Jiuxi

Chapter 109 Chapter 108 [Big Thief]

Outside Jianghua City, above the official road.

The autumn wind is gradually picking up, bringing with it a bit of desolation.

More than ten riders were walking slowly in front, while Xi Jun, who was in his thirties, looked at the scenery in the distance. Ji Shan, a tall man next to him, came over and said, "Brother Xi, that Mr. Lu is really powerful. He can command 10,000+ troops at such a young age. The army is attacking the city, it would be great if he could return to the mountains with the eldest lady."

Xi Jun couldn't help laughing and said: "That's nonsense."

Ji Shan's eyes widened and he said: "How can I talk nonsense? Many people say that the strategy of Qi Army's action this time was planned by Mr. Lu."

Xi Jun shook his head and said: "I mean the last sentence. Mr. Lu is now a new general of the Qi army. He is destined to have a bright future in the future. How can he go to the mountains to join us? Okay, you are just keeping these words in your stomach. , please don’t mention it in the future, lest the eldest lady becomes angry.”

Ji Shan said "Oh" and couldn't help but look back and saw the young man and woman riding horses side by side, looking at each other incomparably.

"Sister, please pay attention to safety on the way back. If you are fighting with the army during this period, someone from Puppet Yan and Jing Chao will definitely notice your presence."

Lu Chen naturally didn't notice the movement in front of him. At the moment, his mind was focused on the woman next to him.

The corners of Lin Xi's lips raised slightly, and she said softly: "If I accidentally reveal my traces and accidentally get captured, will junior brother rescue me?"

Since holding hands that night, Lu Chen vaguely sensed some subtle changes in Lin Xi. For example, she would never have made such a joke before.

It's as if some long-standing defense has been put down, and the hard shell is slightly loosened.

Lu Chen immediately said without hesitation: "Yes."

After expressing his stance, he added: "But I hope this will never happen."

Lin Xi nodded and said, "You too."

Sending you thousands of miles, you have to say goodbye in the end.

Lin Xi turned her head and looked to the south. Jianghua City could no longer see the outline of the city. She gently reined in the reins and said softly: "Junior brother, just send them here. If you go further, you will probably have to reach Xunyang City."

There was obvious reluctance in Lu Chen's eyes, but he also knew that he couldn't show it too much, otherwise it would definitely make Lin Xi feel sad, so he smiled casually and said: "Sister, we have a long way to go, I hope you will take care of me."

Lin Xi was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Remember what you said."

That night in the cold and misty moonlight, Lu Chen made a solemn promise to her.

Lu Chen stared into her eyes and repeated word for word: "No matter how far apart we are, I will find you."

"Okay, I remember."

Lin Xi slowly urged his mount to move forward step by step.

Lu Chen looked at her retreating figure and narrowed his eyes involuntarily.

After walking a few feet, Lin Xi suddenly turned around and waved to Lu Chen, with a warm and reluctant smile on his face.

Lu Chen stared at her smiling face, which was firmly etched in his mind.

It wasn't until Lin Xi and others completely disappeared from sight that Lu Chen turned his horse's head, joined the dozens of riders waiting behind, and then hurried back to Jianghua City.

The Jingzhou Governor's Office has confirmed that the Yan army on the northern front has retreated from the city and has no intention of going south to regain the lost territory. Therefore, the return of the Huaizhou army has also been put on the agenda.

After Li Tianrun and Xiao Wangzhi negotiated and decided, the Huaizhou Guangling Army and Lai'an Army temporarily stayed in Jiangbei to help the Jingzhou Governor's Office stabilize various places. They would return to Huaizhou after Li Tianrun sent some additional troops to Jiangbei.

Duan Zuozhang and He Gui were already good friends, and both of them were Xiao Wangzhi's extremely trusted generals, so they naturally had no objections to this arrangement.

The Zhenbei Army, Taixing Army, Panlong Army and the Imperial Guard Battalion returned to Huaizhou first. On the one hand, they needed to replenish their forces for rest and reorganization, and on the other hand, they needed to reorganize Huaizhou's defense and take over the three armies stationed in Nanya in the capital. .

On the day the army set out, the streets of Jianghua City were empty of people, and they were sent to more than ten miles outside the city.

Li Tianrun, the governor of Jingzhou, led his generals to send him off in person.

Lu Chen stayed in the queue of the guard camp and did not express himself deliberately.

Suddenly looking back, he saw Li Bingxue riding his horse and standing by the roadside, waving to him.

Lu Chen smiled slightly and waved.

So separate.

……

Guangling City, Luzhai.

Lu Tong told Lu Chen at the beginning that the Lu family's building regulations were not exceeded at all, but the area was slightly larger.

Lu Chen didn't expose it to his face that time, because the "some" mentioned by Lu Tong was a bit too much. Although this house has three entrances on the surface, the area is actually three to four times larger than the three entrances in the ordinary sense. Otherwise, there would be no room for improvement. Create a Zhiyuan in the back house.

Here there are all the pavilions and terraces, the running water is flowing, and the scenery is quiet and elegant.

In the Water Pavilion, two middle-aged men sat opposite each other. There was a chessboard on the stone table, with black and white chess pieces scattered in an orderly manner.

Lu Tong put his hands in his sleeves, looked at the frowning face of the old miracle doctor Xue across from him, and said proudly: "Can't you think of it? To tell you the truth, I have 20 years of experience in this strategy of making waves in the east and attacking in the west. How can I be easily fooled by you?" Crack.”

"You're so proud." Xue Huaiyi cursed, showing no image of a gentle elder in front of Lu Chen.

After scolding, the crisis on the chessboard could not be solved. After thinking for a long time, he could not find a way. He had to pick up the tea cup next to him and take a sip. He said angrily: "You are so arrogant in front of Zhan Hui if you have the ability."

The smile on Lu Tong's face instantly condensed, and he said helplessly: "I can't beat him? I tried every means to make him win more naturally."

Xue Huaiyi's worries were gone and he couldn't help but laugh and said: "Actually, why do you have to be humble in front of him? Even if you don't use my connections, you still have many ways to make the Lord of the Palace bow his head and obey his orders."

"Don't give me the ecstasy soup. That's the magistrate. Do you think you're a clerk in the county government?"

Lu Tong glared at him and said: "It's better to do less than to do more. I just want to run my business honestly, and I have never thought about showing off my power in front of others. Besides, Fu Zun is pretty good, at least in terms of character. Better than Zuo Xiang and the six ministers."

Xue Huaiyi laughed and said, "Thank you for not including my nephew."

However, Lu Tong did not let him go around him. He pointed at the chessboard and said, "Don't try to cheat. If you can't solve it, just surrender."

"You are really..."

Xue Huaiyi smiled and shook his head, nodded and said: "Okay, I admit defeat."

Lu Tong smiled and said, "It's not okay to admit defeat. Where is the lottery?"

"I'll ask someone to bring that ginseng later." Xue Huaiyi was quite free and easy, and said with emotion: "We can't play this chess game from now on, and we have to give something as a gift. It's okay after all, I treasure it All the medicinal materials will belong to your Lu family. Actually, I don’t understand. With your financial resources, what else can’t you buy? As for staring at my medicine storehouse every day? "

Lu Tong said leisurely: "There is nothing better than your collection of things bought outside. Shen'er is determined to join the army. In the future, he will inevitably be killed on the battlefield. Injuries are commonplace, and you will not be with him, so he has to search for some precious medicinal materials in advance. There is no way to keep them all. When can we save his life?”

Of course Xue Huaiyi wouldn't really mind. He smiled and said, "Speaking of Lu Chen, there is something you should pay attention to."

Lu Tong collected the chess pieces leisurely, nodded and said, "You tell me."

"As for the soul-locking incense, you had people go to Pseudo Yantieshan City to investigate. Did you find any valuable clues?"

"No. The restaurant named Qingchenzui was burned to ashes by a fire, and both the shopkeeper and the waiters died."

Xue Huaiyi's eyes narrowed slightly, and then he said seriously: "I have a clue here."

The movement of Lu Tong's hand stopped, his smile faded instantly, and a stern look appeared in his eyes.

Xue Huaiyi said with a solemn expression: "There is an imperial physician named Wang Jinquan in Yongjia City. He is the great disciple of the late master. He is upright and worthy of trust. I often exchange letters with him. Some time ago, I mentioned the strange poison of soul-locking incense. , he told me in his reply that he knew that there is an extremely special medicinal material in the soul-locking incense called Yuncao."

Lu Tong asked in a deep voice: "Does he know the origin of the Soul Locking Incense?"

Xue Huaiyi shook his head and said: "He doesn't know much about it. He also talked about this thing when chatting with the master. This cloud-twisting grass is hard to find in the world. It has only appeared on the top of some mountains in Dajinchuan."

"Dajinchuan?" Lu Tong was slightly startled.

Xue Huaiyi explained: "The Jinchuan tribe among the seven tribes in Shazhou has lived for generations in Da Jinchuan. It is located in the vast mountains and mountains, and outsiders cannot identify the way to set foot in it."

Lu Tong understood immediately: "In other words, if you want to make the soul-locking incense, you must have people from the Jinchuan tribe pick the cloud grass?"

Xue Huaiyi nodded.

Shazhou Qibu is located in the upper reaches of Hengjiang River, bordering Chengzhou in the west of Southern Qi Dynasty.

Because of the unjust case outside Heluo City, the Seven Shazhou tribes, who were originally loyal to Da Qi, changed their attitude. In recent years, they often harassed the border, which indirectly contributed to the establishment of the Chengzhou Governor's Office.

Lu Tong pondered: "If we start from the Jinchuan Department, we may be able to find out who is secretly dealing with the Lu family."

"It is a way, but I heard that the seven tribes of Shazhou are now extremely repulsive to the Qi people, and the Jinchuan tribe is the leader of the seven tribes. If you start in this direction, you must be careful."

Xue Huaiyi reminded earnestly.

Lu Tong responded.

At this moment, housekeeper Lu Wu hurriedly appeared outside the wind pavilion, his face full of surprise and excitement.

This situation is rare, because Lu Wu has always been calm and serious, and keeps Lu's house in order.

When Lu Tong saw this, he asked, "What's the matter?"

Lu Wu first saluted Xue Huaiyi, and then said hurriedly: "Sir, someone from the government office has informed me that the main force of the Huaizhou Army and the main force of the Jingzhou Army have cooperated tacitly to recover the seven major cities on the puppet Yanmoyang Road one after another and defeat the enemy. There are countless armies! The Jingzhou Governor's Mansion has written to all places that the person who made the plans for this battle is our young master!"

After Lu Tong heard these words, the corners of his mouth opened involuntarily.

Lu Wu continued: "The main force of the Huaizhou Army has returned from the Shuangfeng Ancient Road and will arrive outside Guangling City the day after tomorrow. The governor has already ordered the gentlemen and common people in the city to go out ten miles from the city to greet us and celebrate our army's great victory!"

Xue Huaiyi looked at Lu Tonglao Huai's very relieved look and couldn't help but joked: "Just laugh if you want."

Lu Tong hummed a little tune in his mouth, packed up the chess pieces in a leisurely manner, and said without any hesitation: "One more game!"

"Seeing how promising this kid Lu Chen is, I will risk my life to accompany you today. If you have the ability, empty out my medicine storehouse!"

Xue Huaiyi said extremely grandly.

There are white clouds above the sky, and the laughter and laughter in the wind pavilion can be heard far away in the breeze.

(End of this chapter)