Chapter 2 of "Swordsman in Troubled Times": Fighting bandits to protect food--The warrior who steals the jade cup visits the camp

? The sun is still blazing in Luzhou in August, and it is the autumn harvest season. Zhang Xianzhong's troops marched into Luzhou and looted everything they went. The rich "Land of Abundance" was also "devastated".

On a narrow mountain road far away from Luzhou City, a caravan consisting of mules, donkeys and horses was moving slowly. It was hot and sleepy, and the mountain road was difficult to walk. Everyone was soaked and listless. The first one, a middle-aged man in his fifties, who looked like a member of the Communist Party of China, with a long beard and a white face, shouted: Folks, please take a rest first! When the time comes, it will be safe to cross Yongningwei (Xuyong) with all our strength.

? It turns out that this group of people is not a businessman, but a villager from Zhenxiong Mansion. Therefore, the three provinces are adjacent to each other and there are many bandits. The local people were already in dire straits, but they were looted by Zhang Xianzhong's rebels, and they were deprived of food for several days. We were really hungry. The leader, Xu Yuanwai, gathered some money from the villagers and made an appointment with dozens of men in the village to buy some grains such as corn near Luzhou to tide over the famine.

Mr. Xu’s nickname is Xu and his courtesy name is Tianfu. He is also the owner of the village, with hundreds of acres of thin farmland, collecting rent to make a living. Xu Tianfu is kind by nature and treats others well. In good harvest years, he only charges half of the rent, and if he is in debt, it is almost completely waived. The villagers all respect him very much, and he pays for most of the dozen or so carts of grain. Not long ago, Zhang Xianzhong's bandits robbed him of a family heirloom: a pair of priceless "dragon and phoenix blood jade cups". According to legend, his ancestors bought them from the foreign country of Persia, and they had been passed down to him for dozens of generations since the late Song Dynasty. Now that it was lost from his hands, I feel sorry for my ancestors and I feel resentful all day long.

What is even more worrying is that his adopted son was captured by Zhang Xianzhong's men. Xu Tianfu had no children. In his early years, he took in a father and son who had wandered here from other places. The father and son were kind-hearted and kind-hearted. They had good skills in forging iron and making swords. They also knew some kung fu and could not easily get close to three or five men. In a confrontation with bandits a few years ago, my father was besieged by more than a dozen bandits and died of serious injuries. Yuan Wai took pity on the helpless young man and adopted him as his adopted son, treating him as his own. In the same year, Yuan Wai's wife died of illness, and the heterosexual father and son depended on each other for life. Later, the adopted son was changed to Xu Minggang. When Zhang Xianzhong's bandits looted the village a few days ago, they saw that he could make swords and took him to Luzhou. His life and death are still unknown. Although the members are worried, there is nothing they can do!

Hearing the call from outside to stop, everyone couldn’t wait to sit around and take a nap in the shade of the trees. Before my butt landed on the ground, I suddenly heard a whirring sound, and then about fifty or sixty bandits flew down from both sides of the mountain road. They were all in black clothes and black hats, and they were as dark as a group of black storks. Before everyone had time to escape, the bandits rushed forward and hacked at them, killing more than a dozen villagers immediately, and the screams could not be heard.

? As the bandits were on the rise, they could only hear "swish, swish, swish..." and a sound of hidden weapons breaking through the air. Then there were waves of wolves crying and ghosts howling, and the bandits all came out. They all fell down. They were all hit by Xiu arrows and iron lotus seeds. In a moment, a young man in white robes fell from the sky and landed in the hand of the bandits. A hail of swords swept out, and in the blink of an eye, several more bandits were knocked to the ground.

Unexpectedly, this group of bandits was unusual. Seeing that the intruders were not friendly, they attacked them together and shouted: The rest. No. 40 and 50 gathered their energy and swarmed forward to surround the young man. That young man was none other than Yuan Yuchun, the "Shadowless Swordsman", who showed no fear even though he was surrounded by many enemies. A few more bandits fell down in the shadow of swords. The remaining bandits continued to move forward unmoved. They were quite skilled and well-trained. Yuan Yuchun knew that he had encountered a group of desperadoes, so he no longer had any concerns. , if he wants to kill him, even if he has unrivaled martial arts skills, a tiger cannot stand up to a pack of wolves, otherwise he will die from exhaustion, not to mention the villagers.

Having made up his mind, Yuan Yuchun secretly used his skills. , left palm and right sword, slashed with the sword and opened the bow left and right, with a few muffled bangs, several bandits were blown away by the powerful Vajra Palm, and they were smashed into pieces against the mountain wall. The remaining bandits were slightly stunned when they saw this. , and several more were killed by the black iron sword. The thieves were frightened and ran away. Yuan Yuchun ignored them and went straight to the injured villagers, screaming in pain. He applied the golden sore medicine to them one by one, and all the villagers came forward to express their gratitude. Seeing his great martial arts, they all begged him to escort him. "Send the Buddha to the west." Yuan Yuchun happily agreed.

< p> ? This place belongs to Luzhou, a hundred miles away from Yongning Guard, and the mountain road is difficult to travel. It took two days to reach Yongning Guard (Xuyong). Although there were several small groups of bandits along the way, they were all repelled by Yuan Yuchun. In the land of "Three Provinces of Rooster Crow", there are so many bandits that the villagers are all on tenterhooks, just hoping to get out of this place of trouble and wrong as soon as possible

About to leave the boundary of Yongningwei (Xuyong), in the distance. Zhenxiong (Prefecture) was already visible in the distance. When we reached a mountain stream, the road became even more difficult. As the grain truck was driving, suddenly the villagers driving in front came back, looking pale and speaking incoherently. :Ghost...Ghost... Yuan Yuchun laughed and said: How can there be ghosts in the clear sky? Are you dazzled? The villagers said it is absolutely true! There are about ten of them with waist-length hair, white clothes and bloodless faces, hanging in the sky. Yuan Yuchun couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling when he saw that it didn't look like he was lying. Now he met a powerful enemy.

A few years ago, Yuan Yuchun heard people in the martial arts talk about a group of "evil" kung fu masters from the wild lands of the Western Regions. In order to dominate the martial arts world, he practices a sinister martial art called "Nine Nether Blood Coagulation Palm". Its palms are so poisonous that practitioners need to drink human blood to enhance their skills. Especially the blood of masters. The blood of those who have no skill at ordinary times is not very effective. Once you master this skill, wherever the human body is hit, the Qi will be blocked and the blood will coagulate, and you will either die or be disabled. Yuan Yuchun called everyone to gather together not to move rashly and to look forward alone. Sure enough, hanging from a big tree by the mountain stream ahead, a group of dead ghosts in white clothes were hanging, their long hair messy and their faces unclear. Yuan Yuchun's sleeves trembled slightly, and more than a dozen sleeve arrows shot out with a whooshing sound. They collapsed with a crisp sound, and the rope hanging the dead ghost broke with the sound.

? Before they even hit the ground, the hanged ghosts all turned around and rushed toward Yuan Yuchun with strange screams. Yuan Yuchun had been on guard early on and would never let the opponent hit him. The black iron sword was swung with twelve points of skill, and leaves fell one after another where the sword energy hit. While the fallen leaves were covering his eyes, Yuan Yuchun used his unique skill of Qinggong "Flying Fairy from Heaven". A "Fengyun Push" body was as fast as lightning and wedged into the group of ghosts. It made several strange screams and several ghost heads rolled down the mountain stream. Seeing the defeat in the initial battle, the group of ghosts became more and more crazy, their claws dancing wildly, rising and falling one after another.

Due to the long-term bloodthirsty of the ghosts, their bodies smelled extremely fishy. Yuan Yuchun almost wanted to vomit, and sometimes he had to cover his nose with his hand, facing the enemy with one hand, and was often in danger. Ah... finally Yuan Yuchun started to feel nauseated and vomited. When the opponent's stomach was turbulent and the attack slowed down a little, the white silk in the hands of the ghosts all came out to wrap up Yuan Yuchun. Unexpectedly, one of Yuan Yuchun's legs was entangled by Bai Ling. He was shocked and turned pale. He hurriedly used his divine power to fall heavily, and his body quickly fell to the ground, tearing off the white silk instantly.

Before he could stand firmly, the other ghosts swarmed in again, and seven or eight pieces of white silk flew over. Seeing that he couldn't dodge in time and felt nauseated, Yuan Yuchun had an idea and used the Qi in his Dantian to destroy the filth in his intestines and stomach. There was a loud bang on the ground and the ghosts were caught off guard and were sprayed in the face with the filth. At the same time, Yuan Yuchun suddenly felt refreshed and energetic. He saw the right moment and struck out with his Vajra Palm in succession, bang bang bang... there were several more strange screams, and then the group of ghosts were knocked down into the gorge and sank to the bottom of the water. There were a few fish that slipped through the net and ran away without a trace.

Everyone was dumbfounded, and it took them a long time to come back to their senses. Xu Yuan held his fists and said, "Thanks to the heroes, otherwise we would all have to be ghosts in a foreign land." The villagers also expressed their gratitude, and Yuan Yuchun comforted them one by one. In the evening, we finally arrived at Xujiazhuang, Zhenxiong Prefecture. Due to the previous encounters with the war, the buildings were in ruins and the walls were in dilapidated condition. It was almost midnight when Yuan Xu called the whole village to collect the food. The neighbor brought dinner, which was nothing more than corn porridge, sweet potatoes and pickles. After struggling for a long time, Yuan Yuchun was already hungry, but eating these whole grains was quite delicious.

After dinner, Yuan Yuchun stayed at Yuan Yuan's house. He slept until midnight when he was suddenly awakened by bursts of crying. When he heard carefully, it was Yuan Yu's voice. Yuan Yuchun couldn't help but feel puzzled.

In the early morning of the next day, Yuan Yuchun thought of Yuan Wai crying at night, and couldn't help asking: Why did Yuan Wai cry at night? There must be some difficulty. Can you tell me, and if you can help me, I will do my best. Because, when the members heard about it, they couldn’t help but shed tears again. Then he told one by one how the jade cup was robbed and the adopted son was kidnapped. After hearing this, Yuan Yuchun said: I walk around the world just to "do justice for heaven." Since you are in trouble, how can I stand by and ignore it? The member said: The past few days of food protection have been very tiring for you. We all in the village are grateful for your generous help. It's just that Zhang Xianzhong has already conquered Luzhou, which is naturally a dragon's pond and a tiger's den. Even if the hero has unparalleled martial arts skills, it's not risky to go alone without any helper!

Yuan Yuchun smiled and said: "Don't worry, members, I will act according to the circumstances, but I have to know what your adopted son looks like." The staff then informed them one by one. Yuan Yuchun asked again: "Can Yuanwai borrow a horse to help me travel?" Yuanwai immediately asked the villagers to fetch him, and when he was young, he fetched a horse that was as black as coal. Yuan Yuchun thought that although the horse was not a good horse, it could still be used for ordinary transportation.

After breakfast, Yuan Yuchun rode on the rogue horse and headed towards Luzhou. After only a hundred miles, it was already past noon when we arrived at Luzhou. Yuan Yuchun went to a winery outside the city and bought two barrels of wine, carried them on his horse, and swaggered to Luzhou City pretending to be a wine merchant. Since Zhang Xianzhong had just captured Luzhou, the defense was tight. Fortunately, the soldiers guarding the city gate opened their eyes when they saw the money, and Yuan Yuchun passed through with just a few pieces of silver. Entering the city, Yuan Yuchun found an inn. After dinner, when he saw that no one was in the store, he pulled the waiter aside and asked in a low voice: Brother, does the waiter know where Zhang Xianzhong lives in the city? The waiter was immediately shocked when he heard this. Sir, please don't ask any more questions. This nonsense will make you lose your head, and besides, I don't know. Yuan Yuchun took out a few pieces of silver and stuffed it into his hand. Second brother: God knows and earth knows that you know and I know. I won't talk nonsense. What are you afraid of? I am his fellow villager, but I just want to join him to make a living. I will definitely not forget your benefits when the time comes.

The waiter believed it to be true, and then said: I heard that he lived in the General Military Mansion, and the former General Soldier was killed when he broke into the city. However, I heard that Zhang Xianzhong led a large group of troops and all craftsmen to march into Chengdu two days ago, leaving his confidants to garrison Luzhou. artisan? What craftsman? Yuan Yuchun asked further, those who build houses, those who blacksmith, those who make clothes... the waiter replied. Yuan Yuchun secretly complained in his heart that Xu Gang, the adopted son outside the Yuan Dynasty, would definitely be taken away with the army. It was better to find the blood jade cup first and then search for him. Having made up his mind, Yuan Yuchun went to bed early and waited until midnight to act. It's nearly three o'clock, and the moon is as bright as day.

Yuan Yuchun put on his night clothes, took out the black iron sword from the wine barrel and carried it on his back. He left the inn and walked along the street towards the General Military Mansion. In the years of war and chaos, the civilians and merchants in the city closed their doors early, the chickens and dogs were silent, and the streets seemed particularly quiet.

After walking for about a mile, it was already the third watch and we saw the General Military Mansion from a distance. The General Military Mansion was brightly lit, and patrol posts passed by from time to time. Yuan Yuchun walked around the patrol sentry and reached the door of the mansion. Fortunately, the sentries guarding the door were all staggering and drowsy.

He walked into the General Military Mansion lightly. Thinking: This blood jade cup is priceless and must be placed in the inner room of the General Military Mansion. This military headquarters is luxurious and has dozens of rooms, so it’s really hard to find them in a short time. After wandering around for a long time, the weather has passed, and I still haven't found any special rooms. Could it be that Zhang Xianzhong took the blood jade cup away? But jade is fragile and unlikely to be carried around. Almost all the rooms have been searched to see if they are hidden elsewhere. For example, grain depots and weapons depots are places that will not attract other people's attention.

Zhang Xianzhong, this old fox, Yuan Yuchun cursed in his heart and was about to leave, when he suddenly heard the voices of two people talking in a side room a few feet away. He hurriedly held his breath and approached, but there were two soldiers guarding the door with their eyes half closed, sitting on the ground with their backs against the door wall, complaining: "Grandma, what's the point of guarding this shabby house? It's so hot." God tells men to feed mosquitoes every day. One of them said: How about we pry open the door, load some gold and silver, escape from the city, and live happily. If we suffer this every day, we might end up confessing on the battlefield one day. The other one said: Run away, where can you run, you will be caught before you reach the city gate, just accept your fate! The two cursed and complained again. Seeing that it was almost five o'clock, Yuan Yuchun couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He took out two iron lotus seeds and tried to knock out the two soldiers. Suddenly, snoring was heard, and the two soldiers were so sleepy that they dozed off.

Yuan Yuchun was secretly happy in his heart and stepped forward quickly, tapping his fingers lightly. The two soldiers fell asleep without any sound. Yuan Yuchun searched all over his body but could not find the key. It seemed that this must be Zhang Xianzhong's treasury. There is a pair of thumb-thick iron rings embedded in the door, and a large thumb-thick lock is also hung, surrounded by an iron chain, which is slightly thinner. Yuan Yuchun drew out the black iron sword and could break the lock and break the door with just one blow, but then he thought about it, making too much noise could easily attract the guards. Then he put away his sword, put his palms together slightly, and worshiped Guanyin like a boy. Use the powerful Vajra Palm to insert both palms into the door knocker, exert a little force from left to right, and there will be a muffled click sound, and the iron ring will split in half. Applying force again, there was a crisp click and the door knocker broke completely.

Pushing the door open, there was no light inside and it was pitch black. Yuan Yuchun found a lantern to see everything clearly. Although it was a side room, the space inside was very large. There were some rusty swords and guns scattered on the floor, as well as some worn-out copper coins. It looked like an armory, with only small soldiers guarding this piece of junk. He was wondering in his heart, but unexpectedly his feet fell, and Yuan Yuchun screamed badly. He thought it was a trap, so he jumped instinctively and bounced up. The moment he bounced up: Whoosh whoosh whoosh... He heard the sound of a sharp weapon breaking through the air behind him. He drew the Black Iron Sword quickly and turned his back. The shadows of the sword overlapped wherever he swung the sword, which was impervious to wind and rain. Ding, ding, ding, ding... all the hidden weapons were blocked.

? When you look closely, you see a row of Zhuge Liannu set up in the dark corner of the wall. Yuan Yuchun concluded that there must be something interesting in it, so he checked it carefully to make sure there were no other organs inside. Only then did he approach Lian Nu. The Lian Nu was tied to a wooden frame and nailed to the wall. However, the wall where the Lian Nu was fixed was much thinner than elsewhere. Due to the dim light from the lantern, no flaws could be seen. . He drew out his sword and hit the wall hard with the hilt, but the sound that came out was a "dong dong dong" sound as he hit the wood. Yuan Yuchun put the lantern close to the wall and saw a vertical, rectangular crack mark on the wall. When he stabbed with the sword, a small piece of wood fell out. He immediately understood and stabbed the wall a few inches into the wall. He put his other hand against the sword body and pushed forward. There was a creaking sound, and the thin wall sank into the adjacent wall.

It turns out that this is a small door similar to a secret room. It is made of wooden boards and painted to match the color of the wall. It may have been made not long ago, and there is still a faint smell of paint. It's really hard to spot if you're not careful. The door of the room is wide open, and everything inside is in full view. This secret room is not big, about one foot square, and contains dozens of wooden boxes. Yuan Yuchun pried open the lock of the box, and inside there were only some silver ingots and government treasury silver. After searching through everything, there was no trace of the "Blood Jade Dragon and Phoenix Cup".

At this time, the fifth watch had passed. Yuan Yuchun was upset and stamped his feet anxiously. The floor tiles under his feet immediately sank into a small pit. Yuan Yuchun pried open the floor tiles and found a small porcelain jar buried inside. He dug out the porcelain jar. The altar was unsealed and two objects were wrapped in a piece of red cloth. When you open it and look at it: it is a pair of jade cups, light red in color, three inches high and two inches thick. When you look closely, there is a dragon and snake pattern on one cup, and a bird pattern on the other cup. Because it is formed naturally, the dragon and phoenix patterns on the cup appear a bit blurry. But the workmanship is fine, round and smooth, and feels slightly cool. It is truly the best of jade. It is no wonder that Xu Yuan looks like life on the outside.

Yuan Yuchun did not dare to delay, so he wrapped the cup with cloth, tied it tightly and put it in his arms. He took out a few silver ingots and was about to leave the General Military Mansion. The sky was dim and the guard at the door was sleeping soundly. , when the patrol sentry passed by, he quickly jumped out of the house. Fortunately, the residents in the city had not yet gotten up early, so no one could see him.

After all, Yuan Yuchun was "going deep alone, with one horse and one gun." Yuan Yuchun was afraid of a long night and many dreams. Moreover, after dawn, the General Military Mansion found out that it had been stolen and would seal the city, so he did not enter the inn and went straight to the city gate. It was getting brighter and there were people walking gradually. When I approached the city gate it had not yet been opened. Just don't do anything and don't stop: Yuan Yuchun pulled himself up and jumped up, reaching half of the city wall in an instant. He tapped his feet lightly on the city wall and jumped up to the tower. The guards on the city tower had woken up and saw someone coming shouting to arrest the assassin.

The soldiers who defended the city mostly used bows and arrows to defend themselves against the enemy. With a shout, thirty or twenty archers came running over and shot at the intruder indiscriminately. Yuan Yuchun quickly drew his sword, and a sword light covered his figure. He took out a handful of iron lotus seeds from his arms and punched them out violently. There was a loud shout, the soldiers fell to the ground, and the arrows they shot were blocked and fell to the ground. Yuan Yuchun took advantage of the situation and jumped off the city wall. When the soldiers got up from the ground, they were gone.

Yuan Yuchun bought a horse in a nearby village and returned to Xujiazhuang at sunset. Seeing the lost family heirloom, Xu Yuanwai cried with joy and thanked him again and again! Yuan Yuchun told the truth about Xu Gang being taken away by Zhang Xianzhong. The member of the army shed tears and said: It is his destiny to go away with bad luck! The hero has already tried his best, how dare he trouble or force things. Everything depends on God's will. Yuan Yuchun gave some words of comfort.

The next day, Yuan Yuchun visited other officials and villagers, and everyone tried hard to persuade him to stay longer. Yuan Yuchun politely declined, and everyone sent him far away.