After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The figure immediately smiled sheepishly at Wenquxing's house: "I was in a hurry, too hasty."

After urinating.

The audacious boy shuddered twice, clutched his stomach, cried out "Ouch!", and darted towards the bamboo grove behind the house of the book-loving boy.

A passing farmer chuckled as he looked at the comical figure from behind, shaking his head and laughing along with the others: "A lazy donkey on a millstone produces lots of excrement and piss."

His figure disappeared into the bamboo forest.

The pale sunlight from the horizon shone through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, illuminating his sharply defined profile, making his entire face appear cold and solemn.

Finding the right angle, he walked out of the bamboo forest with extremely light steps. From this position, passersby would definitely not be able to see him.

The location and the time were deliberately chosen.

After the rooster crowed, everyone in the village woke up, and no one expected him to come over at that exact moment.

Especially that young man with the knife last night.

After capturing Li Liang, the other side dismissed their men and went home to sleep, presumably feeling quite pleased with themselves.

I considered coming over to investigate immediately, but then I thought that the young man with the knife might come back to kill me, so I stopped myself.

They only arrived at this hour.

He originally thought the task would be simple, but he really didn't expect such a change to happen. It's really interesting that there are such people in this kind of village... He shook his head and smiled, then walked forward slowly with his back bent.

When you walk to the brick wall in the backyard, the wall is only about nose height high.

With a single hand pressing against the brick wall, his body flew up like a swallow, landing silently in the courtyard.

Looking at the ground, he recalled the trick Li Liangzhong had used yesterday.

It deliberately chose to step on places without fallen leaves, landing on the balls of its feet, and slowly walked towards the inner room of the book-loving child's house, its movements unhurried and quiet, like a wild cat strolling leisurely.

The inner room is a wooden structure, with a window in the backyard.

Once he confirmed that the woman rescued by the so-called "reading seed" was indeed the person he was looking for, he could leave. Alone, even if the woman was indeed that person, he couldn't alert her; he had to act in secret.

He walked to the window, poked a hole in the gray-white window paper with his finger, and peered inside...

Just then, his ears twitched.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp whooshing sound came from behind!

As the sound rang out, the figure tensed up and suddenly lurched to the side!

"when!"

An arrow pierced the soil where it had been standing, penetrating three-tenths of an inch into the earth!

The arrow's fletching was stuck diagonally in the ground, swaying incessantly and making a constant buzzing sound.

He crouched low to the ground, staring at the arrows on the ground, his eyes half-closed. Then he turned his head and stared at a certain spot in the bamboo forest, whispering in surprise:

"What a fine bow!"

In that spot, a silver light was flashing; it was an arrowhead reflecting the sunlight.

"Whoosh!"

A silver light flashed as it drew nearer, and another arrow was shot out!

He rolled away and dodged to the side.

But just as he dodged it, "whoosh!" another arrow seemed to have anticipated his direction, and with a "whoosh," the arrowhead pierced the ground less than an inch from his eyes! His pupils froze, and his heart clenched.

"Such a fast bow..."

Three arrows in quick succession.

The first arrow was fired about five breaths apart from the second, but the second and third arrows were probably less than two breaths apart. As soon as the opponent fired the second arrow, he anticipated the direction of his own arrow, drew his third arrow, and without the slightest hesitation, drew his bow and shot it directly at the target.

"Too fast, there's no way to dodge it..."

He sighed, sat cross-legged on the ground, and stopped moving.

I accept my fate.

The first arrow revealed the force of the arrow; it must have been from a strong bow weighing at least 60 jin (approximately 30 kg), or even an extremely strong bow weighing 70 or 80 jin (approximately 35 kg).

The second arrow not only revealed the opponent's strength, but also their accuracy and arm power. By the third arrow, all he could feel was terror. Two arrows fired in a very short time—if he weren't in this rural village, he might have suspected he was being assassinated by a skilled soldier.

What kind of person could draw a 70-pound bow so quickly and continuously?

Looking at the third arrow stuck in front of him, he gradually realized that it wasn't that the other party couldn't hit him; they just didn't want to kill him.

rustling...

As he sat on the ground, a bitter smile on his face, looking like he was about to be slaughtered, a figure slowly emerged from the depths of the bamboo forest.

The person who came did not bring a bow.

They gently climbed over the courtyard wall.

The silver light from before was still there. The newcomer was not that terrifying archer. Deep in the bamboo forest, the archer was still aiming at him. If he moved, that silver light might pierce his neck.

He gave the visitors a wry smile: "You actually kept watch all night."

The newcomer held a foot-long sharp knife in his right hand, and his hands were wrapped in layers of white cloth.

Ning Nan shook the knife in his hand and frowned at the peddler on the ground: "Actually, it's the middle of the night."

He was sleeping during the first half of the night.

The peddler raised his hand: "Impressive! Could you please let that archer come out and meet me? I won't object; I'm just very curious."

Ning Nan pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and threw them at the other person.

when!

A pair of iron handcuffs, ahead of their time, fell in front of the peddler.

"Cuff yourself."

He made a gesture, showing the other person how to use the handcuffs.

The handcuffs were designed by himself and made by Dahei. The archer behind him was also Dahei. Apart from himself, Dahei was the person in the world who knew that bow best.

Click!

The peddler imitated the other man, putting on the small handcuffs. His eyes were filled with curiosity. He thought he knew all about torture instruments in the world, but when he pulled on the handcuffs, he immediately discovered their ingenious use.

"This is much more convenient than handcuffs or shackles," the peddler exclaimed in amazement.

"Who sent you?" Ning Nan asked calmly.

"Nobody," the peddler said frankly. "I'm just a flower thief who stumbled upon this opportunity to steal some fragrance, but I never expected to be caught off guard."

The mission is complete. The fleeting glimpse I just caught showed that the young woman in the inner room was not the person I was looking for.

"Let's report it to the authorities," he sighed.

Although being thrown into jail would be shameful, the Daliang Baojia system was designed to prevent people like him from appearing in villages and towns. There was no need to say more; it was better to be known as a flower thief and get into jail sooner.

Ning Nan looked at the man carefully and remained silent for a moment.

Is it really such a coincidence? Like Li Liang, they are both womanizers?

"Did you send Li Liang?" Ning Nan raised his chin.

"No," the peddler shook his head.

No? ... Ning Nan frowned.

At this moment, Sanzhuang opened the kitchen door, his bull-like eyes widened, and he strode over, carrying a long stick. Yang Qiniang pushed open the window of the inner room, peeked out, and screamed in surprise. She immediately closed the window and ran out to call for help.

"Could you let me see that archer?" The peddler ignored the two men and asked Ning Nan curiously.

Ning Nan shook his head: "No."

"Why?" the peddler asked, puzzled.

"I'm afraid you'll retaliate, so I won't let you see his face."

The peddler was taken aback for a moment, then looked the man up and down, and asked with interest, "Aren't you afraid I'll retaliate?"

Ning Nan gave a thumbs-up to the bamboo forest behind him: "If I die, he'll take a bow and arrow and kill your whole family."