Chapter 24 Blame Me

On the official road, a group of people and a carriage were walking through the snow.

There were more than twenty to thirty people in this group, and except for those in carriages, the rest were all on horseback.

The person in front has dark skin, a long scar on his face, which stretches from his left eye to his lips, almost covering his entire face. He has a hooked nose, thin lips, a short strong beard on his chin, and slightly narrowed eyes. , but there is hope in his eyes. He is lean and not tall, more than five feet but less than six feet. At first glance, he is a martial arts practitioner.

This person is Lin Zheng, the deputy head of the Qingyun Escort Bureau in Liangzhou. The group had just escorted the escort to Chang'an. On the way back to Liangzhou, they received a business order to escort a scholar back to Yunzhou.

At this time, the sun was gradually setting towards the west. The winter sun, apart from being a little bright, did not bring much warmth.

Lin Zheng, who was in front, stopped his horse and raised his hand, signaling for the people behind him to stop.

A man behind him rode forward, stopped next to Lin Zheng, and asked, "Guard leader, why did you stop suddenly?"

"It's getting dark, and the snow hasn't been heavy these days. There is a forest ahead. According to the schedule, we are almost near Fangtou Mountain. There are a lot of bandits in this area. Take two people and go in to explore." Lin He was pointing at the forest in front of him.

"Okay" the person behind him replied, and then shouted: "Lao Qi, Xiao Jiu, follow me, others, wait where you are."

After saying that, he led the three of them and ran into the woods after riding. The rest of the people immediately scattered and stared at the surroundings warily.

The three of them rode into the forest. The person walking in front waved his hand. Lao Qi and Xiao Jiu knew it well and headed in different directions.

The three of them had all served in the army, and they were all scouts in the same army. They had a tacit understanding for a long time. Every move did not need to be explained. With simple movements, they could even tell what the other was thinking with just a look.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the three of them gathered together, looked at each other, and shook their heads. The meaning is clear. The leader nodded to show his understanding and said, "You guys keep running forward, and I'll send a reply to the guard."

After saying that, he reined in his horse and walked back.

Lin Zheng saw only one person coming back and asked hurriedly: "Old Liu, is there something wrong?"

Lao Liu stopped his horse and shook his head, "No, neither humans nor animals. I asked Lao Qi and Xiaojiu to run away. If something goes wrong, we can react early."

"Okay, then we'll spend the night in the woods tonight." Lin Zheng waved his hand and took the lead to walk into the woods.

The group gathered dry branches and waited for the fire to be lit. When Lin was cooking with the others, it was already dark.

Lin was nibbling on the pancake, then turned around and handed the steamed bun to the young scholar who got off the carriage, "Mr. Lin, our surname is Lin, we are still from the same family. This time we return to Liangzhou, we have to stay longer. Is that kid from my family still here?" I want to learn and read with you."

"Well, it is definitely good if you are willing to study. If you are not talented, I hope you will teach me with your heart." The scholar's surname is Lin, and his given name is Ziyu. He is one of the few people in Liangzhou who has been a Jinshi. He has a gentle face and a wooden hairpin. Hair, linen clothes and cotton robe, and a bookish air.

The others also greeted Lin Ziyu one after another when they saw him, which shows that he is indeed somewhat famous in Liangzhou.

While the group was eating, Lao Liu suddenly raised his head and gestured to everyone to be quiet. He lay down, put his ears to the ground, and listened motionlessly.

Soon he slowly raised his head, looked at everyone, and said, "Someone is coming towards us, and I only heard the sound of a horse."

After everyone listened, they each took out their weapons. The atmosphere was solemn for a while, with only the sound of burning thousands of trees.

In the forest in the distance, a man led a horse and slowly walked towards the escort agency. It was Zhao Jiu who had separated from Liu Rouwei.

Zhao has been traveling south from Chang'an for more than half a month. He originally wanted to return to Bianzhou, but he received a message from a six-fingered flying pigeon on the way.

Liuzhi said in the letter that Jiangnan is now in chaos. The death of the imperial envoy has had a great impact on countless Jinyi guards and eunuchs throughout Jiangnan. In order to distance themselves from each other, those officials almost became obedient dogs. They closed the city when they were told, arrested people when they were told, and ransacked their homes when they were told. Not to mention the killer, he just has a little bit to do with this matter.

Officials always arrest people at their word, and all the prisons in Jiangnan are full. For a time, people were panicked and everyone was in danger.

Liu Zhi asked Zhao to hide first. There was no guarantee that he would not be discovered when he returned to Jiangnan.

Zhao also understood that he could not return to Bianzhou after this battle, and he was heading south all the way. Since he could not return to Jiangnan, he could only turn around and go to Shu.

It was just a coincidence that I passed by this place and saw a fire in the distance, so Zhao led the horse and walked towards it.

Looking at Zhao Jiu walking out of the forest with his horse, everyone looked solemn. They didn't think that ordinary people could walk on the snow silently. Furthermore, ordinary people would not dare to go to dozens of people with weapons in their hands. Crowds of people.

Zhao Jiu didn't say anything, took the horse and sat down a little far away from them, and calmly lit the fire, as if no one was there.

Lin Zheng and Lao Liu looked at each other and signaled everyone to put down their weapons and pretend that nothing happened.

Although everyone had doubts when they saw this, they still put away their weapons. After everyone regained their composure, Lin Zheng walked over and asked gently: "Little brother, Lin Zheng, the deputy head of the Qingyun Escort Agency in Liangzhou, what do you call me?"

"Zhao Jiu, a native of Chang'an." Zhao Jiu said lightly. He was not an unreasonable person. He was the first to put away his weapons. There was no fault in the etiquette. It would be a bit unreasonable for him not to say a word. , not to mention the other party doesn’t have any ill intentions, just chatting can be considered as easing the hard work of the journey.

Seeing that Zhao was so easy to talk to, Lin Zheng lowered his guard and continued to ask, "I wonder where Brother Zhao is going? Why are you alone?"

"Liangzhou, travel around the mountains and rivers. The ancients said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles."

"Oh, I didn't expect Brother Zhao to be a scholar!"

"Brother Lin is wrong. I haven't participated in the Tongshi, and I'm not even a Tongsheng. How can I be considered a scholar?" Zhao smiled and waved his hands, and continued: "I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child, and I know a little bit of boxing and kicking, so I came out to travel alone."

"So that's it. The little brother actually learned martial arts from his family. No wonder he dared to go out alone to travel around the mountains and rivers. I'm presumptuous to ask, what rank is the little brother?" Lin Zheng asked with a surprised face.

"I am not talented. After thousands of hardships, I just entered the fourth rank. I am not a master." Zhao knew that Lin Zheng was wrong, but he naturally couldn't explain to him. It would be a fool to reveal all his secrets in a few words. It's always right to keep a watchful eye when you go out.

Lin Zheng was silent. He was almost fifty years old and had just entered the sixth rank. The boy in front of him was not much older than his son, but he was actually the fourth rank. Anyone would be silent.

He smiled awkwardly, said "young and promising" and sat aside depressed.

Zhao could feel Lin Zheng's depression. I have a system, blame me!

Do I have to tell others about having a system? Roasting by the fire, sitting cross-legged silently and practicing.