Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 204

Chapter 204 River Cao Water Ghost
At the dock where the ship was berthed, the noise was getting louder and louder. A series of shouts echoed out, and it was as if saber-light and sword-shadows were still screaming miserably.

“Jianghu fights with weapons?” Qin Mubai took a surprised look and picked up the fallen yamen attendant beside him. “I’m not interested in making things difficult for you. Tell me, what’s going on at the dock? Our goods are still there!”

The yamen attendant was knocked out by Yuwen Hongtai’s might. At this moment, he said in shock, “You are really merchants, aren’t you here to cause trouble?”

“Cut the crap. Just ask!” Qin Mubai shouted.

“I’m not too sure either. It’s time for the water ghost from the West River Cave to cause trouble!”

“West River Channel? Water Ghosts? Which batch of people are they?” Qin Mubai asked.

“Are you from other places?” The yamen attendant glanced at the crowd and said, “The water ghost in the West River Cave is a group of scoundrels and bandits from the other side of the Eight Ghosts Crossing. They specialize in rampaging and robbing ships on this river.” All ships that passed by, be it official ships, private ships, or passenger ships or cargo ships, they had to charge for crossing the river, otherwise they would have to chisel the ship! There were hundreds of people in this group, all of whom were familiar with the water. They were truly tyrannical! In the past, they had only sneakily plundered the river, but now they had brazenly come to cause trouble for the Eight Ghosts Crossing! ”

“Isn’t the Eight Ghosts Crossing a Cao Tou set up by the yamen? There are even yamen servants guarding it. They also dare to cause trouble. Could it be that there really isn’t any law left to fight against the imperial court?” Li Ke couldn’t help but be a little annoyed when he heard this and knitted his eyebrows and said, “Isn’t the Eight Ghosts Crossing a Cao Tou set up by the yamen?”

The yamen attendant smiled bitterly, “Young master, you dare not understand what is right and wrong in the path of the green forest.” This Great Tang world was not something that could be ruled by just a single piece of paper. The water ghosts in the West River Cao had been causing trouble for decades, and the official army had also exterminated them a few times. When had they been completely exterminated? They were all hiding in the harbour and bay’s rivers, so it was hard to find them. If they changed their clothes, they would become good citizens. How could they distinguish between them? “Furthermore, there is someone protecting them behind their backs. Otherwise, where would Bao Tiangou dare to fight against our Xiangyang County Government?”

Just as he was speaking, the louder the shouts from the dock became, the more frightened the travelers who crossed the dock, causing chickens and dogs to jump around and flee. Several more boats continued to sink, stirring up waves like big waves. Several boatmen fell into the river and shouted for help. The capsized ships and scattered cargo quickly drowned them.

“Dead, dead!” A burst of shouting caused even more noise and chaos. Some people jumped into the river to save people, but the fighting on the shore did not stop.

At this moment, everyone saw that the yamen servants were fighting against a group of strong bandits dressed in pitch-black tight clothes and drenched in water. Each of them brandished their swords and wielded their swords. Those yamen servants who lacked training and hadn’t seen any true sabers and blood before felt a sense of fear in their hearts. How could they dare to fight them to the death? As a result, a large number of yamen attendants and officials were forced to retreat step by step. After suffering from the boatmen and the strength of their feet, they dodged in panic or jumped around on the boat, fearing that the boat would be chopped down to the point of drowning in the belly of the fish.

In a place like this, even people with good water would inevitably suffer. The huge waves and too many ships, and the sinking cargo that kept falling, no one would be able to get out of the water again.

“Reverse these thieves!” Li Ke shouted angrily, “What are the soldiers and horses of Xiang Prefecture doing here? They are so openly resisting the rebels of the Imperial Court that they aren’t here to hunt them down?”

“Ah! If only the soldiers were willing to interfere in such matters.” The official said with a bitter face, “Apart from the moment when the Imperial Court ordered them to hunt down the water ghost, even if the Prefecture of Governors went to summon the soldiers to fight back, they were still late. Every time, they would wait for the water ghosts to end their uproar and kill more people and goods without a trace before firing a last-ditch attack.”

Li Ke looked at Qin Mubai suspiciously. The corner of Qin Mubai’s mouth twitched slightly and he nodded in understanding.

The two of them thought tacitly, Could it be that the Xiang Province’s military manor is colluding with the Shui Manor?

At this moment, the group of water ghosts became even more arrogant. They killed the yamen attendant who had retreated from the siege and carried their knives to cut the anchor rope coiled on the shore. With one cut and one break, many boats drifted away. The boatmen and porters on the boats roared in panic. Many people began to jump off the boats, either turning to other boats, or directly jumping into the river.

“Strange, why did the boat float towards the center of the river when the cable was broken?” Everyone asked doubtfully.

The official answered, “Why do you need to ask? There must be a water ghost towing it with a rope at the bottom of the river! Ah, this cargo ship is going to suffer! This is all official salt that has just been transported from Huaizhou!”

“Official salt dares to plunder? How dare you!” Li Ke shouted, “Noble, Yin Yang, it’s time for us to take action. If we stop them, it would be best if we capture someone alive!”

“Yes!” Xue Rengui and Yin Yang shouted and ran forward barehanded. Yuwen Hongtai was stunned for a moment, “Young master, why didn’t you ask me to do the same?”

“You should stay here and guard Young Master properly!” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “It’s not important for you to take action. It’s better for me to go.”

Yuwen Hongtai grinned awkwardly and chuckled.

“Sorry to trouble you, Mubai.” Li Ke smiled at him, as if he was a little embarrassed to give orders to him.

“It’s just a matter of raising your hand. Furthermore, this is my duty.” With that, Qin Mubai headed towards the dock.

The yamen attendant looked at the crowd in surprise and asked, “Young master … are you officials?”

Li Ke glanced at him and gently raised the corner of his mouth, not saying a word. Yuwen Hongtai pushed the yamen servant aside and shouted, “You’re really talkative! Stand here obediently. If those blind yamen servants dare to make a mistake again, I’ll chop you up first!”

Qin Mubai strode towards the dock and looked around vigilantly. Yin Yang and Xue Rengui rushed to the front and charged into the group of water ghosts with their bare hands. In an instant, they had already knocked down several people. The yamen attendants saw that the experts had the courage to help the formation again, so they followed along and shouted loudly as they rushed over.

Qin Mubai wasn’t in a hurry to rush in and fight. Yin Yang and Xue Rengui had already flattered these few green forest bandits. He observed the battle scene in front of him for a while and discovered a rather strange situation.

In such a chaotic and intense battle just now, there were actually no heavy casualties on the scene. Only a few boatmen and porters were accidentally injured by swords and knives in the chaotic battle, but many of the yamen attendants who were lacking in kung fu were still intact. It was as if they knew how to protect themselves, and the water ghosts didn’t have the intention to fight to the death with these people. They seemed to be targeting only these large ships filled with official salt.

“Officials and bandits colluding?” A question mark arose in Qin Mubai’s heart.

On the shore, Yin Yang and Xue Rengui had already seized their swords and swords, causing screams of pain to rise from all directions. The water ghosts were a little panicked. Many people no longer chopped the rope and jumped into the water desperately. After turning over a few flowers, they disappeared. A few injured fellows could no longer resist, they desperately jumped into the water and disappeared without a trace with a burst of bloody bubble.

The Water Ghosts moved fairly quickly. None of them were able to escape very quickly. Clearly, they were well-trained and had a clear purpose. Although Yin Yang and Xue Rengui were experts, they were the typical northern dry ducks that didn’t know how to water. When they reached the water, they felt a little afraid. When they got on the boat, they couldn’t even stand steadily. Therefore, they could only watch helplessly as a group of water ghosts jumped into the river. There was nothing they could do about it.

“Truly cunning” Qin Mubai knitted his brows and discovered that although the yamen attendants were cursing angrily, they seemed accustomed to such a scene and did not show much fear or fear. The cargo ships that had their ropes cut off stopped drifting due to the pressure of the ships beside them, and they floated a few feet away from the river bank.

The water ghost came and went faster. The instant the riots broke out, the entire dock fell into chaos. The yamen attendants regained their senses and surrounded Qin Mubai and the others. They shouted and asked, “Who exactly are you?”

“I was clearly helping you defeat the water ghost, but you still drank five drinks and six drinks. Could it be that you really don’t know what’s good for you?” Qin Mubai sneered, “It’s all of you. You are so incompetent and incompetent. In the face of the water ghost, you won’t fight to the death or try to save the official salt ship. What are your intentions?”

“Hmph, I think you are from the Water Ghosts! You deliberately caused trouble just now to divert their attention and provide them with convenience! When we fight together, you guys are going to cause trouble again and take this opportunity to let them go!” The leading official, Elder Zhou Jiu, held a saber and angrily shouted at Qin Mubai, “Tell me honestly, who exactly are you?”

Qin Mubai couldn’t help but point at him angrily and say word by word, “Yu Wangfa, you guys neglected your duties and shirked your responsibilities. In terms of morality, you don’t know how to reverse the black and white! How did the county government of Xiangzhou raise a bunch of trash like you?”

“What are you talking about?!” The yamen attendants were furious and were about to rush forward to attack.

Yin Yang and Xue Rengui stood beside Qin Mubai and only sneered. When the yamen attendants saw these two people, they remembered their skills when they were fighting against the water ghost. Some of them were afraid to come forward, and they forcefully stopped as if they had taken root at the bottom of their feet. Everyone was so angry that their faces turned red, but none of them dared to come forward.

On the other side, Li Ke looked up and couldn’t help but laugh, “Oh, just after the water ghost escaped, the yamen servants pointed the arrow at us again. How capable! Hong Tai, let’s go take a look.”

At this moment, a rolling sound suddenly came from the embankment in front of Cao Tou, and a burst of smoke and dust floated up. Everyone looked sideways, only to see the brigade of Ma Jun galloping towards them.

Zhou Laojiu shouted in surprise, “Alright! The official army is here! Brothers, the official army of the prefecture is here!”

“The official army of the prefecture?” Qin Mubai raised his eyes and looked around. There were about fifty cavalry riders, and they were wearing gray robes. They should be a standard cavalry unit.

When the group of porters and boatmen saw Guan Jun, they nervously stood to the side, far away from him. The yamen attendants seemed to have seen their savior, and they instantly became more courageous. The anger on their faces also increased a little. Someone shouted, “Come, come here! We’ve blocked the water ghost accomplice!”

“Where is it?” One of the horsemen shouted loudly, and fifty li of attacks formed a circle around the yamen servants.

Qin Mubai glanced at these people and heard Yin Yang beside him chuckle softly, “General, the flood is coming to the Dragon King Temple. These people … will be your songs in the future, right?”

“Heh, wait and see. I’d like to know what exactly they want to do.” Qin Mubai chuckled.

Li Ke let Yuwen Hongtai open the way and also pushed and shoved him in. He looked around and smiled, “Oh, the formation isn’t small!”

“Young Master, we are in trouble. Thank you for being so calm and collected.” Qin Mubai couldn’t help but laugh, “What if they hacked him to death on the spot?”

“Kill him on the spot? Are you going to kill him or frame him?” Li Ke deliberately laughed loudly, “Hey, you guys are talking. What kind of charges are you going to lay on us?”

On the other side, the horsemen had already dismounted from their horses. They were not in a hurry to rush over. Instead, they called Zhou Laojiu and the other yamen attendants over and whispered to each other for a while. Then, one of the military academies rushed in.

The military academy students were tall and mighty. Their cold eyes swept across Qin Mubai and the others like cheetahs. Without any nonsense, they raised their hands and said, “Take them all down and take them away! Kill the rebels!”

Yuwen Hongtai was instantly enraged and roared like thunder, “You dare! You’ve eaten the bear heart leopard’s courage!”

“Shut up.” Li Ke took a step forward and pulled Yuwen Hongtai back. He turned around and smiled at Qin Mubai, “Mubai, are you interested in being a prisoner of the First Order?”

“Alright! Young Master is in the mood, how can I not accompany you?” Qin Mubai smiled comprehensively.

“Excellent. They are so weak that they can’t enter a tiger’s den. I want to know what they want to do to us.” Li Ke whispered to himself and said loudly, “Hey, we’re traveling merchants. We’re really not water ghosts. This is clearly a misunderstanding! You can’t arrest people randomly!”

When Qin Mubai heard this, he laughed to himself, “Li Ke is quite good at acting!”

“Hmph, you cunning water ghost, you still dare to argue in public!-Take them all down and take them away!”

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[Busy, very busy … I’ll be on the move today. After a few days, I’ll erupt with more work. Please forgive me! ]