask a third question.
Zhao Yue finally spoke this time, "I don't know."
Lu Zhui: ...
have no idea
"Either it's useless, or it will cause some troubles for the Tiger Head Gang. In any case, we won't suffer any disadvantages." Zhao Yue said.
Lu Zhui hurriedly praised, "The boss is really wise." He asked two questions that shouldn't be asked, and he didn't know if he would be beaten up when he went back, so it's better to take the opportunity to flatter him.
"Let's go, it's almost dawn." Zhao Yue said, "It will be dangerous to stay any longer."
"What about Mu Wanxiong?" Lu asked.
"Since you can't find it, then don't look for it." Zhao Yue said, "If you can run away, the monk can't run away from the temple. Sooner or later, you will be able to match up. There is no need to risk yourself."
Lu Zhui was a little surprised. When the two of them were at Chaomuya earlier, they also heard Zhao Yue talk about some things that happened in the southwest. The hatred of killing his father was irreconcilable. Coupled with other old grievances, he always felt that he was extremely hostile to Mujiazhuang. This time Mu Wanxiong appeared alone in the mountains. If he was ambushing on the way, the other party would have no possibility of escape, but he didn't expect him to even mention it.
He promised the government to wait until the end of the bandit suppression, and then he really gave up such a great opportunity for nothing, and he really... honored his promise.
Lu Erdang thought of those mysterious little stories that were gentle, courteous and humble.
As expected, an official is very forward-looking in his work.
The two left Cangmang Mountain all the way, and it was already past noon when they returned to the Shang Mansion. Huatang was sitting in the courtyard to incense the red-armored wolf - they stayed in the mass grave for a long time last night, although there was nothing on their bodies, But I still wash and rinse four or five times, and this time I am lying on the special soft cushion, shaking my tentacles happily.
"What about the adults?" Zhao Yue asked.
"Still taking a nap inside the house." Hua Tang said, "It is said that I didn't sleep all night last night."
The dark guard was basking in the sun on the roof, and by the way, looked at Mr. Zhao's family with very piercing eyes.
sleepless night...
Zhao Yue really wanted to go into the house to have a look, but felt a little embarrassed, after all, in front of so many people, so he asked, "How is your progress?"
"The Gu insects in the mass burial pit have been almost cleaned up, and those who have not crawled out will probably be scared to death by the Gu king." Huatang said, "The wild puppet should not be a disaster anymore, and the red armored wolf eats it well. Very happy."
Zhao Yue tapped it with his fingers.
The red-armored wolf twisted it hard, and continued to sleep on its belly.
The most satisfying meal in life!
"Where's the boss?" Hua Tang asked.
Lu Zhui suddenly asked, "Did your lord just cough?"
"Is there?" Huatang didn't realize it for a moment, "I didn't notice."
Lu Zhui was sure, "Yes." Then he turned his head, "Damn, go and have a look."
Hua Tang: ...
Zhao Yue was expressionless, "Why do you want me to go?"
Because you clearly want to go! Guardian Zuo has spent a lot of time talking, you have even glanced at the door of the bedroom five or six times without saying a word! Lu Erdang continued to calmly say, "Because I'm lazy and don't want to move." It's very knowledgeable and interesting.
Sure enough, Zhao Yue got up and went into the house.
The dark guards applauded silently on the roof.
Well done Er Dangjia!
On the day of getting married in the future, everyone must happily form a circle and drink a glass of matchmaker wine.
Since he didn't sleep much all night, Wen Liunian slept soundly this time, tightly wrapped in a quilt, and his black hair was slightly messy.
Zhao Yue sat by the bed and straightened his hair.
Wen Liunian opened his eyes in a daze.
"Are you awake?" Zhao Yue asked.
"Hmm." Wen Liunian stretched his waist with one hand, then sat up with support, "When did you come back?"
"Half an hour ago." Zhao Yue supported him, "How's the wound?"
"It's almost recovered, and the medicine was changed yesterday." Wen Liunian said, "Did the spies find anything?"
Zhao Yue told about Mu Wanxiong and flax seeds.
"Mu Wanxiong went to the Tiger Head Gang?" Wen Liunian was surprised when he heard this.
"Although his face is covered, it is indeed him." Zhao Yue nodded.
"Birds of a feather really flock together." Wen Liunian frowned slightly, and was about to get out of bed after throwing off the quilt.
"What are you going to do?" Zhao Yue stretched out his hand to hold him down.
Wen Liunian said, "Go to the study and discuss with everyone the matter of suppressing the bandits."
Zhao Yue said, "It's agreed to heal the wound first."
"Things must be prioritized. Since Mujiazhuang and Hutougang have been secretly connected, this matter cannot be delayed." Wen Liunian bent over to put on his shoes.
Zhao Yue said, "I'm not in a hurry for a day or two, let alone—"
Before he finished speaking, Wen Liunian had already left the door.
Zhao Yue: ...
Why can you walk so fast when you are obviously sick? !
"Why did your lord come out?" Lu Zhui was talking to Huatang about what happened last night, when he saw Wen Liuhou hurriedly stood up.
"Please ask Master to come back." Wen Liunian said to the hidden guard on the roof.
The mascot quickly stuffed the remaining buns into his mouth, turned over and left the room, and did not forget to sigh that we are so hardworking and hardworking, when will the palace owner be willing to increase the monthly payment.
The future is bleak, and I really feel very anxious just thinking about it.
"Your Excellency also heard about the Mu Family Village?" Huatang asked.
Wen Liunian nodded, sat at the stone table and said, "Just in case, we'd better make preparations earlier... What is Protector Zuo doing? It smells pretty good."
Hua Tang: ...
The red-armored wolf turned over with great effort, lay down on the cushion and looked at Wen Liunian, its small tentacles dangling quickly, and swished over.
I want to play the game of being covered!
Mr. Wen: ...
So as soon as Master Zhao went out, he was thrown into his arms again.
Lu Zhui and Huatang wisely turned their heads to express, "We didn't see anything."
The rest of the dark guards looked at the red armored wolf with adoring eyes, this is the one who should drink the matchmaker wine the most!
Zhao Yue wrapped his arms around his waist calmly, "The red armored wolf again?"
Wen Liunian nodded desperately.
It almost crawled into my hand just now.
"It doesn't bite." Zhao Yue said, "If you don't believe me, ask Guardian Zuo."
"Bite?" Wen Liunian looked at Huatang.
Hua Tang said, "Sometimes I bite."
Wen Liunian asked again, "Is it poisonous?"
Huatang said, "Very poisonous."
Wen Liunian turned his head quickly, and looked at him with eyes like "this is called "bite if you don't bite, it's not only biting but also very poisonous"!
Zhao Yue didn't even know how to explain himself for a while. It is true that the red armored wolf can bite people, and it is also poisonous, but this one is very simple and honest, and it is clear that it has always been friendly. On the contrary, it is a nerd. It was he who was scaring the red-armored wolf.
Huatang said, "It seems to like adults very much."
"Climbed over?" Wen Liunian turned pale, and hugged Zhao Yue even tighter.
Huatang picked up the jar and let the red-armored wolf crawl in to play with the Gu king.
Lu Zhui stopped her from talking with his eyes—it was so hard for the boss to wait for such a great opportunity, so naturally he had to hug her for a while.
Huatang wisely shut up.
So Zhao Yue hugged Wen Liunian and went all the way to Shangfu's study, his handsome face was slightly red, not because of his thin skin, but because the person in his arms was soft and smelled good, and he couldn't help but think of those previous dreams , so it is slightly out of control.
Wen Liunian moved slowly so that he would not be so close to him.
Otherwise it's kind of... embarrassing.
After realizing his behavior, Zhao Yue even started to smoke from his head. He put him in the study and went out with an excuse. It took a long time before he came back.
Everyone was waiting, even Mu Qingshan was there.
Wen Liunian thought to himself, the time is quite long.
As a good comrade in the rivers and lakes, Lu Erdangjia was the first to speak, "Let's discuss about the gang, what do you think of the big boss?"
Zhao Yue looked around, and found that there was no room for himself in the room, only Wen Liunian's chair was so big that two people could sit on it.
…
Wen Liunian took the initiative to move to one side.
Zhao Yue stepped forward and sat beside him.
The dark guard was a little disappointed, why couldn't he hug the lord
"I have an idea." Wen Liunian said slowly.
"What do you think?" the others asked in unison.
Then there was a housekeeper from the Shang Mansion knocking on the door, saying that it was Master Mu who asked to see him.
"Now?" Wen Liunian asked.
"Yes, I was quite anxious when I saw it. I went to the opposite government office first. I heard that the lord is recuperating here, so I came here again." The housekeeper said, "I also said that the matter is very important, and I must see the lord no matter what."
"You really know how to pick your time." Huatang said, "What should we do now?"
"Since we've already come to you, it's okay to see him." Wen Liunian squeezed his chin, "I just need Guardian Zuo to do me a favor."
Hua Tang nodded, "My lord, it's okay to say."
After half a stick of incense, the housekeeper took Mu Wanlei and Mu Wanxiong through the garden, and led them directly to the small courtyard where Wen Liunian was temporarily staying, and knocked on the door twice, "My lord, Master Mu and the others have arrived. "
"Villa Master Mu." Zhao Wu opened the door.
"It turns out that Zhao Shaoxia is also here." Mu Wanlei glanced into the room, "Are you still resting?"
"I was sleeping before, but when I heard that Master Mu came, I forced myself to sit up." Zhao Wu slightly turned sideways, "Let's talk when you come in, so as not to leave the door open and there is wind, and your lord will catch a cold and have a headache.
Mu Wanxiong felt a toothache when he heard it, and it wasn't a woman who was in confinement, but also had a headache from blowing a cool breeze.
"Villa Master Mu is here..." Wen Liunian sat on the bed with a handkerchief on his head, wrapped in a thick quilt, his face was very pale and haggard, almost dying.
Mu Wanlei was slightly taken aback. When he came to visit a few days ago, he was in good condition. After so long, he thought he had recovered. Why did he not look as good as before
"Cough cough cough." Wen Liunian was out of breath.
Hua Tang explained from the side, "My lord has been very weak recently, it's better for the two owners to keep the story short."
Mu Wanlei said, "Is it because of the zombie puppet?"
"Naturally." Huatang said, "Your Excellency is a scholar, so it's normal for me to not be able to recover from this kind of injury before. Please forgive me."
Mu Wanxiong was suspicious, probably because the magistrate was too thoughtful, and he always felt that this half-dead appearance was probably just another faux pas.
"What is the owner looking for from this official?" Wen Liunian asked with an air of unsteadiness.
Mu Wanlei said, "To suppress bandits."
Wen Liunian fixed the towel on his head, "I've said it a hundred and eighty times before, everything needs to be safe."
"I'm afraid my lord will not be safe this time." Mu Wanxiong said coldly.
"What do you mean?" Wen Liunian asked.
Mu Wanlei said, "In the end, the Golden Head Gu King was very restless."
Wen Liunian answered, "Probably wants to have a heat."
Mu Wanlei suppressed his unhappiness, and continued, "The Gu king's abnormal movement means that there are Gu insects nearby."
"Gu worm..." Wen Liunian finally had an expression similar to "fear".
Mu Wanlei continued, "My lord was injured by wild puppets last time. We speculate that there may be more wild puppets in the mountains. If we don't get rid of them quickly, we're afraid there will be endless troubles."
Wen Liunian sat up, "How to get rid of it?"
Mu Wanlei said, "Naturally, we will send troops to attack!"
Wen Liunian leaned back on the bed, "But I haven't figured out a plan yet."
"When the adults make up their minds, I'm afraid the day lily will be cold." Mu Wanxiong couldn't help it, and his tone was inevitably a bit rushed.
"What a headache." Wen Liunian frowned slightly, then looked at Huatang, "What's the best way for Guardian Zuo?"
Huatang shook her head, "No."
Wen Liunian looked at Mu Wanlei again, "Then what's the master plan?"
Mu Wanlei took out a roll of maps from his pocket and spread them out, obviously coming prepared.
Wrapped in a big quilt, Wen Liunian carefully listened to all of Mu Wanlei's bandit suppression plans, and then nodded, "It sounds very feasible, so I'll leave this matter to Master Mu."
Mu Wanxiong widened his eyes, "What about the government?"
Wen Liunian said weakly, "I'm sick."
Mu Wanlei said coldly, "The only one who is sick is the adult, not the entire army."
"That's right." Wen Liunian said, "But the official is sick, who will lead the troops?"
Mu Wanxiong almost wanted to drop the teacup in his hand.
Even if you are not injured, do you still want to lead the troops yourself? !
"Shaoxia Zhao can do it, Guardian Zuo can do it, and Lord Shang can do it too," Mu Wanlei said.
Wen Liunian shook his head, "How can I hand over the government's army to others? Besides, even if I want to hand it over, Shadow Chasing Palace and Tengyun Castle may not want to accept it."
"People in the rivers and lakes will naturally not interfere too much in the affairs of the court." Zhao Wu smiled, "Besides, I have a special status. My elder brother is the king of the Southwest, and I have a delicate relationship with the court. I am here to suppress bandits. His personal relationship is already a little beyond the rules, how can he bring the soldiers of Emperor Chu?"
Mu Wanlei choked back.
Since Zhao Wu couldn't go to war with illness, Huatang couldn't do it even more, Mu Wanxiong said, "Where is Lord Shang?"
"You can ask, but Lord Shang probably won't be willing." Wen Liunian said, "He always hides his leisurely temperament, but this time he is willing to go down the mountain to station because of Palace Master Qin's face. "
Mu Wanlei's face was a little ugly.
Wen Liunian suggested, "Why don't Master Mu go ask?"
Mu Wanlei said, "If Lord Shang is not willing, then my two brothers can help."
"Master Mu means that you want me to hand over the imperial army to you?" Wen Liunian said.
Mu Wanlei said, "For the time being."
Wen Liunian shook his head, "No."
Mu Wanlei had written his dissatisfaction on his face, "Reason."
Wen Liunian said, "Mujiazhuang belongs to the sect of Miaojiang, and the owner of Muzhuang once hosted a banquet for the King of the Southwest. If the emperor finds out, I will probably be exiled to the Northwest and serve as an army."
Mu Wanxiong: ...
It was the first time he saw a person who could find so many excuses so quickly and conveniently!
"In short, if the government comes forward to suppress the bandits, wait for the official to recover from his illness. If the two villa owners can't wait, they can go first by themselves." Wen Liunian said, "I just heard what Zhuang Zhu said, although I don't quite understand it, but It seems to be very comprehensive and powerful, and it should be able to return with a big victory!"
Mu Wanxiong: ...
Although do not quite understand
"Okay." Mu Wanlei said.
"The owner agreed?" Wen Liunian squeezed his chin and emphasized, "Going to lead people to suppress the bandits?"
Mu Wanlei said, "Yes."
Wen Liunian continued, "If the government doesn't participate, if the Chasing Shadow Palace doesn't participate, Lord Shang probably won't be willing to participate either. Master Mu might as well think about it." After finishing speaking, he added, "Maybe my official will soon be healed."
"No need." Mu Wanlei stood up, "Your Excellency should take good care of you if you are sick, and Mujiazhuang will naturally go all out."
"Very good, very good." Wen Liunian smiled, "Returning with a big victory, returning with a big victory."