Nightwatcher

The Weishui Canal in Jianzhou, merchant ships, on deck.

Mu Nanzhi was wearing a big cloak to keep out the cold, sitting on a big cushioned chair, holding Bai Ji in one hand, and fishing with a bamboo pole in the other.

On the left side, there is a table and two chairs. On the table, a small stove is burning with charcoal, and a pot of fish is burning. .

Xu Qi'an and Miao Youfang were sitting at the table, eating the fish.

Bai Ji poked her head out of Mu Nanzhi's arms, staring at her with dark eyes.

"In the past few days, it's either fish or bacon. I can't even poop out of it."

Miao Youfang cursed.

Xu Qi'an slapped him back from the chair, then waved to Bai Ji.

Bai Ji broke free from the embrace of the concubine, ran to Xu Qi'an's feet with four cheerful short legs, and looked at him with her head raised.

Xu Qi'an picked up Bai Ji, put a piece of tender fish belly on the bowl, Bai Ji buried her face in the bowl, and began to eat in small bites.

"You're making rapid progress. I estimate that after another month of training, you'll be able to step into the fifth-grade Huajin. At that time, as long as you don't kill yourself and provoke top people, you can go anywhere."

Xu Qi'an took a sip of the dirty wine, feeling a little relieved.

They went south on this trip to the Shiwanda Mountain in southern Xinjiang.

There are currently only three people in the small team, and a fox.

Among the members of the Tiandihui, Li Miao is really chivalrous and likes to act chivalrously. When the disaster is raging and the people everywhere are struggling, they always want to do something, so it is difficult to stay by Xu Qian's side peacefully.

Chu Yuanzhen is an unrestrained swordsman who makes his home all over the world and has no fixed place to live. What he yearns for is the freedom to do whatever he wants.

On the way of traveling around the rivers and lakes, it is his happiest thing to meet old friends, have a drink, and rejoice in grievances. When the wine is finished and things are settled, he will embark on a journey again to pursue his way of swordsmanship.

Master Hengyuan and the Holy Maiden have the same mentality. The monks are compassionate and duty-bound to help the world and save people.

As for why Li Lingsu didn't go south with him

That day, when everyone woke up early in the morning, the Holy Son had already left.

I left a letter to the members of the Tiandihui, which means that I have recently experienced a breakthrough in my state of mind, and I want to go on the road alone to understand the true meaning of forgetting love.

In fact, when he left, all the members of the Tiandihui knew about it. As far as everyone's cultivation level was concerned, the movements within a radius of several miles were clear.

Xu Qi'an lay in the warm bed, and sang a farewell song to the Son in his heart:

Knowing that you were leaving that night, we didn't say a word. When you put on your luggage and unloaded that honor, I could only keep the smile in my heart.

After the Holy Son left, Xu Qi'an released Dongfang Wanqing, and Chai Xing'er was still imprisoned in the pagoda of the pagoda, fed regularly, called out to wash up regularly, and Miao Youfang was regularly asked to be a coolie to clean the toilet.

At this time, the person in charge of the merchant ship, Steward Zhu hurried over and said respectfully:

"Hero Miao, there is a golden water beach in front of you. The water flow is gentle, and water bandits often block the river to rob. Generally speaking, you only need to pay some money to get across."

Seeing Miao Youfang nodded, he continued:

"If there is no accident, you don't have to take action."

Miao Youfang let out a haughty "Mmm", maintaining his "superior" demeanor.

Manager Zhu bowed and stepped back.

This merchant ship is a merchant ship of the Jianzhou Chamber of Commerce, and it is going to Yuzhou to do business, and Miao Youfang's current identity is a new guest minister recruited by the Jianzhou Chamber of Commerce, who is responsible for the safety of the merchant ship when it goes south.

Xu Qi'an's identity was not revealed, he was just an ordinary follower.

The merchant ship sailed for half an hour, and the water flow started to calm down. After sailing for another quarter of an hour, the speed of the ship became extremely slow.

They can only rely on the boatman in the bilge to row the oars.

thump thump thump. Steward Zhu rushed out of the cabin with a dozen warriors, holding swords and back bows, looking alert.

Xu Qi'an looked towards the left bank and saw dozens of small boats coming through the waves at an extremely fast speed.

Before, they were still anchored on the shore. When the merchant ship entered this gentle river, more than a hundred water bandits on the shore immediately jumped on board, paddled their oars, and approached like cutting through the waves.

This is a kind of small boat with sharpened ends. It is less than ten feet long and only three feet wide.

"Hey, why are there so many water bandits here?!"

Guanshi Zhu was dumbfounded, his face turned pale.

Miao Youfang glanced at him: "Not before?"

Steward Zhu settled down, his face was still ugly, and he said with a wry smile:

"I've walked through this waterway a few times. In the past, there were only 20 or 30 water bandits in total. Now there are probably more than a hundred of them. Now, this appetite has grown."

Xu Qi'an suddenly asked: "What are these ships called?"

"This is a gun boat, known for its agility, and it is a ship commonly used by water bandits."

Manager Zhu was in a very bad mood, and patiently explained:

"In the calm waters, merchant ships are not as fast as these small boats. The guns in their hands are used to pierce the bottom of our boats. Guns are not their only means. They also have kerosene to burn the boat."

While speaking, the group of gun boats was less than three feet away from the merchant ship. Guanshi Zhu walked to the side of the boat, took a breath, cupped his hands and said loudly:

"Heroes, let me ask Zhu, all brothers in the four seas, it is not easy to go out to ask for a living, Zhu has prepared fifty taels of silver for you brothers, and I hope it will be convenient."

Fifty taels of silver is quite a large amount of passing money.

When Xu Qi'an worked as a watchman in the capital, he didn't eat or drink, and his salary was only fifty taels a year.

"Fifty taels, how about sending the beggar?"

On a gun boat, there was a jeering sound.

Zhu Guanshi and others followed the prestige, and it was a man in black and a cloak, with a knife on his waist, standing firmly on the bow of the boat.

He was probably in his early thirties, with rough and dark skin, and sharp and unruly eyes.

Guanshi Zhu didn't know him, but in his impression, the leader of this group of water bandits was a warrior named "Wild Mandarin Duck".

"Your Excellency is not a wild mandarin duck, where are others?"

Just as he was about to open his mouth to follow the sound, the man in the cloak jumped up and slammed into the bow of the merchant ship.

boom!

The bow of the entire ship sank suddenly, causing everyone on board to sway and nearly fall.

The man in black glanced at Miao Youfang, who was the only one standing motionless, and several boat guards with bows and knives on their backs, and snorted:

"There are still a few practitioners.

"Wild mandarin duck? You mean that guy who doesn't know how to praise? I have already beheaded him and sank into the river, but I am still righteous and took good care of my wife for him."

Guanshi Zhu said in a deep voice:

"How much silver do you want, you may as well just say it."

The man in black raised his palm and spread his five fingers: "This number."

Five hundred taels. Zhu Guanshi said in a deep voice:

"Your Excellency, don't be joking."

The net profit of the entire ship's cargo is not five hundred taels.

The man in black smiled and said:

"Not only do we need money, we also need women. We have so many brothers under our command, we can't live without women.

"My uncle will give you a compromise. A woman is worth ten taels, and a good-looking woman is worth twenty taels."

As he said that, he looked at Mu Nanzhi beside Xu Qi'an, and gave a disgusted "tsk":

"For this kind of stuff, five taels of silver can't be more, and it's enough for the brothers to entertain for a few days."

Mu Nanzhi sneered.

"Come out to mess around, don't make things worse."

Guanshi Zhu, who wanted to persuade him, suddenly choked, because at this moment, the man in black deliberately faced the sun, and there was a faint light on his skin.

Tier 6, copper skin and iron bones!

Guanshi Zhu's face changed slightly after encountering a severe stubble, and he couldn't help but look at Miao Youfang.

Generally speaking, when you encounter a master of this level, you can only admit defeat.

Manager Zhu was not sure about Miao Youfang's level, so he had to leave the decision to him. Guanshi Zhu believes that Miao Youfang will weigh the pros and cons.

"Mother-in-law, my uncle has limited patience!"

The man in black walked to the table, took a sip from the jug, and whistled.

After a few clicks, more than a dozen iron hooks wrapped around the side of the boat, and the water bandits climbed up along the ropes.

The water bandits who climbed without ropes pointed their spears at the bottom of the boat, or opened the kerosene jar, and waited for the order from the man in black to dig the boat and burn the boat.

They are water bandits, not businessmen, who will bargain with you?

After the water bandits boarded the boat, the man in black ordered:

"Go inside to search for property and bring all the women out."

Pointing to Mu Nanzhi again: "Let's take this woman away too, but it's not considered money, just as a bonus."

His tone was relaxed, but he did not relax, and his right hand was always pressed on the handle of the knife.

Immediately, two water bandits walked towards Mu Nanzhi, holding knives and making a vicious gesture.

Suddenly, there were two bang bangs, and the water bandit had just approached Mu Nanzhi when he was blown away by a huge force, vomiting blood and falling to the ground.

Xu Qi'an stretched out his hand to wrap his neck around the man's neck amidst the drastic change of expression of the man in black:

"Let them go down."

"Down, down, all down"

The man in black was terrified. He was in the same mood as Guanshi Zhu just now—he had encountered a hard problem.

The water bandits became agitated. They never expected that the person who killed the former leader with one move would be as weak as a quail in front of this ordinary man.

Just a follower is so powerful, Miao Daxia's strength is more terrifying than I imagined. Zhu Guanshi was secretly shocked.

Along the way, Xu Qi'an regarded himself as Miao Youfang's follower.

The water bandits swarmed in, and swarmed away again.

"Your Majesty, hold your hand high. If you have something to discuss, I am the one who is blind today."

The man in black's tone was sincere and pleading.

He believed that unless the other party didn't want the entire ship's cargo, they wouldn't fight him to the death.

Sometimes, water bandits like them are not afraid of masters at all, because many masters will choose to compromise due to casualties, goods and other reasons.

There is no need to use life to do things that can be done with money.

Sure enough, Xu Qi'an did not kill him, and asked:

"Where are you from?"

"Yuzhou!"

After some questioning and answering, Xu Qi'an knew that the man in black was called Sun Tai, a native of Yuzhou, a loose man of Jianghu, who was wanted by the Yuzhou government for committing crimes.

This made him lose the possibility of creating a gang in a certain place, because the imperial court's wanted orders are shared between continents.

Sun Tai began to wander around the world. Although he said that he was not short of money, he was still a lone wolf.

With the beginning of winter this year, cold disasters are everywhere, and the order between continents is looming, and no one will talk to him as a wanted criminal anymore.

Sun Tai began to recruit the refugees and the rest of the rivers and lakes, occupying the water here as the king, and now he has hundreds of water bandits under his command, which is quite a good force.

According to the development of the situation, if this continues, similar bandits and water bandits will become volunteers who overthrow the imperial court, or "princes" who rule one side separately, and become part of the avalanche. Xu Qi'an sighed softly.

"Do you want to live?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Sun Tai nodded immediately.

Xu Qi'an pointed at Miao Youfang: "Kill him, and you will live. I will not interfere."

Then he said to Miao Youfang:

"This is your first trial. After two quarters of an hour, hold his head and come to see me. If you fail, the friendship between you and me will be over."

With two bangs, Xu Qi'an kicked Sun Tai and Miao Youfang out of the merchant ship, and they fell towards the shore.

He then let Guanshi Zhu break down, stopped at the same spot, and watched the battle side by side with Mu Nanzhi.

Manager Zhu was stunned. He didn't expect this servant to be the master.

Seeing his serious expression, Mu Nanzhi asked:

"Worried about Miao Youfang?"

"I'm thinking, if I were Duke Wei, how would I govern these martial arts who use martial arts to violate the ban?" Xu Qi'an whispered.

The enemies of Dafeng are not only the rebellious party in Yunzhou, but also these people from the rivers and lakes who took advantage of the situation to make trouble, as well as the refugees who went wherever they went to grab food.

Wangfu, in the study.

With a decadent expression, Wang Shoufu held a hand warmer, tapped the table with his finger, and asked:

"Erlang, this is a book sent from various places. Since the beginning of winter, there has been serious banditry in various places. Scattered people from all corners of the country have taken advantage of the situation, gathered refugees, and robbed homes. Internal troubles and external troubles.

"Today, His Majesty asked the princes in the palace, how to solve it? What's your opinion?"

Xu Erlang knew that Wang Shoufu was testing him.

Similar exams have happened from time to time in the past few months.

Wang Shoufu took a sip of tea and said slowly:

"Your qualifications are too young to be convincing in the royal party. With my body, I don't know when it will be cured, and it may not be cured.

"It's a pity that the team that has been in business for so many years is handed over to others."

Xu Nian frowned and remained silent.

"Don't worry, just give me a reply within three days." Wang Shoufu waved his hand wearily:

"Go ahead."

PS: Change first and then change, continue to the next chapter and read it tomorrow.