Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 53: All the talents have arrived
Shangcai City, the county seat and government office.

"Prefect Zhao, where did you get your information? Is it just hearsay?"

The speaker was tall, with three centipede-shaped scars on his brow bone.

It was You Hongda, the former cavalry captain of the Eagle Banner Army.

That night, a great fire broke out in Caihe, and the Taikang rebels stormed the camp, leaving Yuwen Chengdu missing.

Many soldiers and generals were captured, and even some experts from the Tiger and Leopard Camp defected to Li Mi's Pushan Public Camp.

You Hongda led a cavalry unit in pursuit of Zhou Yi, and although they lost the chase halfway, they escaped unharmed.

Later, Zhang Xutuo's army arrived.

You Hongda possessed extremely high martial arts skills and was also capable of leading troops into battle. He integrated the remnants of the Yingyang Prefecture army into a new army, and at this time he became a disciple of Zhang Xutuo.

He was thus reinstated from his post as a defeated general and became a cavalry captain under Zhang Xutuo.

Because he was familiar with the situation in Taikang, Zhang Xutuo sent him to the front line to suppress Li Mi.

I have received an urgent letter from Zhao Tuo, the Prefect of Huaiyang, requesting my assistance.

He traveled day and night, all the way to Shangcai, intending to seek revenge on Li Mi.

As a result, they didn't get anything, let alone any war merits.

Therefore, when speaking to Zhao Tuo at this moment, it was inevitable that there was some anger in her voice.

The man in the main seat of the county government office was over fifty years old. He gripped the crescent-shaped armrest with one hand and twirled two steel balls with the other.

His face was sallow, as if covered with a thick layer of wax.

His hands were enormous and covered in calluses; whether he was inhaling or exhaling, it was as if he were pulling a bellows.

When talking about masters who excel in both internal and external skills in Huaiyang County, one cannot avoid mentioning Prefect Zhao.

He internally practices the Toad Stance and externally cultivates the Taiyue Protective Qi, making it impossible for ordinary martial artists to even penetrate his protective qi.

This man was inherently violent, and in this chaotic world, he became an even greater tyrant in Huaiyang.

You Hongda was only acting out of respect for Zhang Xutuo; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to speak to him with such rage.

"Captain You, please be patient. Let my men bring the message first."

Zhao Tuo's eyes flashed with a cold light: "I'd like to change the subject with Commandant You."

"Oh?"

You Hongda picked up his cup, drank the tea, and chewed the tea leaves in his mouth. "I'd like to hear more details," he said.

"I've heard that you've had many dealings with the Taiping Heavenly Masters. Is that true?"

When this topic comes up...

You Hongda immediately spat out the tea leaves in his mouth.

The image of the person holding the flaming banner involuntarily appeared in his mind.

Furthermore, this figure also matched the "Zhou Guanchao" in the Fushi Inn.

He then recalled the great loss he had suffered in Yongqiu.

Damn it, this guy is a real jinx!

I get so bad luck whenever I run into this person!
Warning bells rang in You Hongda's mind, and he felt a strong urge to retreat. He looked at Zhao Tuo and asked, "What? This Taiping rebel is also in Shangcai?"

Zhao Tuo shook his head vigorously: "I'm looking for him."

You Hongda understood.

Zhao Tuo is obsessed with martial arts; he's probably searching for some absurd and laughable Taoist treasure book.

"That traitor has already fled. The world is so vast, how could I possibly know his whereabouts?"

Zhao Tuo showed a slight hint of regret.

He took out a portrait from his pocket and showed it to You Hongda.

"Captain You, this is a painting I had someone draw. Can you tell me how much it resembles that Taiping Zhou Tianshi?"

You Hongda glanced at it and mocked, "He's not that fat. He's much more handsome in person than you are."

Zhao Tuo frowned: "Even more handsome than this?"

You Hongda said, "Although he is a great traitor, I disdain to tell lies."

Zhao Tuo grinned maliciously: "It's better if he's handsome; it'll be hard to find someone who's too ordinary."

Seeing that he looked like he was about to go crazy, You Hongda shrank back, but remembering that they were on the same side, he kindly reminded him:
“Prefect Zhao, I advise you not to look for any Taoist treasure books.”

"Li Mi and this Zhou fellow are two major rebels in cahoots. As for that so-called Taoist treasure book, even General Zhang said that Li Mi fabricated it to embolden the Zhou fellow, possibly in preparation for the Taiping Dao rebellion in the future."

"Moreover, this Zhou fellow is like a plague god, even more cunning and treacherous than Li Mi. Meeting him is sure to bring no good."

After saying that, he spat out a mouthful of saliva.

Zhao Tuo smiled and shook his head: "I have a principle: once I've made up my mind about something, I won't believe anyone else's opinions unless I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Whether you believe me or not is none of my business," You Hongda thought, too lazy to bother with him.

Ok?
He suddenly looked up and saw someone rushing towards him from outside the government office.

"Prefect, Commandant You, we have news!"

Zhao Tuo sprang up from his high chair.

He darted forward and grabbed the urgent letter delivered by the scout.

"Hahaha!"

He then laughed three times, his face full of ruthlessness: "Immediately order all the experts of the Prefect's Mansion to assemble!"

"Yes!" The man accepted the order and left.

"Captain You, please muster the troops!"

"..."

On the banks of the Ru River, bathed in the dim glow of the setting sun, a strange man with a hooked nose, deep-set eyes, and a towering crown appeared in the shadow of a mulberry tree. The city walls of Shangcai, illuminated by the setting sun, exuded an ancient and weathered aura.

Emperor Ding suppressed his anger at the destruction of the secret nest.

But it only suppressed it.

He couldn't even practice his martial arts in peace if he didn't unleash this pent-up anger.

Following the scattered traces left that night, I arrived at the Ru River, after which the traces disappeared.

Those two people must have left by boat.

Downstream of this section of the Ru River lies Shangcai City.

Emperor Ding had good reason to believe that the two men would pass through the city.

It was a man and a woman, both dressed in white.

A chaotic cacophony of shouts and neighing horses erupted from Shangcai City.

Emperor Ding heard it, but he was fearless!

Facing a forest of spears and halberds from a group of skilled warriors, one cannot fight them head-on, but running away is easy.

Finding a section of the city wall covered in grass, Emperor Ding easily leaped into the city with a zombie-like gait.
……

After leaving Shangcai, Zhou Yi continued his journey without stopping, first distancing himself from the chaos that followed.

In just one day, he traveled from Shangcai to Wufang.

It is about 500 li away from Nanyang.

After spending the night in Wufang Town, I set off early the next morning, my blue robe covered in morning dew, on the winding ancient road.

At the end of the Si hour (9-11 AM), I encountered several petty thieves with knives blocking my way.

These thieves had been watching along the road for a long time, and finally they encountered someone traveling alone who looked easy to bully.

They're preparing to open for business and rob people.

Unexpectedly, their initial attempt was unsuccessful, and they encountered a formidable foe.

They were all knocked to the ground and thrown into the river.

Around noon, Zhou Yi went to the mountainside to fetch some spring water, which he used to treat his stomach ailment along with some dry rations.

Beside that low hill stands a small pavilion, its four pillars weathered and worn, indicating its age.

Wild peach trees lean out to the side, scattering their fallen petals.

Zhou Yi, feeling inspired, went to the pavilion to rest, meditate, and practice his internal energy cultivation.

He was still practicing the Twelve Meridians, but after listening to Dugu Feng's words, he went directly to practice the Hand Lesser Yin Heart Sutra.

The heart belongs to the fire element, and using the water of the Yongquan point to practice this meridian should be extremely dangerous.

However, sometimes a theory is just a theory.

When applied to different people, the results are quite different.

Practicing this Lesser Yin Heart Meridian is actually not much different from practicing the Lung Meridian and Liver Meridian before.

Firstly, because his true energy is special.

Secondly, the inner demons generated by practicing the Heart Sutra were suppressed by Zhuangzi's "Human World" and "The Undying Mind and Zen".

Two hours later, Zhou Yi got up from his meditation.

"The progress in practicing this Lesser Yin Heart Sutra is still very fast."

"According to the common martial arts training methods that Little Phoenix mentioned, the Twelve Meridians correspond to various esoteric martial arts. If one were to master all twelve meridians, would one be able to encompass everything and understand the strengths of each school?"

Zhou Yi smiled, realizing he had been a bit greedy.

After stretching my muscles and bones, I felt completely refreshed and continued on my way.

This time, I mustered my inner energy and used my lightness skill to catch up with the pace I had fallen behind.

As dusk approached, we were about to reach Huai'an County.

After passing Huai'an, you will reach Nanyang.

As dusk settled, the outlines of the distant mountains and forests were blurred into the misty haze.

Zhou Yi wanted to find a village to rest in, so he quickened his pace.

After crossing a low hill, the road below gradually leveled out.

When we reached the foot of the mountain, we heard a dull, creaking sound.

That was the sound of oxcart wheels covered in red mud rubbing against the stone surface.

A person was sitting on the bare plank behind the oxcart.

He was a middle-aged man who looked quite down on his luck.

He wore a faded blue turban, and his pale white long gown was washed until it was grayish, with patches on his elbows, and a dark brown lining underneath.

On his lap, half a tattered scroll lay open.

On the horns of that yellow ox, there seemed to be the other half of a tattered book hanging.

He seems to be a down-on-his-luck scholar.
……

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(End of this chapter)