My enemies became my companions

Chapter 388 Leaving Beijing! (A -word chapter asking for monthly votes)
No one expected that King Jing would gather court officials to give advice.

Not to mention that King Jing was still in a "dead" state a few days ago, two days had passed since the seventh day. During the forty-nine days of the coffin, he suddenly came back to life and crawled out of the coffin. He claimed that his soul was wandering in the underworld. His life span was over, but he was pardoned by the King of Hell, King Chujiang, and thus his soul returned to the human world to help his daughter and Chen Yi to get married.

However, during the 49 days when the body was kept there, there were officials paying their respects every day, and there were so many of them that regardless of whether others believed this statement or not, most of these officials who came to pay their respects believed it.

Even if they didn't believe it, no one dared to say it out loud. The relationship between Prince Jing's Mansion and the Ding'an Party was obvious to all. So whether they believed it or not, it wouldn't be long before the story of Prince Jing's resurrection was cited as a good story and recorded in books like In Search of the Supernatural and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, with the phrase "people of the time were amazed by it."

Queen An naturally knew that Prince Jing was most likely faking his death. As for his gathering of court officials, this was both unexpected and reasonable. However, she did not take it to heart. Rather than being a desperate gamble, Prince Jing seemed to be seeking medical help from all possible means.

So even when all the court officials knelt outside the Golden Palace and made remonstrations in unison, Empress An never got out of her sedan chair. Instead, she just watched her like a monkey.

She sent female officials to inquire about the situation at that time. Many of the Ding'an Party members boasted very much, and some even swore that they had seen the King of Chujiang. It was not until she asked a small official with a straightforward and honest character that she finally got the truth of the situation.

"Many people were watching at the time. The prince climbed out of the coffin and confessed his deep hatred in life. He mentioned Captain Chen again and again, saying that he was not a good son-in-law and listed dozens of crimes. But his words were as firm as gold. He said that he would make their marriage a reality.

I didn't react, so I asked, "My Lord, aren't you dead?"

The prince said: "I don't like him, can't I just revive him?"

After several female officials reported back, Queen An saw the whole story clearly.

However, although she saw it clearly, people in the capital city valued face, and even more so in the court. Empress An dictated the imperial edict and had the palace maids and eunuchs copy it and distribute it. After making this temporary explanation, Empress An returned to the palace in a stately manner.

then,

She saw Donggong Ruoshu hiding under the bed.

"What about people?"

The female official Su Xin was pale, sweating, and her voice could not be suppressed.
"Where are they?!"

The face of the woman in the phoenix robe was shrouded in shadow. In the bedroom, there was a red veil that had fallen to the ground, empty dumplings, and empty wedding wine. There were traces of Chen Yi everywhere, but their figures were nowhere to be found.

The expression on Feng Rong's face was gloomy and unclear.

Donggong Ruoshu's acupoints were quickly unblocked, and Xiaochan, who was also unblocked, was kneeling on the ground, trembling.

Under the female official's questioning, Donggong Ruoshu quickly recounted the whole story.

"You mean... after they left, they said 'Goodbye, Miss Donggong' to you? Then where did they go?"

"…Leave the palace, they said they were heading east."

"Fool, I said that to you on purpose." After the words fell, Donggong Ruoshu felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave. This was the first time the Queen Mother had spoken harshly to her. "Everywhere in the palace is sealed off. They can't leave the palace."

Donggong Ruoshu said timidly, "Okay, it seems so."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because they asked me to convey a message to the queen:" Donggong Ruoshu took a deep breath and said, "'Queen, thank you for your kindness. I deliberately let King Jing lead you away.'"

As the words fell, An Hou's thoughts raced, and she felt that the man was standing in front of her.

Looking at her with a smile.

"What do you mean?" The phoenix-robed woman's eyes were as sharp as swords. "Did King Jing pick you up?"

"No, King Jing just seems to be coming to pick me up."

"Then I will let you enter the palace..."

"Then you will let me into the palace."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because you sent many spies to watch over me, and I almost escaped."

An Hou seemed to hear him talking.

"When you realize you're out of control, you'll want to keep me under your nose."

then…

He escaped right under her nose.

The conspiracy with Prince Jing's Mansion was just a smoke screen!

He had been thinking about entering the palace from the very beginning!

...............

"Noble Concubine Dong has transferred several new palace maids and they are passing this way."

A palace maid who saw Concubine Dong on the way knelt on the ground and said tremblingly.

The female official Su Xin's face turned pale and she said:
"It's New Year's Day, not the time for selecting concubines from the common people, so how can there be new palace maids?"

She looked extremely excited, as if she was angry, and sweat kept dripping down her forehead.

It was just because An Hou was listening quietly with no expression on her face.

She said slowly: "Why get angry at a palace maid? Just go find Concubine Dong."

"Yes…"

The female official Su Xin seemed to be about to nod her head to the ground.

...........................

After seeing those people off, Concubine Dong looked back and saw the desolate courtyard where she had stayed for who knows how many years.

The old branches that covered the stone table were finally trimmed a few days ago, the yellow and cracked walls were painted with new paint, and big red lanterns were hung high on the eaves, adding a lot of festive atmosphere. The meals delivered in recent days are also exquisite enjoyment that was not available in the past.

But these...I'm afraid they won't last long.

Concubine Dong touched the festive couplet. The handwriting was vigorous and powerful. It was written by Chen Yi himself. It was this man who was like a fleeting love affair and left her with the last bit of thought.

"Alas, it's not really a thought."

Concubine Dong didn't have much love in her heart, she just couldn't help sighing.

Because apart from him, there will never be any other man in the future.

After sighing, Concubine Dong patted the couplet again, as if to make it more solid. She vaguely heard some footsteps.

The cold wind blew past.

As soon as she turned around, she saw a figure standing outside the courtyard gate.
Concubine Dong took a deep breath and said:

"Don't do anything. I'll take any responsibility."

..............................

While Queen An was dealing with sudden changes in the palace, Chen Yi and his companions had already been in the underworld for quite some time.

There is a Yin-Yang Gate leading to the underworld in Concubine Dong’s cold palace. Chen Yi had been targeting it from the beginning.

"She knows that one day on earth equals one year underground. I guess she will interfere with our divination in a few days."

Chen Yi walked in the front, holding the little fox's hand, and climbed over the rugged and narrow mountain road. Looking sideways, he could see large stone forests mixed with scarlet red spider lilies.

"She has interfered."

Zhou Yitang pinched her fingers and said lightly.

Chen Yi said with a hint of embarrassment: "Faster than I thought."

When he turned around, he could see Yin Weiying, Yin Tingxue, and Min Ming. He had basically taken away all the female relatives who could be taken away.

As for Donggong Ruoshu and Lin Wanheng, they were under strict guard and Chen Yi couldn't take them away at all, while Concubine Dong didn't want to leave herself.

Yin Weiying took two steps forward, followed closely behind Chen Yi, and said:
"You and my father...had this idea in mind from the beginning?"

"You mean, use him as a decoy and then escape from the palace?" Chen Yi paused and said softly, "In fact, I have thought about escaping through your father. There must be multiple alternative plans. If possible, who wants to come to this hell to blow the wind?"

To leave the capital via the underworld, one must find the Yin-Yang Gate outside the capital, but how easy is that?
The terrain of the underworld is different from that of the mortal world, and the roads are winding and rugged, with countless wild ghosts wandering on the roads.

So Chen Yi asked Concubine Dong in advance, and the latter only knew about another Yin-Yang Gate.

That gate leads to the outside of the capital, in the direction of the Beiyao River. Leaving from there, one can go upstream or downstream.

Chen Yi thought for a moment, and then said:
"Regardless of whether we will be delayed on the way, if we reach that door safely, you... must leave with my master and go to Yinjian Mountain first. Lu Ying will meet you on the way, and then Yu Zhen Yuanjun will take you back to Taihua Mountain."

Before the Lantern Festival, Lu Ying and other people from Yinjian Mountain had already left Beijing under Zhou Yitong's instructions.

Yin Weiying frowned:
"how about you?"

Chen Yi took a deep breath and said:
"I...I also want to go with you, but I can't leave so quickly. I still need to deal with them here for a while."

"deal with?"

"Her primary target is me, not you, so I'm going to go separately from you."

After saying that, Chen Yi smiled bitterly.

After leaving the underground palace, Zhou Yitong was no longer the undisputed number nine in the world. With her current condition, she could definitely not stop the nameless old lady alone, not to mention that there were also the masters of the Magpie Pavilion behind her. Instead of doing that, it would be better to split the troops into two groups, use herself as bait, and ensure their safety.

Knowing that Chen Yi had already made arrangements, Yin Weiying was not in a position to change them. She frowned slightly, thinking that this man always wanted to keep them out of it while he himself was involved. He was born an ordinary person.

She wanted to sneer and remind him to be careful, but she felt scared. After thinking about it, she restrained herself and said with her eyes lowered:
"Just be careful on the road."

Chen Yi noticed the slight contempt in her words and glanced at her.

Yin Weiying shuddered, pursed his lips, and looked up at him.

She knew that she had made Chen Yi unhappy...

And the consequences are tragic every time...

After pondering for a long while, the nun whispered in his ear:

"…After you arrive at Mount Taihua, I, as your wife, will accompany you day and night."

..............................

..............................

The journey was smooth, but not too smooth.

Leaving the capital through the underworld was a risky move. What was even more dangerous was that after the divination was interfered with by the Taoist priests from the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, they got lost several times.

Chen Yi's mood was slightly up and down. If he escaped from the Yin-Yang Gate in Concubine Dong's cold palace, he would soon be exposed. Queen An would definitely send people in to hunt him down, and would soon find out the location of the Yin-Yang Gate in the capital area from Concubine Dong.

The longer you delay, the more disadvantageous it will be.

However, after many twists and turns, they managed to escape danger all the way, walked through countless narrow paths, climbed several cliffs, and finally arrived outside the Yin-Yang Gate.

When Chen Yi pushed open the Yin-Yang Gate and saw the warm sunshine again, he felt a vague sense of discomfort.

The sun was high in the sky, it was almost noon, and two hours had already passed.

Two hours would definitely be enough time for the palace to react. I'm afraid that the nameless old lady and the spies from the Magpie Pavilion have already caught up with them.

Chen Yi turned his head and glanced at Zhou Yitang.

Zhou Yitang didn't say much, not even a word to ask him to be careful, he just nodded slightly.

As husband and wife for two lifetimes, there is nothing to say and the relationship is clear.

But it was different for the Yin brothers. The concern in the female priest's eyes could not be hidden, and Yin Tingxue said nervously:

"You have to be careful. The Queen Mother won't let you go if you are caught."

Chen Yi told her not to worry and tried to comfort her, but the girl was still a little nervous, so he took out the little paper boat and said softly:
"Here's the amulet you gave me. I'll be fine."

Yin Tingxue nodded when she saw this, and took out the small paper flower from her bosom and said:
"I'll keep what you gave me, too."

Chen Yi felt warm in his heart, but time waits for no one and would not give him the chance to be affectionate. He waved his hand and asked them to leave as soon as possible.

In the following days, Chen Yi shuttled and hid in the mountains and forests. Sometimes he would go to the town, deliberately spreading his whereabouts and forging some tricks, but every night he would always return to the mountains and forests.

He deliberately left many footprints just to confuse people and delay the incident as long as possible.

This time is neither long nor short, it takes about five days.

In this area of ​​more than ten miles, it seemed like a game of cat and mouse was being played.

Chen Yi took out a stack of silver bills from his pocket. Silver bills could not be bought and sold directly. Even if they could be bought and sold, the shapes of silver bills from different banks were different, and the shopkeepers in the county town might not recognize them.
"Let's find a place to exchange money first."

...........................

As night fell, a group of people arrived at an inn in Xinxi Town.

They were dressed simply, guarding a carriage like attendants, and were polite in their dealings with others, but their every move exuded a murderous aura that kept strangers away.

Laughing Pelican touched his money bag and went to the innkeeper and said:
"Did a man in black rent a room here this morning? This man is an acquaintance of mine. Please tell me about him."

"Sir, your request is..." The shopkeeper did not dare to reveal the situation for the moment.

The Laughing Pelican smiled and pressed his fingertips on the purse. A piece of silver flew out of the purse and landed on the table.

The shopkeeper swallowed his saliva and said:

"We can't disclose the guests' situation here, but if..."

"Then you'll live here." Before the shopkeeper could finish, Laughing Pelican picked up the silver coins and patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder, saying, "I just dropped some silver. Sorry, I've picked it up now."

The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, then realized that he had accidentally let the cat out of the bag and slapped himself in the face.

What people say when they express their greed is often very true.

The Laughing Pelican turned his gaze to the upper floor of the inn, then gestured to the darkness.

The next moment, a cold light flashed across the corridor.

The wooden door was instantly broken into two pieces by Wu Chang Ying's knife.

A woman's cry came from inside: "Ah! Lecher!"

The Laughing Pelican looked closely and saw that the prostitute who came from nowhere had bare arms, and there was a man's black coat covering the ground...

He stood there for a while, then turned around and said to the shopkeeper:
"Take it out."

"What..." Before he could finish his words, a knife was already placed on the shopkeeper's neck.

"He must have bribed you, otherwise you wouldn't have helped him hide it. Take it out, maybe there's something we want in it."

…………

Not long after, Guihunque, who had found out the situation, lowered her head beside the carriage. She had just reported the known information.

A majestic voice came from the carriage:

"You mean, he deliberately left a prostitute here to create the illusion of a night of pleasure, but in fact he had already escaped through the window, seemingly heading east, but actually heading north?"

The Soul Returning Bird lowered its head firmly, and the owner of the Magpie Pavilion was absolutely loyal to the owner of the An Family.
"My Lady, that's right. The silver coins in the shopkeeper's hand can be used to spell out the word 'heart'. They were exchanged from the Beixin Bank in Qiaoshui County in the north. It matches the hexagram and the previous investigation."

"Then chase him north. He hasn't left the capital yet and is trying to circumvent you."

The woman in the carriage was neither hurried nor slow.
"After catching up with him, if you can capture him alive, then do so. If you can't capture him alive, then you can kill him at any time."

"Yes."

The Soul-Returning Bird responded softly.

The night was silent, and the wind had become even stronger after the Lantern Festival. The assassins of Magpie Pavilion had undergone hundreds of trainings, and keeping warm was one of them. However, she, who had already adapted to the cold wind, suddenly felt icy for some reason.

In the carriage, the extremely dignified woman stopped talking and no one knew what she was thinking.

In Dayu, no matter whether they are high-ranking officials or peddlers, they are all fond of tea. For this reason, there are tea stalls in towns and counties, and even on the roadside.

A man was wearing a straw hat, looked dusty, with some dirt on his face, and had a knife on his waist.

The knife was wrapped in a long cloth, as if to prevent people from seeing the shape of the knife.

There were tea drinkers in groups of three or four in the tea stall, all of them were people going to Qiaoshui County. Two shirtless boatmen were playing finger-guessing games while drinking tea, a merchant selling medicinal herbs was concentrating on feeling for copper coins, and three scholars put their book baskets on the ground and were chatting about Li Bai and Du Fu.

The tea stall owner came up to me and asked:
"Sir, what kind of tea would you like?"

"Just any tea you want to make," the man replied.

The boss looked hesitant, perhaps because Dayu Xing wanted to order tea, but this man wanted to make tea.

"Is there a problem?"

"No."

The boss finally agreed and turned around to make tea.

Before long, a pot of hot water, an empty porcelain bowl and some broken tea leaves were brought over, and the boss raised his hand to make him a cup.

The man raised his hand to stop him, "I can do it myself."

As he spoke, he stretched out a silver needle from his wrist and inserted it into the hot water. After a while, seeing nothing unusual, he twisted the tea leaves with his backhand, and again, there was nothing unusual. At this time, he poured hot water into the tea leaves and made a cup of tea.

The boss couldn't help but say, "Sir, you are too careful."

"You have to be careful when traveling around the world."

The tea was brewed and a faint tea aroma wafted out. As if thinking that brewing tea was too rare in Dayu, the two boatmen and the scholars turned around.

The man swirled the teacup but did not drink it.

The boss thought he was staring at someone inappropriately, so he turned and left.

"Boss." The man called him.

The boss turned around, thinking that this was a troublesome customer, and asked impatiently: "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this tea?"

"No, there's something wrong with the tea bowl."

With a flick of his finger, the tea bowl flew out in an instant, and under the sunlight, there was a hint of crystal luster on the rim of the cup.

boom!
The boss dodged to the side, and the tea bowl shattered on the wall, spilling dark red tea. He put his hand back and pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, trying to stab the man's throat!
"puff!"

As soon as the dagger showed a sharp point, a silver light flashed, and a hole was pierced in the tea stall owner's throat. The silver needle for testing poison was nailed into the wall.

When the blood rushes up to the throat, no sound can be uttered.

The tea stall owner tried to cover the gushing blood, but blood flowed out from his fingers and he slowly fell to the ground. Blood splattered everywhere, the boatmen turned pale, holding their stools and retreated to the wall, and the merchants quickly gathered a table of copper coins with their hands and hid under the table...

The scholars who had just been talking about Li Bai and Du Fu had a book basket at their feet, but they took out a narrow knife from it and went around behind the man.

Chen Yi flicked his long sword and it came out of the sheath in an instant without any distractions.

The narrow knife swept over and killed him. Chen Yi's body only swayed slightly, almost brushing against the blade, and then he turned around and slashed it down.

One of them had his head dropped to the ground, and he could no longer utter the words of Li Du.

Their companion died, but the other two remained calm. The spies from the Magpie Pavilion were all the most powerful of the powerful. At this moment, they stabbed and slashed from both sides, trying to attack from both sides.

But Chen Yi was faster than them. He turned to the left, smashed one man's head with one hand, and then chopped down the other man's entire arm with a knife.

The whole process was neat and tidy, without any drag.

He kicked, controlling the force to step on the man with the broken arm, and asked in a cold voice:
"Where are the other people in Magpie Pavilion? Do you know?"

The question just fell.

The disguised Magpie Pavilion spy bit hard.

The poison hidden between his teeth shattered, his face turned purple instantly, and he died on the spot.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes, took out a silk cloth to wipe off the blood on the knife, and slowly retracted the long knife. Under the horrified gaze of the boatmen and merchants, besides the pool of blood on the ground, there was also the back of the man holding down his bamboo hat and the sound of friction when the long knife was sheathed.

...........................

"How's the investigation going, Death Crow?"

"It's in the Qiaoshui County area. The hexagrams match, the clues match, and he also killed our people there. Judging from his speed, even the Tongbi Shenyuan can't get far."

"He's not in a hurry to leave?"

"Madam said that he stayed here on purpose to deal with us."

"Deal with it?" Laughing Pelican smiled, because the more he thought about the word, the funnier it became. "Then let him deal with it."

The Death Crow stroked his arm and said, "I have asked the magistrate of Qiaoshui County to seal off the city. If he is outside the city, he can't come in. If he is inside the city, he will find a way to get out."

"Either take the water route or the land route. Looks like we have to divide our forces to encircle and suppress them again."

Laughing Pelican rubbed his hands. The Magpie Pavilion had already divided its troops once for this encirclement and suppression, but only one person was divided, and that was the leader of the Magpie Pavilion.

At the Queen Mother's instruction, the Master of Magpie Pavilion has headed towards Jianjia.

"You are good at swimming, so you lead people to block the water route, and I and the Soul-Returning Bird will go to block the land route." The Death Crow discussed.

"I know you're hanging out with your old lover, so I'll hang out with my old lover too." The old lover of the Laughing Pelican is Bei Yaojiang, "I'm a freeloader on the waves."

"Wow, even Water Margin is here. You've heard that kid go crazy telling stories." The Death Crow said half mockingly and half laughing.

"He and I are old friends. We had a good chat. Give him a good death."

The bonfire gradually died down, sparks flew everywhere, and in the remaining firelight, the Laughing Pelican drew a picture with a dagger, outlining a river and a river, setting up a killing situation. When the firelight went out completely, only the Laughing Pelican's smile remained in the darkness.

..............................

..............................

The news that Qiaoshui County was going to be sealed off had spread early on, but since it was New Year's Day, those who wanted to return home had already done so, and most of those who remained in the city were locals, so it did not cause much commotion.

However, there were also people who wanted to take this opportunity to leave the county. At the ferry bank near the water, large and small cruise ships were coming and going.

"Sir, you want to cross the river?"

The boatman asked, holding the oar.

Chen Yi looked at him and saw that the boatman's arms were tanned. Half of his body was leaning on the oar while he spoke, and he leaned in the shade intentionally or unintentionally to avoid the heat.

You can tell at first glance that he is an old boatman.

Especially the movement of leaning the body on the oar.

"Good, how much is the price?" Chen Yi asked.

The boatman looked up and down at the swordsman in the bamboo hat in front of him, pondered for a while, and gave a number:
"I'll do the math, ten cents."

Chen Yi casually took out some money and put it in his hand. The boatman looked at it carefully and touched the outline with his fingertips.

After feeling around, the old boatman said, "Oh, was it found by Beixin Bank?"

"What's the point?"

"The money there is in full weight, and there are even notches on the edges. It has a good reputation."

As he said this, the boatman put the money into his arms.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes and jumped onto the boat. The boatman pulled the oar and the boat headed towards the Beiyao River.

The river water was not really gentle, but rather turbulent. The boatman adjusted the boat's direction and carried Chen Yi up the river. Chen Yi sat by the door of the cabin, shrouded in the shadow, with the fishy smell of the river water rushing over his nose.

Qiaoshui County was getting farther and farther away, gradually turning into a horizontal line.

He entered the county town this morning, and in the afternoon they said the city would be sealed off. There was no doubt that the people from the Magpie Pavilion had caught up with him, so he did not check out of the inn and left some underwear there, not knowing if he could confuse the Magpie Pavilion.

I didn't know where the boat was going. The river water was getting turbulent and the boat was shaking gently like an uneasy fish.

Chen Yi looked sideways. There were many small islands on the Beiyao River. None of them were big. They could barely accommodate a dozen people and a dozen knives. The old boatman was holding the oar, rowing back and forth, as if he was powerless to fight against the turbulent river...

The boat gradually drifted along the river towards the strange and gloomy island.

The boatman said, "Sir, be careful, the river is fast and the boat is not very stable."

"Old boatman, how about I tell you a story?"

The man holding the long sword stood still and suddenly spoke.

"Story?" The old boatman frowned in confusion.

"Yes, old boatman, have you ever heard of Zixu crossing the river?"

The man didn't care whether the old boatman agreed or not, and said to himself:

"It is said that during the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu Zixu was being hunted by the Chu people and was anxious to cross the river. When the boatman heard that it was Wu Zixu, he took the risk of carrying him across the river.

Wu Zixu was worried that the boatman would betray him, so he offered the boatman a sword worth a hundred gold coins. However, the boatman refused to accept it and angrily said that he took him across the river because he admired Wu Zixu. He would not even accept a thousand gold coins from the State of Chu, so how could he accept a hundred gold coins from Wu Zixu?

“…What happened next?” The old boatman’s voice trembled a little.

From the corner of his eye he saw that the man had put his hand on the hilt of the knife.

"Afterwards, the boatman took Wu Zixu to the river bank and then cut his own throat with his sword to cover up his whereabouts. Wu Zixu was overwhelmed with shame."

The old boatman heard the man say slowly:
"The ancients were so strong and sturdy that I really yearn for them.
I just wonder if I am Wu Zixu today?"

The old boatman started with surprise, hurriedly pulled the oars, and rowed with all his might. The boat quickly overcame the turbulent river and no longer drifted towards the island in the river, but rushed towards the river bank.

at the same time,

The spy from Magpie Pavilion on the island saw through the branches that the small boat that was originally coming suddenly changed its course, and he immediately understood something.

"Why did the boat change its course?"

"Could it be that Captain Chen is on that boat?!"

"Release the falcon to alert the master!"

...............

Long before Chen Yi entered the city, Xi Que Pavilion sent people in disguise to negotiate with the boatmen at the ferry.

Each of them was given some small change, asking them to check if anyone had exchanged money from Beixin Money House.

If found, the person will be taken to a small island in the river.

And the old boatman was one of them.

Chen Yi's judgment was correct. He was not a spy from the Magpie Pavilion in disguise. Many things could deceive people, but the details brought about by the passage of time could not deceive people.

Seeing Chen Yi's hand on the hilt of the knife, the old boatman rowed with all his might and regretted taking this business that would cost him his life.

The boat rushed into the river bank. A large circle of reeds scratched across the boat's side. The old cabin made a creaking sound. The boat almost hit the rocks on the shore.

After finally stopping, the old boatman fell to his knees with a plop:

"Please spare me, sir, please spare me. I, I didn't mean it."

Chen Yi remained silent, pondering in his mind.

The old boatman took out the ten coins that Chen Yi had given him from his pocket. In panic, a copper coin fell out. He blocked it with one hand and pushed the money forward:

"Sir, the money is all here. I won't charge you any money... I won't charge you any money..."

Looking at the frightened old boatman, Chen Yi said nothing, but moved his hand away from the hilt of the knife and passed him:

"Let me tell you an old saying: You should be on guard against others, but you should never intend to harm others."

The old boatman kowtowed in fear and trepidation. Seeing Chen Yi's figure disappearing into the distance, he held the ten cents and was about to put it into his arms.

Sudden!
A crossbow arrow flew in from the woods. Chen Yi narrowly dodged by turning his head, and saw it pierce the old boatman's head in an instant.

The old boatman died holding the ten cents in his arms. His body fell on the small boat he had paddled for his entire life. When a cold wind blew, the boat drifted towards the Beiyao River.

Chen Yi's hair stood on end, if it weren't for the Shangqing Heart Method, he would have been the one to die. He saw figures in twos and threes rushing out of the woods, led by none other than Laughing Pelican, the master of the Magpie Pavilion!
The Magpie Pavilion blocked the waterway. In addition to the small island on the river, personnel were also deployed on the river bank. Moreover, Laughing Pelican estimated that he would not fall into the hands of the boatman, so he came to the Beiyao River in person to hide.

Sure enough, he guessed it right.

Laughing Pelican touched his chin, looked at Chen Yi and said:
"haven't seen you for a long time."

"It's only been two or three days." Chen Yi said calmly.

"I really like listening to your stories. It feels like a long time since I last saw you. The Queen said that it's okay to capture you alive or kill you, but I want to capture you alive, so I can get more credit."

After the Laughing Pelican finished speaking, it coughed twice, which sounded like it was laughing, but also like it was coughing after choking on water.

Chen Yi curled his lips and said, "Okay, come chase me."

The moment he finished speaking, he turned around and leaped towards the distant boat like lightning!
With ordinary lightness skills below the second level, one cannot jump so far, but Chen Yi pinched the wind-controlling technique with one hand, and when he jumped into the air, a strong wind blew behind him to help him land steadily on the boat.

"Fire arrows!"

Almost at the same time, the crossbow arrow pierced through the cabin, passed through the wind, wood chips flew everywhere, and made the water ripple. Chen Yi used Qi to control the objects, propped up the old boatman's body, and blocked the cabin door.

Arrows rained down.

The crossbow arrows continued to pierce the body, and the blood that had not yet coagulated splattered out.

The wind blew the boat, but Chen Yi's gesture did not change. The Yuan Qi flowed and shook his collar, and the boat was getting farther and farther away from the river bank at a speed visible to the naked eye.

There was no way the Laughing Pelican would let him go like that, so it sent out a falcon to deliver a message, and then it dived into the river.

The spy from Magpie Pavilion on the shore stopped shooting arrows and saw the Laughing Pelican dashing out of the water like an osprey.

A group of spies released a boat on the shore and paddled out to chase Chen Yi's boat. Chen Yi's Wind Control Technique affected not only Chen Yi himself.

The river was rushing, with white waves forming clusters. Chen Yi was not an expert in boating, but it was very easy for him to row the boat downstream. When he saw the arrow stop, he turned his head and saw the figure of the Laughing Pelican.

"Where to run?!"

The Laughing Pelican released his full energy and rushed out from the waves. He jumped up with a dagger in his hand and suddenly smashed towards Chen Yi!

With a bang, the sword tip hit the boat, and the small boat shook violently with a "plop" like a grass carp falling into the water, and the waves rolled away.

Chen Yi raised his knife and slashed. The blade cut through the narrow boat like a knife cutting through tofu. The wind blew past and the boat fell to the surface of the river and floated. He cut through the waves without any distractions, leaving a white line on the river.

The figure of the Laughing Pelican suddenly retreated, and the blade was only a hair's breadth away from him. He jumped back into the water and used the current to move away for a long distance.

Chen Yi lowered his head and opened the door. He saw a big hole in the deck, and the river water rushed out, and the boat began to shake.

Almost as soon as the idea came to his mind, Chen Yi made a prompt decision and slashed with his sword, cutting off the side of the boat where the big hole emerged. The small half of the boat was washed away by the current, while the half of the boat under his feet floated up again.

The Laughing Pelican was like a fish in water, chasing Chen Yi along the Beiyao River. His true energy broke through a circle of waves like a fish fin, and let the waves in the back help propel him forward. This was related to the internal skill he practiced, "Water River Dragon Kung Fu", which was a skill specifically designed to train underwater assassins.

Laughing Pelican is the best among them, which is what he talked about when he was chatting with Chen Yi.

As they went downstream, the river water became faster and faster. The Laughing Pelican jumped up again and rushed towards Chen Yi through the air like a prey.

They say they want to capture the person alive, but the killer usually wants to kill him.

There was no way Chen Yi would let him sink half of the boat again, so he stepped to the broken part and raised his knife to attack.

The blade cut through the air, and the waves were torn apart. Facing the cold light, the figure of the Laughing Pelican twisted extremely strangely and passed by the blade. His cheek was scratched by the blade and bled, but he seemed to be unaware of the pain. He got under Chen Yi's arm and stabbed Chen Yi in the ribs with a sword!
With murderous intent at the top of his lungs, Chen Yi's sleeves fluttered in the strong wind and his fingertips slightly raised.

Laughing Pelican's face suddenly changed, and he twisted his body in an instant, only to see a sword flying out from under the old boatman, almost piercing him from behind.

He fell sideways and into the water again.

Chen Yi realized something from Laughing Pelican's reaction - the palace already knew that he was practicing both Taoism and martial arts.

The ability to control objects with Qi, which had always been effective in the past, was now just a part of an ordinary killing move.

The Laughing Pelican in the water was like the most astute hunter. Not only could he keep up with Chen Yi in the rapids, even if those Magpie Pavilion spies had distanced themselves from him, but he could also swoop out from the vast river at any time, trying to deliver a fatal blow again and again.

Chen Yi's face was solemn, and it was hard to tell whether it was sweat or river water on his face.

The fight was still going on. The Magpie Pavilion spies had already left them far behind, but the Laughing Pelican had never given up the chase. He could see that Chen Yi's boat was becoming more and more dilapidated.

It won't be long before Chen Yi sinks into the water.

He sank into the arms of his old lover Bei Yaojiang.

That was his world.

He followed the current and made several terrifying attacks, which Chen Yi also resolved one after another. The distance between the two of them never widened. The shaky boat was like a prey that could not bear to be teased, and it could not survive the current.

Wow!
The sword edge brushed past Chen Yi again, but the enormous force of the fourth-rank master cut open a gap!
The bow of the boat pitched forward and began to sink.

Chen Yi leaped forward, and the boat was stepped into the water. The old boatman's body also sank completely. The Laughing Pelican seized the opportunity at this moment, and rode the current to stab Chen Yi, who had nowhere to stand.

Then, he saw a thunder talisman.

A strong bolt of lightning struck out and hit the Laughing Pelican, which was covered in water.

Chen Yi had no place to put his stress when he jumped in the air, and the same thing happened when he rode the current upwards. The Laughing Pelican fell back into the water with a splash, and the water conducted electrical potential, causing his whole body to twitch unnaturally.

Taoist thunder magic, apart from being able to kill demons and ghosts, is often only effective against people who have committed many evil deeds and killed too many people, and it is not fatal. After all, thunder magic is the most yang and strong thing, and ordinary people do not have yin energy around them. That is why there is a consensus in the world that Taoists are not good at fighting.

But for Chen Yi, who practices both Taoism and martial arts, thunder magic is an extremely useful auxiliary means.

The Laughing Pelican's figure was twitching and paralyzed due to the electricity, and it became sluggish. At this moment, Chen Yi dived into the water, slapped the knife with one palm, and stabbed straight forward.

The tip of the knife broke through the water and was about to pierce the Laughing Pelican's heart. The latter had a strong survival instinct and suddenly raised the dagger to block the knife.

The swords and knives clashed, shaking the water waves from bottom to top!

The water washed over Chen Yi. He tried his best to control his body and circulate his true energy. If he didn't kill the Laughing Pelican at this moment, he would have no chance of winning.

When the Laughing Pelican saw the figure coming, he tried his best to twist his stiff body and slashed with his dagger, breaking a line of water.

Chen Yi dodged sideways and slashed at the Laughing Pelican's neck with another knife.

At the critical moment, Laughing Pelican's dagger changed its moves in time, and slashed with the backhand, and the tip of the sword hit the middle of the blade. The huge force of the confrontation between the two fourth-grade masters shook him, and he was powerless due to the thunder and lightning. He heard the sound of bone breaking, and his arm was broken in an instant. The dagger slipped out of his hand, and Chen Yi's long sword shook out, cutting a large wave.

The distance between the two was very short. Chen Yi did not have time to cut with his sword again, and it was difficult to use his fists and feet in the water. He just turned around and grabbed Laughing Pelican's neck with both hands, wanting to strangle this fourth-grade warrior to death.

The waves continued to hit, and the Laughing Pelican struggled hard, kicking his legs violently, sometimes breaking out of the water and sometimes falling back into the water, but Chen Yi's grip only tightened him more and more.

"Let go...let go of me... ugh, wow...let go..."

Laughing Pelican was becoming more and more out of breath. He slapped Chen Yi with all his might. His punches and kicks caused ripples in the water, and blood gushed out of Chen Yi's throat.

But Chen Yi did not let go. He twisted his neck with his arms as hard as he could. He felt the Laughing Pelican's slender white neck becoming narrower and narrower.

The water hit his back, and Chen Yi didn't know where he would be washed to. He only knew that he couldn't let go now.

The Laughing Pelican had a strong desire to survive. He slapped Chen Yi desperately and screamed incoherently:

"Don't kill me... Don't kill me... We talked about it..."

Chen Yi said nothing, not sure if it was because of the blood in his throat or because he didn't want to answer.

"We had a good chat, a good chat...didn't we have a good chat...those nights?"

The Laughing Pelican's voice gradually became hoarse, his breath became less and less, and the river water kept flooding his throat.
"I am... a white shark in the waves..."

He struggled desperately, trying desperately to survive, and the sound in his throat became more and more monotonous and whimpering.

The waves hit him and his cheeks turned pale.

His hands gradually became weak and he couldn't even cut through the water in the Beiyao River. He could only shake his head in the water as if begging.

Chen Yi's face floated up and down in the water, having been beaten beyond recognition by the turbulent Beiyao River, but his hands were still tightly holding the Laughing Pelican.

There was a bang.

His figure crashed towards the riverside in the current and hit a huge rock. Chen Yi could no longer bear the pain and unconsciously let go of his hand.

Realizing this, he almost subconsciously raised his knife and chopped.

The knife slashed at the motionless body.

The Laughing Pelican's face was pale, his eyes were empty and staring blankly ahead, he died with his eyes open, and there was no smile on his face anymore.

Chen Yi regained his composure, spat out a large mouthful of water, and kicked his body into the water to cover his tracks.

Only then, after taking a breath, did Chen Yi finally wipe his face and mutter:

"It was a good chat, but if you don't die, I'll have to die, so it's better to die."

Chen Yi still remembers that when they were chatting in the martial arts courtyard, Laughing Pelican was always the one who kept company. He happily boasted about himself and shouted something like "white shark in the waves".

He once patted his chest and said that Beiyaojiang was his old lover. When Chen Yi thought of this, his body had been drowned by his old lover...

Try to write that kind of dangerous and compact feeling

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(End of this chapter)