When Lu Xiao came down the river to Beuzi Pit, Yongzhen looked a little depressed.
Lu Xiao held Yongzhen's hand and asked gently: "What's wrong? Are you unhappy to see me?"
Yongzhen shook his head, and held Lu Xiao's catkin slightly with force: "It's nice to meet you again, but the task you gave me... I messed up."
Noticing the girl in red who was following Lu Xiao, Yong Zhen asked curiously: "Who is this girl?"
"Her."
Lu Xiao smiled helplessly and said: "You can think of it as my little girl who relied on me midway. She stalked her so hard that I taught her martial arts and infiltration skills."
"Hey! Who do you think is Pi Yatou?"
Tuoba Yu'er retorted displeasedly with her hands on her hips: "This young lady is so ambitious!"
"Let's talk."
Yu'er looked at the hands held by the two of them with a strange expression: "Is this the Longyang Zhihao mentioned in the brother-in-law's story?"
"ha?"
Lu Xiao couldn't help but rolled his eyes: "Pi Yatou, please see clearly, Yongzhen is a woman!"
"ah?"
Tuoba Yu'er was taken aback, and after Lu Xiao's greeting, she got closer and took a closer look. Only then did she see some clues from Yongzhen's soft facial lines.
"Sorry, it's me, Meng Lang."
Yu'er's outspokenness has been cultivated since she was a child, and she has offended many people as a result.
But once she realizes that it was her fault later, she will not hold her neck in denial and simply bow her head and apologize to Yongzhen.
"Don't worry."
Yongzhen smiled and explained: "This is Lu Xiao's disguise technique..."
Seeing Yu'er's eyes suddenly brighten, Lu Xiao hurriedly interrupted Yongzhen: "Well, there are a lot of people talking at the pier. Let's go back to the inn and talk in detail."
…
"I see."
After listening to Yongzhen's explanation, Lu Xiao finally understood what she meant by screwing up.
The instructions given by Lu Xiao to Yongzhen were to track down the whereabouts of the Demon King's Village and the Shennong Cauldron, but did not allow her to carry out the operation to seize the cauldron in advance.
Lu Xiao speculated that Yongzhen might have sneaked into the Demon King's Village overnight to try to take out the Shennong Cauldron in order to prove that he could help him.
It's a pity that Yongzhen's action failed because it was taken too hastily, which had the side effect of alerting the enemy.
Seeing the look of self-blame on Yongzhen's face, Lu Xiao smiled and comforted: "Don't worry so much, just take this failure experience as a lesson. You must remember to get good information before taking action next time."
.”
The main reason for Yongzhen's failure was unclear information. If she had known in advance that Qin Qiong was also staying in the cottage, she would have thought twice before taking action.
Qin Qiong, also known as Shubao, was one of the most famous heroes in the late Sui and early Tang Dynasties. Together with Cheng Yaojin, he was one of the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion.
Even in modern times, you can often see portraits of Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde...as door gods who exorcise evil spirits.
Compared with Cheng Yaojin, who has a more irritable personality, Qin Shubao is more calm no matter whether he is marching or fighting or dealing with others.
After Cheng Yaojin reunited with his old friend and won the Shennong Cauldron, he became a little dissolute and drank heavily to get himself drunk. However, Qin Shubao was very measured and did not get completely drunk. In his light sleep, he discovered the spiritual power caused by Yongzhen's use of magic.
fluctuation.
Lu Xiao had never told Yu'er before that he came to Douzikeng, and only said that he was meeting up with his companions.
After learning that the artifacts enshrined by the Tuoba tribe were stored in the Demon King's Village, this hot-tempered girl was even more radical than Yongzhen. She advocated going up to the mountain in an honest and fair manner to seize the tribe's sacred artifacts from the bandits.
Lu Xiao angrily raised his finger and tapped Yu'er on the head: "Calm down a little."
Seeing Yu'er's angry expression holding her head, Lu Xiao sighed and persuaded her earnestly: "If you want to fulfill your long-cherished wish to assassinate Yang Guang, you must first control your temper."
"Try not to resort to force when it comes to issues that can be resolved through negotiation. The use of force is the last resort."
"Anyway, let's pay our respects to the Demon King's Village in an upright manner first."
Lu Xiao touched his chin thoughtfully: "It may not be easy to convince Cheng Yaojin of his arrogant temper, but I think Qin Shubao is a man who understands justice and will definitely not believe that nonsense rumor."
"Hmph~"
Tuoba Yu'er snorted disdainfully: "Whoever wins the divine cauldron can conquer the world? Some people really believe this nonsense."
"If the divine tripod really has such a miraculous function, how could my tribe be massacred by Yang Guang?"
"Miss Tuoba..."
Yu'er, who has a straightforward personality, shook her head and temporarily put aside the sad past that she remembered again.
"Sister Yongzhen, don't be so reserved, just call me Yu'er."
Glancing sideways at Lu Xiao, who was bowing his head in deep thought, Yu'er snorted and continued: "You can call someone over there that way. Miss Tuoba's literate way of calling her makes me get goosebumps all over my body."
"Uh-huh?"
Lu Xiao, who was distracted, only heard the second half of Yu'er's words. He looked up at the awkward-looking girl in red with a confused expression: "Are you talking to me?"
"you!"
The quarrel between the two made Yongzhen feel a little funny, and it was not easy to calm down the angry Yu'er.
…
After writing the greeting card, the three of them went up the mountain together openly and handed over the greeting card under questioning by the bandits guarding the village.
Several bandits guarding the gate were illiterate. They had never seen such an elegant way of visiting before, and they all scratched their heads and looked at each other.
"You guys wait here."
One of the older bandits finally responded: "I'm going to give the letter to the king. Others, keep an eye on them."
"yes!"
Cheng Yaojin, who had been hungover all night, climbed out of bed early in the morning. The drunkenness from last night had almost dissipated. At this time, he was discussing with Qin Qiong the unfinished topics in the Juyi Hall.
"Zhang Xutuo?"
"Yes."
Qin Qiong stroked his beard and persuaded: "Brother, it is not an option for you to be the king of the mountain all the time. Why not join the army with your brother and try to put an end to the chaos in the world as soon as possible."
"General Zhang was a famous general in the Sui Dynasty. Unlike other idle officers, he managed the army well and always made clear rewards and punishments. Brothers Yaojin don't have to worry about getting ahead when they join General Zhang."
"Officers and soldiers..."
Cheng Yaojin also knew that there was no way out as the king of the mountain, but now that the corruption in the court was known to everyone, it was still unknown whether joining the army would make a difference, so he couldn't decide to pay attention for a while.
"Your Majesty, there are three visitors who handed over... greeting cards outside the mountain stronghold."
"oh?"
Cheng Yaojin came from a well-known family and was no stranger to such things as invitations.
He and Qin Qiong looked at each other, took the invitation and unfolded it, and at the same time asked the bandit leader: "Who are those three people?"
"One man and two women, dressed like knights traveling around the world."
"Um……"
Cheng Yaojin looked at the name left in the invitation: "Lu Xiao? I haven't heard of it. Where is Brother Shubao?"
Qin Qiong shook his head: "I guess it has something to do with the cauldron you obtained recently. Since he came to visit you in an upright manner, why not meet him?"
"good!"
Cheng Yaojin patted his thigh heavily: "Invite people in! Control the brothers below and tell them not to disturb the guests."