Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 4: Heading South
The two of them exchanged a few words, and Su Qingqi came flying over. She kept Wang Changzhi alive so that she could inquire about the whereabouts of the emperor. According to her information, the emperor had been escorted by a special person to Qinfeng Village to rest.

When she got closer, she looked at Zhao Wumian with a little confusion, wondering why he started chatting with this little beggar.

"Sir, you..."

"Qingqi, this is not the place to talk." The woman interrupted Su Qingqi.

Su Qingqi's body trembled slightly as she realized who this person was.

She suppressed her desire to look him up and down, lowered her eyes and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, why do you look like this?"

"Let's talk about this in detail after we leave here?" The woman looked at Zhao Wumian and asked in a questioning tone.

Since it concerns his own safety and it is rare to find someone who knows about the Hanyu Gu, Zhao Wumian naturally nodded.

Before leaving Qinfeng Village, the woman asked Su Qingqi and Zhao Wumian to move two bodies out of the long house where they had just fought with Wu Ming.

A man and a woman were both cut in half and died in a horrible way.

"Before Qingqi and the young master came to Qinfeng Village, they attracted Wu Ming's attention for me, so that I could disguise myself and spread the news that Wang Changzhi colluded with the Rong tribe, causing chaos and escaping from the scene." The empress's voice was unclear, and she shook her head slightly, "Let's find a good place to bury them."

Zhao Wumian pondered for a while and felt that even if he and Su Qingqi didn't come, she would probably be able to escape by herself, but she would be in a more embarrassed state.

The two men died in such a miserable way that it was unbearable to watch. Zhao Wumian picked up the tiger skin spread on the ground and wrapped them up like dumplings. Su Qingqi found some hemp ropes to tie up the tiger skin.

The situation was urgent, so the few people didn't say much. They tied up the tiger skins and left quickly in the heavy snow.

The woman explained, "Qinfeng Village is located in northern Shanxi, close to the border. My father has placed secret sentries here to investigate border affairs. Wang Changzhi is the secret sentry appointed by the court. My affairs are a bit complicated, so it is inconvenient for me to return to the capital openly, so I found myself here."

"But the place is remote, and it gradually becomes difficult for the court to manage it. People like Wang Changzhi began to have ulterior motives. You thought this was a good place to hide from thieves, but you didn't expect Wang Changzhi to collude with the grassland and expose you." Zhao Wumian guessed.

The woman nodded silently.

This is a good idea. The bandits in the border areas are robbing the traitors who trade with the Rong people. However, after Wang Changzhi had second thoughts, the fake bandits became real, burning, killing, looting and committing all kinds of evil.

Wang Changzhi was still hanging on the wall, his head tilted, his life or death unknown. When Zhao Wumian passed by, he pulled out the steel knife stuck in his shoulder and weighed it for a while... The sword of the court spy was obviously much stronger than the scrap copper and iron that Zhao Wumian had picked up before... But now it was his.

Zhao Wumian took the heavy purse from Wang Changzhi's waist. He didn't know how the monetary system in this world was calculated, but such a large amount of money should be enough to last for a while.

Su Qingqi raised her hand and pressed lightly on Wang Changzhi's shoulder. A powerful internal energy gushed out, shattering his internal organs on the spot.

Then, without even looking at him, he quickly went to the stable, took two horses and left quickly.

The bandits in Qinfeng Village were confused by this situation. Someone exclaimed, "Yeah! They stole my horse!"

"They are martial arts masters who can force Wu Ming to retreat. If they don't kill us, their ancestors will be ashamed. Do you still have the courage to snatch your horse back?" Someone asked with a sidelong glance.

After a few words, they looked at the dead Wang Changzhi again, with different emotions... After all, they were just ordinary bandits without any vision. Although they were hostile to the barbarians of the grassland, now that their boss was gone, Wu Ming had escaped, and a few inexplicable guys had also left, they began to set their sights on the 'leader of Qinfeng Village'.

This is natural. The imperial court does not have enough manpower to send hundreds of people to act as bandits to gather intelligence... It only delegated a few direct subordinates to do the job at their convenience. Strictly speaking, these bandits are "outsourced". As we all know, "outsourcing" has always had little human rights and is easy to be blamed.

This is good, at least there is no need to worry about these bandits bothering the three people outside the village who have different thoughts.

The three men found a white horse, put the tiger skin on the horse's back, and led the horse away.

As the snow fell heavily, the woman first told Zhao Wumian about her life story.

"I am my father's illegitimate daughter. I lived in Chu when I was a child. I was taken to the palace with my mother when I was two years old. My mother was then crowned as the queen." The empress led the white horse, and the snow on her shoulders fell off as she walked. She tilted her head to look at Zhao Wumian beside her and said to herself:

"Later, when my mother was critically ill, I left the palace and entered Guixuan Valley to learn medical skills. It has been almost ten years now... The Cold Jade Gu came from Guixuan Valley. It is the poison of the King of Gu, so I was able to recognize it at a glance."

Zhao Wumian frowned, sorting out his thoughts. Was his enemy related to Guixuan Valley? Was the rounding also related to the woman beside him?
The woman seemed to see what Zhao Wumian was thinking, she smiled and said, "The Qihuang Gu and poison techniques in Guixuan Valley are not separated. The Hanyu Gu was successfully refined by the Valley Master a hundred years ago. The original intention was to practice medicine with poison, but it accidentally killed hundreds of people and caused many innocent people to die tragically. The Valley Master was hit by this and disappeared with the Hanyu Gu. His whereabouts are still unknown. Currently, there are only a few written records left in Guixuan Valley..."

After that, she showed a bit of disbelief again, "But according to the records, those who are poisoned by this poison will have their bones and muscles broken and their martial arts disabled within a day. But the young master is clearly alive and well, and the green bloodstains are definitely from the cold jade poison. Other poisons should not have such symptoms..."

Zhao Wumian thought that the cold jade Gu in his body must have been taken away by the person who saved him... The poison had been cured, so he was able to preserve his martial arts, but there was no guarantee that there was still some left in his body... He glanced at the empress who was frowning and thinking. If the poison recurred halfway, I'm afraid only this doctor emperor from Guixuan Valley could help him...

Thinking of this, a hint of helplessness emerged in his eyes... Could it be that he really had to travel with this female emperor?

The two of them had their own thoughts and did not speak for a while. Only Su Qingqi looked at the tiger skin on the horse's back, hesitated for a moment, and asked: "Are they the Iron Raksha couple? My eldest brother told me that the Iron Raksha couple are on a mission. I haven't seen them for several years..."

The empress came back to her senses, her tone was a little confused, and she nodded slightly.

"They were protecting me in secret, but they only appeared in front of me a few days ago, telling me that my father had passed away and begging me to enter the palace to take charge of the overall situation...

The eldest brother died in the Jingnan Campaign 20 years ago. The second brother, as the Crown Prince Regent, has been ill from overwork and is still in a coma. He is no longer able to manage state affairs...

During the years when my mother was the queen, my uncle became the admiral of the navy, in charge of 100,000 Chu navy. If not for this, I wouldn't have gotten the position in the end."

After hearing this, Zhao Wumian finally understood the whole story. The old emperor passed away without a successor, and the palace, for the sake of the 100,000 navy, looked to the princess who was studying abroad and secretly sent people to pick her up. But if they brought her back to the palace in a swagger, she would probably die the next day from reasons such as "bandits", "falling into the water", "breaking her neck after a fall", etc.

She wanted to sneak back to the palace through the secret sentries, but she happened to run into a traitor and her identity was exposed. Su Qingqi should have been the person sent by the palace to pick her up, but she met Zhao Wumian who had just crawled out of the snow... It was a coincidence. It was just that she hadn't become the emperor yet, and Su Qingqi just called her Your Majesty... Zhao Wumian felt that the little heroine was not as naive as she looked. The small details of the title of Your Majesty, on the one hand, could show loyalty, and on the other hand, could ease the princess's anxiety. The deep meaning was, "I treat you as the emperor, so I will definitely stand on your side, don't worry."

But this little heroine obviously didn't trust him.

"If we beat Wu Ming back, I'm afraid the emperor will die the next day, and the news that the prince is away will spread all over the world." Zhao Wumian looked at Su Qingqi while thinking, and then said: "Rather than worrying about me, you should consider how Wang Changzhi, the traitor, got this secret."

The empress frowned slightly, "I have been very careful in what I say and do along the way. Wang Changzhi only knows that I am a princess at most. It is impossible for him to know that my father has passed away..."

Su Qingqi was stunned. "Is there a spy in the palace colluding with the enemy on the grassland?"

The atmosphere was a little depressing. Knowing that there were spies was useless. The most important thing was to return to the palace safely.

Walking out of the dense forest and looking up, I saw a cliff, but there were no beautiful mountains and rivers in front of me, only drifting snow.

The woman sighed softly, "Let's go here. When spring comes, eagles will fly across the sky and the mountains will be green. It will be a good place."

Zhao Wumian was eager to know about Hanyu Gu, and was not very interested in such court affairs, so he pulled out the steel knife at his waist and used it as a shovel to dig the soil, saying casually: "It doesn't matter where they are buried. The most important thing is whether I can avenge them."

The woman glanced at him sideways. This was the view of an authentic man of the underworld, who emphasized distinguishing between gratitude and resentment and settling scores with pleasure.

She smiled to show her agreement, "That's right."

After that, she also found a wooden stick to help dig the soil. Su Qingqi did not dare to neglect it. The three of them worked together and quickly dug a hole. After the tiger skin was buried, the empress bowed respectfully to the small snow pile.

"I have only known you for a few days. I fled in a hurry and didn't even know your names... But it is also a fact that you sacrificed your lives for me. If I can return to the palace safely, I will definitely avenge you!"

The woman spoke in a calm voice and bowed again.

Zhao Wumian glanced at her sideways. The woman's dusty appearance really didn't seem like she was suitable to be an emperor... But if she could return to the palace safely, she would be the most noble person in the world... Perhaps it was the history in the book that made Zhao Wumian feel that this woman, as an emperor, should be scheming, heartless and ungrateful. Even her declaration at this moment was only for him and Su Qingqi to see.

But Zhao Wumian felt that it shouldn’t be the case. This woman was a kind-hearted person… and the way she dug the soil with a small wooden stick was actually a bit cute.

After the greeting, the woman stood up, hesitated for a moment and looked at Zhao Wumian, and finally said what Zhao Wumian really cared about, saying:
"As far as I know, the Cold Jade Gu has not appeared in the world for many years. Although there are records in the valley, it is difficult for me to go back to the valley to help you investigate. However, my father loves to collect unique skills from all over the world, and the palace should have some news... From the look of your face, it seems that you are in danger. Why don't we support each other and work together?"

The woman's meaning was very clear. The Imperial Palace was obviously the intelligence gathering center of this world. No intelligence agency was more efficient than the imperial court. You want to track down the cold jade Gu? Then send me back to the palace first. Then I will naturally help you investigate, and even help you kill the person who poisoned it. It is not a problem. It is mutually beneficial.

Su Qingqi was hesitant to speak, thinking that it was too much for the emperor to let Zhao Wumian, a man of unknown origin, follow him. But as a subject, she shut up and let the woman make the decision.

If Zhao Wumian wanted to hide his identity and start the investigation from the beginning, it would take a lot of effort, so no one could say they were at a disadvantage, and they should all state their own conditions and demands in a more open manner.

But the woman also said that there were records in Guixuan Valley. Zhao Wumian could just leave the two women behind and go to Guixuan Valley to investigate. The risk would be much smaller than escorting her back to Beijing... Why should he tell him that there was also Hanyu Gu in Guixuan Valley at this moment? It was obviously more beneficial for her to conceal this matter.

This is also her kindness.

But Zhao Wumian knew clearly in his heart that the poison in his body might not be completely eliminated. If something went wrong, it was probably only this woman, an international student from Guixuan Valley, who could cure it... This thing was a time bomb, and it would be safer if there was someone who could suppress it by his side.

Even if this little empress is just empty talk, it is best for me to stay by her side right now because of the Cold Jade Gu.

Zhao Wumian weighed the pros and cons and decided that the best solution was to follow the future empress and help her return to Beijing.

With enemies around, it is better to find a powerful backer than to act alone... Is there a more powerful backer than the emperor?
This is investment.

There is no investment without risk.

The dangers she encountered while escorting her back to Beijing were risks.

"Okay, but I have a condition." Zhao Wumian finally gave in.

"Not to mention one, even if it's three, I'll do as you say." The empress visibly relaxed, the corners of her lips curled up, and her tone was brisk. She could tell Zhao Wumian's character from Su Qingqi's attitude towards him... He might not care about the merits of following the emperor, or the glory and wealth, but if you treat him with kindness, he will surely not let you down.

Zhao Wumian is a sincere and chivalrous man...at least that was her first impression.

"Let her teach me martial arts." Zhao Wumian pointed at Su Qingqi.

It is obviously not okay for him to be in his current state. Finding a good master to teach him martial arts can, on the one hand, help him learn by analogy and see if he can remaster what he learned before. On the other hand, it can conceal his identity… If he travels around the world with his original martial arts, he will be recognized sooner or later, just like Guo Jing's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms… There was no Internet in ancient times, and few people knew what Guo Jing looked like, but when this move was used, even beggars on the street knew that this was the great hero Guo.

Su Qingqi, who had been silent the whole time, blinked her eyes, and then her expression suddenly became vivid. You are already a martial arts master, and you still want me to teach you martial arts!? Insulting?
"What Qingqi has learned is the secret of the Su family, so it is difficult for me to make the decision. I can only promise that if you can successfully protect me back to the capital, you can choose from the martial arts collected from all over the world." The empress did not agree directly, but considered Su Qingqi.

"It's okay." Su Qingqi calmed down, hesitated for a while, and shook her head gently, "Young Master has done me a favor, so I'm just teaching him some martial arts. It's okay."

The agreement was reached, and there was no need to hesitate. The empress took out a small booklet from her bosom and said, "This is the secret book that the couple gave me before they left. They knew they might die, so they hoped that I could pass on their martial arts. Now that I am giving it to you, it can be regarded as fulfilling their last wish."

Zhao Wumian did not shirk his responsibilities. He put away the booklet and said, "With the grassland masters by our side, we should head inside the Great Wall first. The secret sentries in various places cannot be used. Otherwise, we will not be able to afford another Wang Changzhi."

The two women nodded, and the three of them mounted their horses and headed south in the snowy wind.

The evening breeze blew, and snow foam splashed, sweeping over the small mounds of earth and covering the snow prints left by the horse's hooves.

(End of this chapter)