Facing Cheng Sanwu's questioning gaze, Peng Ning thought again and again, and finally chose to confess, taking out a black jade box from his arms: "This is what I want to escort on this trip."
Cheng Sanwu wanted to get closer and take a closer look, but Peng Ning quickly took it back, his whole body full of defensiveness.
"Let me take a look, what is this?" Cheng Sanwu said: "At least let me know something, so as to avoid encountering other enemies and not knowing how to deal with them."
"This is...Buddha's bone relic." Peng Ning said.
"Ah? Is it the ashes left after the monk was cremated?" Cheng Sanwu was puzzled.
Peng Ning took the trouble to explain: "Ordinary monks, after being cremated, are just bones in the grave. The eminent monks and great virtues pass away and become rainbows. The merits of a lifetime are condensed into the Buddha's bone relics. If they are worshiped properly, there will be all kinds of miracles. If you have a pious heart, If you ask the Buddha for the Dharma by asking the relics, you may be able to gain profound enlightenment."
"I understand, it's the monks' magical secrets, right?" Cheng Sanwu rubbed his shoulders.
"Even if we don't mention this item, the Buddha's bone relics are extremely precious in the hearts of people who worship the Buddha in the world, symbolizing the Buddha's teachings that guide the lost world," Peng Ning said.
Cheng Sanwu asked again: "But I saw that thing hidden in the box, aren't you afraid of being stolen?"
Peng Ning looked at the black jade box in his hand, shook his head and said, "The six-character Great Ming Mantra on it is the superior seal of Buddhism. Once a demon touches it, it will be like being burned by fire."
"Monsters can't stand it, but ordinary people don't hinder it." Cheng Sanwu lay on the bed and said: "No wonder you are intercepted and killed by horse thieves one after another. It seems that someone behind this has been planning for a long time."
"This is the reason why I don't want to go to Quzhi City." Peng Ning said: "In this land of the Western Region, someone who can command a large number of horse thieves is definitely not an ordinary person."
"Most of the horse thieves who intercepted you before were soldiers from border towns." Cheng Sanwu also felt that the situation was not good and sat up: "It would be fine if they were just deserters and became rogues, but I'm afraid..."
"I'm afraid that I am acting on the orders of the chief of the military town." Peng Ning added.
"Damn it, is this necessary?" Cheng Sanwu cursed. He simply couldn't figure it out: "For a Buddha bone relic, wouldn't it be better if the court sent troops to escort it directly? If there are any corpse vultures flying in the sky to attack, just send troops to escort it." The rain of arrows greets you, do you really think there are no masters in the army?"
"You..." Peng Ning raised his head and glanced at Cheng Sanwu, then shook his head slightly: "The waves in the middle of the road are full of treacherous clouds, and many things are not that simple."
"It's these nonsense again." Cheng Sanwu was still angry: "Have a rest quickly, pack your things and leave at dawn tomorrow!"
Peng Ning looked around. The guest room was in a mess. Even the door was kicked in two. It was obvious that the battle just now was fierce. He once again walked through the gate of hell.
"I am rushing to Chang'an, the imperial capital. As long as I deliver the Buddha's bones and relics, I can recommend you to your superior and get you a job with a high-level salary." Peng Ning saw Cheng Sanwu's angry expression and quickly promised. : "In this way, you don't have to sleep in the open all day long and take risks to fight."
"Don't do this." Cheng Sanwu didn't appreciate it: "None of those officials can be trusted. Everything they say is just lies! And in Chang'an, there are only two of us thousands of miles away. , it will be good if you can make it to Yumen Pass alive. You might as well pay homage to the Buddha bone relic and ask it to protect you from encountering any powerful demons again."
Peng Ning was speechless. He also knew that it was useless to talk about the current situation, so he had no choice but to sleep with his clothes on.
Neither of them had a good rest for the rest of the night. Cheng Sanwu simply took a nap with his knife in hand to be prepared for the dominatrix to attack again, but they did not encounter any other problems until dawn.
When the sky got slightly brighter, Cheng Sanwu went to the innkeeper and declared that a burglar had sneaked in last night. He also showed the condition of the guest room and insisted that the inn was colluding with the bandits. After being threatened by the informant, he allowed the innkeeper to waive the rent and offered several large sums of money.
A bowl of soup cakes will fill your stomach.
However, just after Cheng Sanwu and the others had prepared a batch of dry food and water, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from outside the inn. Dozens of riders blocked the front door of the inn, shouting and scolding in a series, indicating that the visitor was not good.
"Cheng Sanwu of Baochang Society, stop hiding. We know you are in there. If you know what's going on, get out!" Outside the inn, a rider shouted loudly, his voice loud and clear, and it penetrated into the stable in the backyard.
"Looking for me?" Cheng Sanwu frowned. He and Peng Ning looked at each other, put the luggage on the camel's back and tied it up: "Don't come forward, I will deal with them. The inn has a back door, if we can't reach an agreement
, you take the camel team and leave quietly first, I will catch up soon."
Peng Ning was a little worried: "There are quite a few of them, can you handle them?"
"If you can't fight, run away. If you can't, just rush out of the open space outside the city and knock them all down with one arrow." Cheng Sanwu hung the bow and arrows with Hulu on the edge of the saddle, patted the horse's neck and said, "If we really fight later,
Get up and rush out to scare them."
The big bay horse nodded like a normal person and responded with the scent. Peng Ning next to him saw this scene and secretly noticed it, but didn't say anything more.
Cheng Sanwu, who was fully prepared, came to the front yard of the inn alone, pressed the handle of the knife with his hand, looked like he had woken up in the morning, yawned and looked around.
"Hey, there are so many people so early in the morning, are you rushing to have breakfast? The mutton soup cakes in this store are pretty good, why don't you have a bowl and then chat?"
Although Cheng Sanwu's face was relaxed, his eyes were always paying attention to the surrounding situation. Outside the inn's courtyard wall, there were thirty or forty horsemen crowded on the narrow street, each carrying a bow and saber, and two warriors.
Carrying a horse-killing sword nearly as tall as a person.
This kind of posture, in the past occasions when the two businessmen met, was a powerful force that should not be underestimated. It can be seen that the other party has invested a lot of capital.
"Are you Cheng Sanwu?" The lead rider is a Han man with scars on his face. His mustache looks like it has been trimmed, unlike Cheng Sanwu who looks a little slovenly as he travels around the world all day long. There is a rug embedded in his waistband.
Jade is expensive to make.
In the early years of the Great Xia Dynasty, there were rules and regulations on what styles of crotch belts were used by officials of different ranks. However, in recent years, the rules and regulations have been relaxed, and ordinary people would buy them if they had extra money. Literati, elegant men, and heroes would not hesitate to use them to show their status.
Modify.
"Not bad." Cheng Sanwu's eyes swept over the group of riders, observing their every move. Almost everyone was on alert, ready to use force at any time.
"Master Wu from Maocai Society wants to see you, please come with us." The leader's words were not polite at all. It didn't sound like inviting guests, but more like a government official inviting someone.
"Maocai Society?" Cheng Sanwu laughed, glanced left and right, and noticed that officers and soldiers in the distance were driving away the people and not allowed to watch nearby.
Seeing this situation, Cheng Sanwu felt that the situation was not good. The other party had already reached an agreement with the officers and soldiers of Hongsha Town, and maybe he had government background.
"I'm just a thug from the Baochang Club, so I don't deserve Mr. Wu's sincere invitation." Cheng Sanwu replied loudly on purpose, just to remind Peng Ning in the backyard: "Besides, I'm busy with trivial matters right now, so I might as well wait for my free time in the future to meet with my family.
Manager Su said, how about a personal visit?"
The leading rider snorted coldly: "It's true that you have to drink wine as a penalty. Su Wangting and Baochang Society have been captured by us, and you will be buried with them!"
Hearing this, Cheng Sanwu frowned, but he couldn't think too much at the moment. The opponent was clearly going to kill him, so he simply took the lead, leaped forward, and drew his sword to attack the leading rider.
The leading rider was on guard, and also drew his sword, and the two struck each other. He was shocked to find that the opponent was as strong as a mountain avalanche, and his strength was stronger than that of nine bulls. The back of the sword was directly pressed back, and it was heavily chopped on the shoulder.
Cheng Sanwu gave a deep shout, swiped his knife horizontally, leaving a brand new scar on the leading rider's face, and then kicked him hard, knocking him off his horse.
"superior!"
Seeing this, the surrounding riders jumped forward one after another. Cheng Sanwu gave them no chance. He jumped up, stepped on the horse's back, and ran rampant among dozens of people and horses, making it difficult for them to release their arrows. He jumped up and down several times, and easily cut down several of them.
The people made a fuss, causing the horses to neigh in fright, causing the situation to be disrupted again.
Cheng Sanwu had already thought of a way to deal with this when he saw the thirty-odd riders from Maocai Society crowded together.
Sometimes in a fight, the one with more people does not always have the upper hand, especially in a cramped and narrow place, where there is little room for maneuver, and it is easy to drag each other down.
Maocai Society's dozens of riders threatened them together. Although the scene was not small, it was also a waste of effort if they couldn't use it effectively.
"Spread out! Spread out!"
However, someone reacted quickly. The two warriors carrying horse-killing swords were the first to recognize the situation and took the initiative to dismount and draw their swords. At the same time, they asked others to take the horses away, which naturally exposed Cheng Sanwu.
Two long sword warriors came to fight together. Cheng Sanwu recognized at a glance that this was the twenty-four postures of the long sword passed down in the army. They emphasized "the movement, hands, and eyes are as fast as lightning." They did not dare to be careless. They swung their swords back and forth, and the three of them
Fight quickly, and the swords, swords and shadows intertwine like a net for a while. Once the idlers get close, they will be cut into dozens of pieces in an instant.
Seeing that Cheng Sanwu could not be defeated by his quick attack, one of the warriors took advantage of the situation and took a step back. He lowered his waist and dropped his elbows. It seemed that he was stabbing straight with his sword, but the tip of the sword drew a sharp circle and trembled.
Cheng Sanwu raised the sword at an angle, shook his wrist and exerted his strength to remove three points of the opponent's edge, then moved his body and swung the long sword away.
"The sword hides the spear? What a skill!" Cheng Sanwu couldn't help but praise. These two long sword warriors are really good. Maocai Society can invite them to come, which shows that their relationship in the military is extraordinary.
The two sword warriors didn't say much. While wiping the sweat from their palms, they stared at Cheng Sanwu's steps and arms respectively, planning the next round of offensive.
Cheng Sanwu also became interested and guessed that the two men were going to attack the upper and lower plates respectively, and it seemed that he would have to fight with them.
"Fire the arrow!"
While the two sides were confronting each other, the leading rider covered the bloody wound on his face, gritted his teeth and gave orders to his subordinates, and the arrow immediately left the string and broke through the air.
Cheng Sanwu immediately lowered his head and ducked down, dodged several arrows, and used the inn wall as cover. The two sword warriors also hurriedly avoided, making dissatisfied tuts.
"Hey, it seems Mr. Wu's men don't regard you as human beings." Cheng Sanwu leaned against the wall and smiled.
"Stop talking nonsense!" The two long-sword warriors pressed for the kill again. Cheng Sanwu changed his approach, and the horizontal sword was so powerful and heavy, like a steel whip and a mace, that the two men's jaws burst open and they held the sword unsteadily.
At this time, Cheng Sanwu whistled, and the big maroon horse bolted out from the stable in the backyard. Taking advantage of one of the sword warriors' retreat, he raised his front hooves high and then smashed it down on his head.
With a muffled sound, the warrior's head hit the ground hard, his skull cracked on the spot and his brains splattered everywhere.
The other sword warrior was shocked when he saw this. Cheng Sanwu took this opportunity to step forward and strike with a sword, cutting his head in half.
The big bay-red horse avoided the spray of blood with some disgust, and was still scratching its hooves on the rammed earth. Cheng Sanwu stepped forward and patted its neck to comfort it, then took away a long sword, turned on the horse and charged out again.
Cheng Sanwu could also see that among the people in Maocai Society, only the two long sword warriors could hold important positions, and the rest were just mediocre people. At this moment, he was slashing his sword like a warrior on the battlefield.
Human life is like grass and mustard, and hot blood stains the yellow sand.
After killing more than a dozen people in one breath, Cheng Sanwu did not hesitate to fight and rode straight out of the city. Hongsha Town was no more than a small border town, and they were outside the city in a blink of an eye. Cheng Sanwu had no time to notice that he was covered in blood, so he reined in his horse and turned around, planning to
They met up with Peng Ning, but they didn't see the Maocaishe riders chasing after them out of the city.
"Wait...that's not right!"
Cheng Sanwu was alone in the deserted suburbs outside the city. He immediately understood that he had been tricked again. The people from Maocai Society were probably here for Peng Ning from the beginning!
Just as Cheng Sanwu expected, while he was escaping on horseback, the leading rider secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately signaled to his men, and the rest of the men lurking around rushed into the inn.
"It seems that my bet was right this time. You did not take the main road." The leading rider arrived at the stable in the backyard and saw Peng Ning holding a long sword, leaning against the corner with his back, and four or five corpses lying at his feet.
"You...did you deliberately lure Cheng Sanwu away?" Peng Ning's face was extremely gloomy. He had just heard Cheng Sanwu's hint and was leading the camel team towards the back door. As a result, he ran into an ambush man from Maocai Society.
After a fight, he was forced back to the inn again.
"After all, he is the number one master of the Baochang Society. No matter how cautious you are, you can never be too cautious." The leading rider didn't say much. He gestured to the left and right, and the archers fired arrows in unison.
Peng Ning barely managed to block several arrows, but was outnumbered. Finally, he was hit by seven arrows in a row and fell down in the corner.
The leading rider stepped forward and kicked away the long sword, and started searching Peng Ning's body. Soon he found the black jade box with the seal of the six-character Great Ming Curse. He showed a somewhat ecstatic expression and praised it repeatedly.
"Pack your things and leave quickly!" The leading rider immediately put the black jade box into his arms.
At this time, someone came to report: "Oh no, that guy Cheng Sanwu is back again!"
The leading rider made a quick decision: "Don't get entangled with this mad dog and leave the city separately!"
In the blink of an eye, the people of Maocai Society left the inn like an ebbing tide. When Cheng Sanwu arrived, he could only see the smoke and dust raised by the horses' hooves.
Knowing that the situation was not good, Cheng Sanwu rushed into the inn stable and saw Peng Ning lying in a pool of blood, his body still shaking slightly.
Cheng Sanwu stepped forward to take a look and saw that Peng Ning had been hit by seven arrows and was hopeless. He was already on his deathbed.
Sensing the persistent look in Peng Ning's eyes, Cheng Sanwu asked comfortingly: "What do you want to say? I'll help you."
Peng Ning struggled to open his mouth. Cheng Sanwu leaned closer and heard the other party uttering words intermittently: "Relics, Chang'an... Internal Affairs Ministry..."
"You want me to snatch the relics back and send them to Chang'an Internal Affairs Ministry?" Seeing Peng Ning insisting on nodding, Cheng Sanwu said, "Okay, I promise you."
As soon as these words came out, Peng Ning's whole body relaxed, the light in his eyes dimmed, and he died.
Cheng Sanwu looked into Penning's eyes, and then looked around at the blood-stained ground, the whining wind, and the strange cries of crows and birds. He had no choice but to silently cover Penning's eyelids and repeated as if talking to himself: