Chapter 269

When Xu Zaijing turned to leave, suddenly a shouting sound came from behind:

"Young Master! Young Master!"

The crowd led by Xu Zaijing looked back and happened to see Qingcao bringing Huaxiang and the others out, holding bow bags, arrow quivers, and long knives.

The three maids, wrapped up in cotton-padded clothes and looking chubby, arrived at the door and handed out the things they were each holding.

Chu Zhan, along with a few children from the Bai Gao country, also looked a bit fatter from being wrapped up.

Each of them held a weapon in their arms and handed them to the others beside Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing was startled for a moment. He had rarely carried such weapons in Bianjing before. After a slight hesitation, Xu Zaijing took them and hung the bow bag, arrow quiver, and broadsword on the belt around his waist.

After hanging them up, he covered them with his large cloak, and from the outside, one couldn't tell at all that Xu Zaijing was carrying these weapons.

Zaizhang also took the broadsword he didn't often carry from Cuichan's hand.

When the children handed weapons to Alan and the others, the two horse attendants shook their heads and revealed the slingshots hanging at their waists and the pouches containing small stones.

When everyone had put on their things, a few more pieces of meat were placed on the sled bed by Mother Dan and covered with oilcloth.

Uncle Shu fixed a flag, two feet long and half a foot wide, written with "Marquis Yongyi Xu," which was hung vertically on a wooden stick, onto the sled bed.

Subsequently, Xu Zaijing and the others covered their mouths and noses with scarves and neck warmers.

Then, braving the cold wind and snow pellets blowing wildly, they walked toward the outside of Quyuanjie.

The sled bed, modified from a flatbed horse carriage, had its shafts facing backward. In the direction the crowd was moving, three ropes extended from the front of the sled bed. The middle one was pulled by Xu Zaijing, and on both sides, one side was Qingyun, and the other side was Alan and Xunshu.

The four were in front, and on both sides of the sled bed were Zaizhang's servants and two personal guards of the Marquis's mansion.

Amidst the sound of the flag being blown and flapping loudly,

Xu Zaijing and the crowd walked on Quyuanjie.

The canopy had been put away a few days ago when sweeping the snow, and the long benches stacked against the wall had long been buried by the accumulated snow, and only the outline of the top of the bench could be seen.

Leaning obliquely against the wall, the bamboo poles that used to support the canopy were also inexplicably much shorter.

Quyuanjie was like this, so one could imagine the situation in other places.

Watching the figures of the eight people wearing felt hats gradually disappear from sight for a while, Sun Shi then returned inside the main gate with the crowd.

"Clang!"

The heavy main gate closed again, and the sound of the door bolt being pushed also came from behind the side door.

Xu Zaijing and the eight others exited the wide lane and arrived on the street.

Looking out, the bustling street of the past was now a vast expanse of white, becoming quiet and cold. Even the wine flag hanging at the door had been soaked through by the snow water two days before the snow, and it was now frozen hard.

Amidst the flying snow pellets, one could see a few sparse figures in the distance walking with deep and shallow steps.

When the figures saw the Xu family's group from afar, some staggered and avoided them into a side lane.

Turning a corner and walking west, there was a large main shop, and there was still a waiter cleaning the accumulated snow at the door.

When he saw Xu Zaijing's group from afar, he also hurriedly closed the shop door.

When Xu Zaijing's group passed the door of this main shop, someone opened a crack in the window on the second floor to look down and said in a low voice:

"Looking at the flag, it's the Marquis Yongyi's mansion."

After walking for nearly an hour, Xu Zaijing was already walking until he was hot. He wanted to find a military patrol post to rest, but the few he passed were all closed.

Encountering a larger military patrol post that was open, he asked the patrol inspector inside and found out that because the supplies hadn't arrived, the fuel and charcoal in those few military patrol posts had burned out, and it was no longer possible to stay there.

After resting for about a quarter of an hour, the crowd set off again under the gaze of the patrol inspector and a few shop soldiers.

When passing the high watchtower of this military patrol post, there was still a fire-prevention soldier waving at them in the wind and snow.

After walking for quite a long time, Xu Zaijing was fine, but Zaizhang and the others were all a bit tired.

When resting at the foot of the inner city wall, Xu Zaijing looked at this inner city wall. On the crenels of the wall, he could no longer see any soldiers.

After resting for a while, they walked out of the inner city of Bianjing through the gate tunnel.

After exiting the inner city, the number of Buddhist temples and Daoist temples along the way increased.

In the biting cold wind, the smell of burning coal drifted over from time to time, which made Xu Zaijing, who was walking among them, feel some smoke and fire.

After walking for another stretch of road, Qingyun, who was a bit hot from being covered by fur, pulled the scarf covering his mouth and nose down to his nose. After inhaling a few mouthfuls of cold air, Qingyun's expression changed:

"Young Master, there is a smell of blood."

Hearing Qingyun's words, Xu Zaijing was startled. He also pulled down his fur neck warmer, sniffed, and nodded.

"Brother, be careful, there is a smell of blood nearby."

Just as Xu Zaijing finished speaking, more than a dozen people dressed as monks holding sticks and knives walked out of the lane on their front left. They were also startled when they saw Xu Zaijing and the others.

At this time, Zaizhang behind Xu Zaijing and the two personal guards of the Marquis's mansion had already drawn their knives.

This group of monks also wore snow-walking shoes similar to those of the Xu family's group on their feet, but they were much simpler.

On the snow-covered ground behind them, they were also dragging a few sacks.

After carefully looking at Xu Zaijing's eight people and the sled bed they were pulling, the strong monk who was the leader spat and cursed:

"Thieving bastards, there are still silly dogs coming out in this kind of ghostly weather!"

Saying this, the leading monk waved his hand.

These dozen or so people didn't pay attention to the Xu family's group, crossed the street, and walked into the lane on the right-hand side.

The two personal guards of the Marquis's mansion behind Xu Zaijing walked a few steps quickly to Xu Zaijing's side and said:

"Young Master, the situation is not right. That group of monks doesn't look like good people."

"Young Master, after these days of snow, the jackals who have no wine to drink and no meat to eat have come out."

Xu Zaijing nodded.

Zaizhang, who had already drawn his broadsword, said: "Little Five, are we still going forward?"

Xu Zaijing looked around and pondered for a moment before saying:

"Go! It's not far from Grandmother's house here."

"If they are really evildoers, killing them can be considered eliminating harm for the people."

Hearing Xu Zaijing's words, Alan and Xunshu also took off their slingshots from their waists and opened the pouches containing small stones.

Xu Zaijing looked at the few people around him. Seeing that they were prepared, Xu Zaijing lifted his foot and walked forward.

Just as they walked to the intersection of this street and the lane, a group of monks surrounded them from the left and right sides.

It turned out that the group of monks who crossed the street just now was only half of the people just now.

The strong monk who waved his hand just now held a broadsword in his hand and said:

"Tsk tsk tsk, this large cloak is really good! Take it off and throw it over, and I'll spare your lives!"

Someone beside him echoed: "Three knives, and they dare to continue walking... they really have the guts of a bear."

Before the words were finished, they saw the person leading these eight people directly remove the hood of his large cloak, revealing his face, and then untied the cloak's ties, letting the cloak fall onto the snow-covered ground.

This action made the surrounding monks relax their vigilance, thinking that the person leading them had already given up resistance.

The lackey beside the thief leader said:

"King, wearing the cloak, you couldn't tell, this guy is actually extremely handsome... why don't we kidnap him back to the cave..."

The thief monk who was the leader had a look of greed and obscenity in his eyes and said:

"Hiss! Really handsome, I suppose..."

Suddenly someone exclaimed:

"What is that around his waist!!!"

"Arrows!"

Hearing the shout, the lackey who spoke just now looked over. Before he could see clearly, he felt a gust of wind beside him, and then a burst of warmth sprinkled on his face. The lackey wiped his face blankly and found that his hand was a bit red...

Sizzle...

Heh... heh...

The thief leader had a look of horror and fear in his eyes, clutching his own spurting neck, trying in vain to pull out the feather arrow.

In Zaizhang's line of sight, he saw his little brother remove the large cloak, revealing the bow and arrows he had been carrying close to his body.

Due to the body temperature and the insulation of the large cloak, Xu Zaijing's bow and arrows were not affected by the cold weather.

With extremely fast and skilled movements, he strung the bow and pulled it.

The feather arrow entered like electricity and pierced into the thief leader's neck.

Xu Zaijing's action was a signal. Alan and Xunshu quickly put a stone into the slingshot, swung it a few times over their heads, and two flying stones accurately hit the faces of two monks, hurting them so much that they covered their faces and wailed.

And Qingyun had already raised his knife and charged up.

The two personal guards of the Marquis's mansion saw Qingyun's action and followed him like a conditioned reflex. Although they were fighting more with less, they charged out with the momentum of a fierce tiger descending a mountain.

Zaizhang also followed.

Where had this group of thieves ever seen this formation?

There were a few fierce thieves who raised their knives and danced their sticks to resist, but as a result...

Either their knives were knocked away by Qingyun in a few moves, their sticks were broken, and they were disemboweled,

bloody and hot things flowed all over the ground.

Or they were slashed in the legs and hands by the battle-hardened personal guards of the Marquis's mansion.

When they fell to the ground wailing, they were given a finishing blow by someone who followed.

Although he wasn't as diligent as Xu Zaijing, Zaizhang, who also practiced the knife every day, accompanied by his servants,

also slashed and overturned a few thieves.

At this time, those who were quick and clever had already begun to turn and run away, but in this kind of weather, wearing snow-walking shoes, how fast could they run?

Xu Zaijing was also walking while calling names. When he walked to the side of the thief leader who was the first to eat an arrow,

Xu Zaijing thoughtfully helped him pull out the arrow, and then used this arrow to shoot the one who ran the farthest to the ground.

The lackey who spoke just now had long since thrown away his dagger and kept kowtowing, saying:

"Grandpa, spare my life!"

"Grandpa, spare my life!"

The loud shouting and yelling mixed with screams lasted for less than half a quarter of an hour, and the snow-covered ground at this intersection was already full of red or black bloodstains.

Zaizhang panted heavily, looking at his little brother's empty arrow quiver, and then looking at the dead thieves around him, he spat out a mouthful of saliva.

Not knowing who he learned it from, Qingyun, who was still stained with blood, was not tired of dragging the corpses of this group of thieves to one side, arranging them in a row, and counting the number.

"Young Master, including these three who are begging for mercy, there are twenty-three in total."

Xu Zaijing nodded, then looked at one of the two injured personal guards.

This snow-covered ground was soft, and he was wearing snow-walking shoes that were inconvenient to move, so his shoulder was accidentally hit by a stick.

"Are you okay?"

"Young Master, a minor injury!"

At this time, the snow pellets suddenly became dense. Xu Zaijing took the large cloak from Alan's hand and put it on.

Zaizhang and Qingyun and the others wiped the blood off their knives.

Alan and Xunshu went to check the sacks that were about to be covered by the snow.

Subsequently, the lackey who was still muttering "Grandpa, spare my life" raised his head after hearing the word "speak."

Xu Zaijing lifted his chin toward Qingyun. Qingyun understood and carried the other two living thieves to one side.

With one kick each, he stuffed their heads into the accumulated snow.

Xu Zaijing saw this and then said to the lackey: "Tell me what you know. If the others say something different from you, you will die with these people."

"Yes, yes, yes, Grandpa, the little one will speak."

"He... he is from the Feifa Temple not far away. I heard him say when he was drunk that his hometown is Xiangzhou, Jingxinan Circuit. I don't know why he came to Bianjing and was recruited by the abbot of this Feifa Temple."

"On weekdays in the temple, he also helps the abbot of the temple do other dirty work."

Xu Zaijing said: "What dirty work?"

"The little one knows there is eating the household's last heir, and also doing some murder and robbery business."

"And you?"

"The little one hurt someone, and later hid in the Wuyou Cave (Bianjing sewer) all the time, helping him... helping him rob prostitutes twice, and then had a relationship, only then did I shave my hair and come to this temple to make a living."

The lackey continued:

"This heavy snow has been falling for seven days. The temple had no food or charcoal, so he took us out to forage."

At this time, Xunshu walked over and said: "Young Master, besides food and charcoal in the sacks, there are also three women and two raccoon cats."

Xu Zaijing nodded and said: "Go find a military patrol post nearby and let them come over."

"Yes, Young Master."

"Qingyun, change to another one."

Qingyun dragged out a thief whose head was completely buried in the snow and was frozen red from the snow-covered ground.

With the same words, this thief said something similar to the lackey.

After the three living captives were questioned, after they were confronted, because the third one had too many lies, the number of living captives became two.

When the few shop soldiers brought by Xunshu arrived here, the blood flowing from the last thief who was sent away was still steaming.

Xu family's group revealed their identities, handed over the women who were almost out of breath from the cold to the few people of the military patrol post, and then the crowd continued to walk toward the west.

The shop soldiers of the military patrol post were still familiar with the commoners nearby. At the door of a wealthy family, they said they were shop soldiers, but the wealthy family didn't open the door.

They said the relationship with the Marquis's mansion again, and only then did they carry the three women in.

Although the weather was too bad, more than twenty people died, which was a huge matter. The shop soldiers went to notify the Xiang Office, and the Xiang Office continued to report it.

In Bianjing,

if it were said that they were frozen to death, the government office would at most let the neighbors help bury them.

But these thieves killed by the nobles, like Li Mubai, even if they had to crawl, they would crawl to the place where the incident happened.

It was a matter for after the snow stopped to find out how many fierce thieves and bandits were among the twenty-odd people who died.

When they arrived at the Sun family's door,

it was almost Si time (10:00 AM).

"Clang clang clang!"

The Sun family's main gate was knocked, and after a while, a male voice said:

"Who?"

"The Xu family!"

It was quiet inside for a while, and then it said:

"Wait a moment!"

After half a quarter of an hour, there was a commotion behind the door, and the same male voice said:

"The ones at the door, step back, all take off your hats, let us take a look."

Xu Zaijing and the crowd took off their hats and other things.

Then they heard a female voice behind the door shout in surprise:

"Third Brother, Fifth Brother! Why is it really you? Open the door quickly!"

"Go, tell the Old Madam and the others."

Immediately after a sound behind the door, the Sun family's main gate opened.

Seeing the woman, Xu Zaijing and his elder brother hurriedly bowed and called out:

"Little Aunt!"

After the two finished calling people, they saw that inside the Sun family's door, there were several strong women and servants holding knives, sticks, and feather arrows.

The few half-grown boys behind them were also not empty-handed.

After seeing the Xu family brothers clearly, they happily called out Jing Jing Biao Ge and Uncle.

The little aunt of the two brothers looked at the appearance of Qingyun and the others and said:

"What's wrong with this? Why is there blood? Did you meet thieves on the road?"

The Xu family brothers nodded.

"How many?"

Xu Zaijing smiled and said: "More than ten, all sent away."

The little aunt looked at Xu Zaijing's group of eight people and wasn't very surprised, after all, the number of people wasn't very different.

The daughters-in-law of the Sun family were also mostly from military official families and wouldn't be scared by hearing about fighting and killing.

Hearing this, a Sun family boy ran back inside excitedly, carrying a fire basin and placing it at the door.

The others looked at Xu Zaijing and the crowd, who were untying their large snow-walking shoes, with some admiration, and the look of wanting to ask for details could no longer be hidden.

After stepping over the fire basin, Xu Zaijing and his elder brother entered the Sun family's courtyard.

Just as they arrived in the front courtyard, they saw the elderly Grandmother and Grandfather being helped by others, standing at the door of the room and looking at the two brothers in surprise:

"Why, in such weather, did you two come!"

The two Xu Zaijing hurried a few steps and arrived in front of the room, and were led into the room by the two old people holding their warm hands.

Only then did Xu Zaijing see that the three Ni family siblings, Ni Tengyue, were also among them. When they saw Xu Zaijing, the three even bowed.

The Ni family's house was not far from the Sun family, but the people living inside were considered three children, and this kind of weather was really dangerous.

It couldn't help but make Sun Shi worry.

But now the Sun family had taken them in and looked after them, which was the best situation!

Zaizhang also saw it, and the two brothers looked at each other and smiled, not so worried anymore.

At this time, an excited voice came:

"Grandpa, Grandma, the cousins killed people on the road."

(End of chapter)