What a lucky world!

Chapter 92 All the guests in the room are Painted Skin Demons!
On the official road, the setting sun is as red as blood.

"It's a military crossbow!" Song Yuanqing handed Zhang Mu a sharp arrow and said, "The walls of the escort carriage are specially made. Ordinary bows and arrows can't penetrate them. Only this kind of military crossbow arrows mixed with purple gold can penetrate them at close range."

"Someone mingled among the disaster victims and took advantage of the chaos to shoot at close range."

Song Yuanqing's face was solemn when he said these words. In the battle just now, three escorts were killed, and even an escort accompanying the team was injured.

"Is Mr. Song okay?" Song Yuanqing asked.

Zhang Mu shook his head: "All is well."

"That's good." Song Yuanqing exhaled a breath of foul air and continued, "Although the attackers have all been killed by us, the fact that they were able to obtain the crossbows from the army shows that they are not ordinary people."

"It's impossible to let this go."

"Please inform Mr. Song that we need to speed up our journey."

"So as not to give the other party time to set a trap."

Zhang Mu looked around and saw that all the horses pulling the carriage had been shot dead, only the horse ridden by the escort was still intact.

How does this speed up the journey?

Song Yuanqing naturally saw Zhang Mu's concerns and said, "Only bring one day's rations. The escorts will return and the escorts will ride their horses."

"Try to get to Yongning Prefecture within two days."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mu nodded and turned around to see Song Haowen standing not far away, looking towards the direction of Wan'an County with a serious expression.

"Sir..." Zhang Mu stepped forward and called out.

"It seems I've been exposed." Song Haowen sighed softly, "I left some people in Wan'an County to guard the clues."

"They should be in great danger."

Zhang Mu paused for a moment and said softly, "Sir, I'm sorry."

Song Haowen shook his head: "I still underestimated Zhou Yangyou."

"Even if he is from a side branch, he is able to make it in this generation, gain the support of the family's resources, and become a county magistrate. He is indeed not an ordinary person."

"What are the arrangements next?"

Zhang Mu said quickly, "Captain Song's intention is to expedite the journey, using fast horses the entire way, and strive to reach the provincial capital within two days."

Song Haowen nodded: "Well, I am also quite good at horsemanship, so I don't need a special person to take care of me. Just give me a horse."

"Let's go."

……

The escort team reorganized, gathering ten still-healthy horses. Zhang Mu, Song Yuanqing, Song Haowen, and six other escorts each rode one horse, with a spare horse reserved for a final escape. The escorts returned to Wan'an County, carrying the bodies of their fallen companions and their baggage.

When night fell, the cavalry first followed the escort team back, then turned into the mountains and forests beside the official road, then walked forward for a while and then returned to the official road, and then galloped all the way under the moonlight.

The moon was bright in the sky, and the entire cavalry surrounded Song Haowen, with Zhang Mu always staying at Song Haowen's side. The cavalry raised a cloud of dust and advanced towards the city without stopping.

……

Wan'an County.

The cries of the victims outside the city could be heard from time to time, and the yamen runners guarding the city had become numb to it.

This must be someone who died of illness or starvation, not surprising.

But the crying was so piercing that it made it impossible to fall asleep and really infuriating.

At the same time, in a mansion in the county town, there was pleasant music and clinking of glasses.

"My dear family heads, this Rouge Tears is the nectar purchased by Zhou from overseas. The county magistrate himself only has a few jars of it. He brought it out today to reward you. Shouldn't we offer a toast to the county magistrate?" The chief clerk Liu Yuan stood up, raised the wine jar in his hand, and proposed loudly.

Upon hearing this, the heads of various families in the county agreed one after another and stood up to raise their glasses to toast the county magistrate Zhou Yangyou who was sitting in the main seat.

Zhou Yangyou smiled and said, "I'm not in a hurry to drink. I have a few words to say to you."

"I have served as the county magistrate of Wan'an for three years. Thanks to the support of the local sages, I have been able to bring order and harmony to Wan'an County. I have finally lived up to the imperial court's kindness."

"Before leaving, I also cooperated with you all, and we both gained something."

Everyone laughed and nodded when they heard this, saying, "That's right, everyone has gained something."

Zhou Yangyou continued, "It's just that I'm going to be transferred to another place soon, and there are still some problems with the arrangements." When everyone heard this, the smiles on their faces froze and they looked at Zhou Yangyou.

Zhou Yangyou seemed oblivious to the glances, continuing to speak to himself, "The share I discussed with you earlier was 40% to 60%. 40% will go to the Zhou family, and the other 60% is for you to choose from."

"But Zhou has a request."

Everyone looked at Liu Yuan again, and Liu Yuan smiled and said, "Your Excellency is too polite. What are your instructions?"

Zhou Yangyou waved his hand: "I don't take your orders. I am wrong in this matter."

"Zhou wants to change the share. How about a 50-50 split? The extra share can be regarded as a vote of confidence from the villagers in my new position."

After saying this, Zhou Yangyou still had a smiling face, but the sound of the stringed instruments suddenly changed, from a soft tune to a song of killing.

"There's no rush for this matter. Please think about it carefully."

"Let's listen to the music first."

"This poem, 'Banquet and Killing,' tells the story of how the Southern Yu Martial Saint Guan Tianxia went to a meeting alone and killed five Grandmasters at a banquet in Dongqi. It's so moving, and I love it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of the strings suddenly became high-pitched, like a long sword being unsheathed.

For a moment, everyone in the hall was silent, with only the murderous music echoing.

After about a cup of tea, the song finally came to an end. When the last note was played, the musician pressed the pipa and a brief silence appeared on the scene.

In this silence, the sound of approaching footsteps became more and more obvious.

A masked man in black appeared in the hall, carrying a large black bag in his hand.

The masked man shook the big bag, and five heads rolled out immediately. The first one had scars all over his head, and his eyes were wide open, as if he died with his eyes open.

Everyone was horrified when they saw this, and looked at Zhou Yangyou in confusion.

Zhou Yangyou smiled, pointed at the head on the ground, and said, "Everyone, someone has been watching our business for a long time."

"These people are from Zhang Taiyue's sect and were sent to protect Song Haowen."

"At this moment, Song Haowen is on his way to the capital to expose us."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this, but Liu Yuan reacted very quickly and said immediately, "Sir, we've thought it through. It's still 4:6. You're 6, and we're 4!"

Upon hearing this, even though the others showed signs of pain on their faces, they also stood up and said, "That's right, the lord has six, and we have four!"

"Hahahaha! You guys are too polite." Zhou Yangyou stood up and looked at the head on the ground again, feeling proud.

The reason why I kept them and gave them the news was not just for now, right?
"Once you're aboard our Zhou family's ship, we won't let you get hurt by the wind or waves!"

"Don't worry, everyone. Wherever Song Haowen goes, someone will take care of it!"

"Come, come, drink this cup to the full!"

After saying that, Zhou Yangyou picked up the wine jar and drank it all in one gulp. Seeing this, the others also drank the Rouge Tears in their hands.

Rouge tears are taken from grapes and are deep red in color.

At this moment, the open-eyed head on the floor of the hall "looked" at the local sages, rouge tears flowing from the corners of their mouths, as if the whole hall was full of demons thirsting for blood and seeking pleasure...

……

Dawn arrives and the sky in the east begins to turn pale.

Song Yuanqing waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"Rest for an hour before continuing on our journey." Song Yuanqing said.

Everyone dismounted, but Zhang Mu sat on his horse, looking up at the sky.

"Brother Mu, are your legs weak? Why don't you come down and have a rest?" an escort joked.

Zhang Mu shook his head and still looked up at the sky.

There is a bird circling in the sky.

He always felt that this flying bird seemed to have been following them for a long time...

(End of this chapter)