Chapter 38: Exploring the Tiger's Lair and Entering the Jiao Palace
After everyone discussed it, Xia Houxuan led Cao Xi, Zhuge Dan, Sima Zhao, and four masters from the school affairs office, disguised themselves and secretly rushed to the Fire Dragon Gate in Wuping County, Chen County.
Guanqiu Jian, Wei Lie, and Gao Xun accompanied six school officials to the Mingnan Gang in Yu County, Liang State.
"Brother Xuan, are you sure about this trip?"
In the east of Xuchang County, Zhuge Dan rides a yellow-maned horse, enjoying the oncoming east wind.
"I have been to Luoyang City twice since I was a child."
After hearing Zhuge Dan's words, Xia Houxuan couldn't help but feel a little lost:
"The first time, it was my master who took Xi Di and me to the south."
Seeing that Xia Houxuan seemed a little sad, Zhuge Dan immediately began to change the subject, and then asked:
"Then, what about the second time?"
"The second time."
Xia Houxuan couldn't help but laugh. He smiled and said:
"The second time, I'm on the way. Do you think I'm sure or not? Am I scared?"
"Hahahaha, Brother Xuan, you are really, oh, hahahaha..."
Zhuge Dan couldn't help but laugh after hearing Xia Houxuan's joke:
"However, there must be someone to do the difficult things in this world. Moreover, a true hero will never look back even if he is afraid of something!"
"Brother Gongxiu, what you said makes sense."
When Xia Houxuan heard this, he felt that his group was very heroic and had the spirit and emotion of Jing Ke to assassinate the Qin Dynasty.
"The wind is rustling and the water is cold. A strong man will never return once he is gone..."
Xia Houxuan subconsciously sang this ancient song, which was exactly the song Jing Ke sang by the Yishui River before he entered the Qin Dynasty.
"Bah, bah, bah, what are you singing!"
Zhuge Dan laughed and cursed:
"Where have you ever cursed yourself like this?"
Xia Houxuan also laughed, turned his head and said with a smile:
"Who told you that I am cursing myself? I am just saying that the Shu captives entered our Wei Dynasty alone. Although their courage is commendable, they will eventually be destroyed by our Wei Dynasty like weak swallows!"
"That's right, that's right!"
Zhuge Dan was so proud that he kicked the horse in the belly and sang the second half of the song loudly:
"Explore the tiger's den and enter the dragon's palace, look up to the sky and exhale and it will turn into a white rainbow!"
"drive!"
Xiahou Xuan lightly kicked the white bird's horse in the belly, and then chased after it, keeping pace with Zhuge Dan.
Cao Xi and Sima Zhao rode inferior horses, so they could only follow from a distance.
――――
Yu County, Liang State, is a relatively remote place with few residents, but there are many vegetation, and on the hills that are easy to defend and difficult to attack, is the nest of the Mingnan Clan.
Guanqiu Jian led Gao Xun, Wei Lie, and six elite school officials, galloped for three days and three nights, and finally arrived here yesterday evening.
In order to ensure sufficient physical strength and energy, the nine people camped at the foot of the mountain to rest for a night. It was not until this morning that everyone had a rest.
"Everyone, please remember that in the name of the nearby sect, you will go up the mountain to pay homage to the mountain gate. Is that clear?"
"clear!"
"Let's go up the mountain!"
Guanqiu Jian saw that everyone was ready and gave the order.
The group of nine people walked towards Mingnanbang Mountain Gate.
――――
"Fire Dragon Sect, huh, I want to see what this sect that calls itself Fire Dragon is capable of!"
Sima Zhao looked dissatisfied and looked at the crimson flag looming above the hills, waving in the wind.
"Brother Zhao, don't underestimate your enemy. You can come all the way to Wei to cause trouble, and you are not a kind person to be bullied."
Xia Houxuan, who was more involved in the world than Sima Zhao, now lacked the courage of a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers, and instead had a few rare worries in the world.
"The four school officials can observe and wander around in the mountains. If you need help, General Xuan will call you with this red-feathered sleeve arrow."
"Understood!"
Four school officials took the order and left.
"Brother Zhao, Brother Xi, brother Gongxiu, you guys will look at me later and act accordingly."
"Understood."
The three of them expressed no objection and nodded.
The Fire Dragon Gate, named after the fire dragon, is indeed red. The gang members, big and small, all wear red clothes, and red dragon flags are used as commands everywhere in the village.
After Xia Houxuan and the others entered the village, they felt as if they had entered a field of fire.
Dazhai is like a maze, going around and around, making people feel a little dizzy unconsciously. Xiahou Xuanqiang braced himself and tried hard to memorize the paths and exits along the way.
Beside every road and at the intersection, there were strong men in red clothes, holding red-edged swords and carrying mysterious fire crossbows on their waists. Xia Houxuan realized that today the leader of the Fire Dragon Sect did not even intend to hide the fire crossbow. It seemed that
He was blatantly going against the imperial court.
It seems that it is almost impossible to negotiate with the leader of the Fire Dragon Sect today.
Xia Houxuan subconsciously touched the sleeve arrow in his sleeve that was used to summon four school officials in the mountain.
After reaching the top of the peak, Xia Houxuan and the others saw the leader of the Fire Dragon Sect sitting on the tiger-skin chair from a distance.
I saw that the man was a young man with a red complexion, wearing a red Hufu and an elegant outfit. Behind him were two fire dragon flags. Under the seat was a red tiger skin. The big man in red was standing by with a sword. It made people feel proud.
Be afraid.
The man in red didn't wait for Xia Houxuan to speak first, and shouted straight to the point:
"You four boys claim to be from the hill next door, but I have traveled all over the country and across the mountains in the Central Plains over the years and have never seen you. And no matter how you look at it, you don't look like a wanderer. In my opinion, you are probably
He must have been sent by Cao Ni’s imperial court!”
"you!"
When Sima Zhao heard that the leader of the Fire Dragon Sect actually called the imperial court Cao Ni in the territory of the Wei Dynasty, he was a little angry and was about to curse, but Xia Houxuan winked at him. Sima Zhao was also a smart man and naturally knew the strength of the enemy.
He didn't know yet, so he couldn't immediately break up with them. So he said half of his words and swallowed the rest.
Xiahou Xuan bowed slightly to the leader of the Fire Dragon Sect and asked with a smile:
"I don't know yet, what is the name of the sect master?"
The man sneered and replied casually:
"I don't change my name when I'm going down, and I don't change my surname when I sit down. My surname is Liu Mingchi. If you call me by my mixed name, it's Liu Huolong."
Xia Houxuan saw that the other party had come straight to the point, so he no longer planned to conceal his identity. He continued:
"I am Xia Houxuan, an envoy of the Wei Dynasty!"
After hearing these words, Liu Chi and Liu Huolong immediately changed their expressions and shouted:
"Come here, help me take down these Cao Ni!"
When Sima Zhao and Cao Xi saw this, they immediately drew their swords to fight the enemy. A burst of red light flashed, and Liu Jia's eyes widened immediately.
He saw the dragon scale knife in Cao Xi's hand.
"Good knife, really good knife, grab that knife from me!"
The members of the Fire Dragon Sect gang shouted loudly, and as they spoke, they were about to go forward to kill people and grab knives.
"Wait a minute!"
At this moment, Xia Houxuan looked seriously into Liu Chi's eyes and asked righteously:
"Your Excellency is willing to give up his life for a knife. You are so courageous and admirable!"
"Boy, you are looking for death!"
The gang members were furious when they heard this and were about to step forward with swords.
"Wait a minute!"
After hearing Xia Houxuan's words, Liu Jia looked stern and immediately ordered everyone to stop attacking.
——
Yu County, Mingnan Gang.
When the gang leader Zhuge Que heard that a friend from the gang was visiting, he was very polite and met Guanqiu Jian, Wei Lie, Gao Xun and six school officials pretending to be disciples of the sect in a mountain pavilion.
"Everything in the gang is still okay?"
Zhuge Que, the leader of the Mingnan clan, had long hands and a long beard, and he started to ask questions.
"To be honest, the Hidden Gang was merged and exterminated by the imperial court half a month ago. My brothers came here today to surrender and have no other intentions. I hope that the leader of the Zhuge Gang can take in the nine of us brothers. I am really grateful."
Guanqiu Jian, who had already inquired about the disguised sect's information a long time ago, now faced Zhuge Que's unsuspecting test, and seemed to be very familiar with it.
"That's it."
Zhuge Que raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at Guanqiu Jian, and continued:
"That's quite simple. All new disciples who join my gang must pass three tests."
When Gao Xun heard this, his eyes narrowed. Wei Lie looked indifferent, and Guanqiu Jian laughed loudly and said:
"Since we are asking for help from the leader of the Zhuge clan, we naturally do as he pleases, as we should."
"good!"
Zhuge Que looked very happy. He raised his hand to fill three glasses of wine, and then smiled:
"Brother, you are so happy! I, Zhuge Que, give you a toast!"
Guanqiu Jian smiled slightly and declined:
"Gang leader, you're too polite. Why don't you wait until you pass the gang leader's test and drink from this cup again."
Zhuge Que couldn't help laughing after hearing the congratulations:
"Brother, to be honest, the two glasses of wine in front of you are my first test."
When Gao Xun heard this, his heart sank.
Sure enough, Zhuge Que said with a sinister smile:
"One of these two glasses of wine is poisonous! As long as any one of you is willing to drink one of the glasses of wine, you will have passed this first level."
After everyone heard Zhuge Que's words, their hearts felt cold.
In an instant, Guanqiu Jian's mind was filled with lightning.
But although there were thousands of thoughts in his mind, he could never do without His Highness King Pingyuan's instructions.
There are people all around who are holding powerful crossbows. If he makes a move, he may ruin everyone at any time.
If something happens to someone in the school affairs office under his command, it may be extremely detrimental to His Highness.
We must bring them back safely!
"Okay, I'll drink!"
When Guanqiu Jian thought about this, he was less hesitant and more decisive. He raised a glass of wine and drank it down!
"Brother Wuqiu!"
Wei Lie and Gao Xun were startled.
They were waiting for Guanqiu Jian to give the order to resist, but unexpectedly, he actually...
"Hahahaha, okay!"
Seeing Guan Qiu Jian's loyalty, Zhuge Que couldn't help but feel very fond of Guan Qiu Jian. He couldn't help but praise:
"Brother is really loyal. I admire you. The wine I drank just now is not poisonous. I just want to see your loyalty. Everyone knows that you rely on the word "righteousness" to walk in the world. You are so loyal to Bo Yuntian, brother. I am impressed by this. However, the rules in this gang cannot be broken. Although I appreciate my brother’s heroic spirit, the second and third hurdles are still unavoidable, and I hope that my brother can bear with them.”
After hearing this, Guanqiu Jian breathed a sigh of relief. Although he needed to protect these young people, he did not want to casually ruin his life here. He was very lucky that he did not drink the poisonous wine. .
