One move decides the fate of heaven and earth

  Min An was injured in the back, and only two people came to comfort him: Hua Cui and Bi Xi. Before half a day had passed, the entire county government was abuzz with the news that Min Xiao Shang Gong had failed to pick flowers, lost his footing on the mountain slope, rolled down to the road where the Crown Prince Ma was passing by, and almost got trampled to death. Everyone was puzzled and discussing it at dinner time.

  "Is the young master going out to pick flowers under the bright sun?"

  "Yes."

  Huangshi Slope?

  "Yes."

  "Isn't that adultery?"

  "Can't believe he's such a beast——"

  "Hey, stop! I'm just curious, when he rolled in front of the young master, he was probably naked, covered in mud... and the things that needed to be done were delayed..."

  Xiao Liu slammed down his chopsticks and pounded the table, saying: "He's even more despicable than Mao Thirteen! More foolish than Ah Hua! Picking flowers, picking flowers! Does he know where to find that girl at night?"

  Fei Yi finished a bowl of porridge, and as he was walking out, he accidentally bumped into Li Peinan's horse in front of the gate. He overheard their conversation and knew that at least they had met each other, but he didn't care about anything else. He wiped his mouth clean before leaving the main hall.

  In the government quarters, Min An sat in a bathtub washing up. The scars on his back were a deep purple-red and hurt so much that he almost cried. He rubbed his eyes, and suddenly thought of Li Peinan's eyes again.

  Li Peinan and Fei Yi both had a pair of phoenix eyes, with straight noses above them, and their eyebrows and eyes were surprisingly similar. However, Li Peinan was like the snow on the mountain peak, cold and aloof, yet still exuding an unattainable beauty. While Fei Yi was like the wind at the cloud's edge, clear and faint, revealing a distant chill.

  Min An shrugged and thought to himself, although these two people are not easy to get along with, but since they are all in the county government, it's easier to get close to them. If something unexpected happens, relying on this big tree can still bring some blessings. Thinking of this, Min An felt a bit more at ease, and from then on, he responded to Fei Yi as usual.

  Hua Cui heard that Min An was injured and rushed in directly, scaring Min An to cover his chest with clothes and shout. Hua Cui looked at him disdainfully and said: "Only when there are two eggs on the chest can you tell the front from the back, what's the point of calling?"

  Min An was no match for Hua Cui, and soon he was dragged out of the water to take medicine. After putting on his armor and shirt again, he walked in front of the copper mirror, looking left and right, puffed up his mouth and said: "The front looks more energetic, why can't it be distinguished from the back?" Hua Cui was too lazy to care about him, so she took his dirty clothes out to wash.

  Min An lay on the bed nursing his wound, while Xiao Liu rushed into the yard with her pants wet and shouted loudly: "Anzi come out! Did you raise a wild monkey? That monkey actually peeked at me taking a bath!"

  Min An couldn't help but laugh, lying on the couch. Hua Cui walked out and asked what was going on, and found out that the monkey had been standing in the tree looking left and right at its own tail before revealing itself, then calmly said: "The monkey is puzzled, how come your tail is so short and it's even growing in front?"

  Xiao Liu stood there like a wooden chicken, then suddenly let out a loud cry and ran away with his pants in hand. Min An laughed so hard in the house that her face turned red, and only managed to ask Hua Cui between gasps: "Hua Cui, how did you know? You're truly a divine girl!"

  Huā Cuì replied faintly as she washed clothes in the courtyard, "I've been through a circus troupe and tamed monkeys, so I naturally know what they mean."

  Min An's eyes lit up: "Then help me tame that little monkey! I have a predestined relationship with it!"

  Hua Cui didn't rely on anyone, Min An died from exhaustion, only after promising not to dirty her clothes did she help Hua Cui with a lot of work and let her nod in agreement.

  In the seven or eight days that Min An was nursing his injuries, Hua Cui tamed the little monkey and gave it a name called Yu Mi, because it loved to eat corn on the cob.

  Corn was a male monkey, and Flower Green had made several sets of small clothes for it, dressing it up neatly. Corn wore a small black hat made of calabaza skin on its head, and would bow to people whenever it saw them. It quickly became the private attendant of Min'an, and also caused quite a few laughs in the county government office. Its cleverness allowed it to instinctively avoid places with cold atmosphere, such as beside Fei Yi and the side courtyard where he lived.

  After Min An recovered from his injury, he hastened to make a long wooden chariot. He held a hammer and tapped against the wooden handle with a clang, while Yu Mi stood beside him, nibbling on an ear of corn and curiously watching him. Min An hammered until he was exhausted, accidentally hitting his own fingers, whereupon Yu Mi jumped over, chirping loudly, touched Min An's face, and then suddenly vanished into the eaves of the roof.

  After a moment, a man in a long gown stepped into the courtyard. He stood with his hands clasped behind him and looked around before asking, "What's going on?"

  Min An sucked on his injured finger, smiling: "Jade corn has always been afraid of you, and dared to run over to make a bow to you. Probably wants to ask for your help, either to repair the war chariot or escort me out of battle."

  Fei Yi sneered: "I wouldn't even bother lifting a hand against those few insects."

  Min An sighed: "Can't I invite you?"

  "You're still ranked after the pest."

  “……”

  "When is Wu Ren coming back?"

  "It's almost time. As usual, I'll be back in about ten days."

  "Don't forget what you promised me." According to their verbal agreement, Min An had to recommend Fei to his master and have the master accept him as an apprentice.

  "The affairs of adults must never be forgotten."

  Fei Yi turned and left, the moonlight carrying on his shoulders, pulling his handsome back into a long shadow. Yu Mi waited until Fei Yi had walked away before running back, this time moving Bi Shi to action.

  Bi Shi saw Min An struggling, turned around and pointed with his hand, preparing to call for help from the attendants. Even the prison officer Xiao Liu Men Zi Xiao Jia, who was acting as the county magistrate's attendant, did not wait for Bi Shi to speak and had already scattered like birds and beasts.

  Bi Sheng couldn't help but curse: "They also dare to bully you, it's me this official who hasn't done a good job. The newly issued documents have come down, the prince is using hunting as an excuse to inspect the governance of various places. Wang Daren is afraid that the people's livelihoods will be ruined and affect his political performance, so he has already started driving out the peddlers, fortune tellers and other vagrants who have sneaked into the county. After Xiaojun eliminated the bandits, he went to Qingquan County and called back Mr. Wu."

  Min An hastily replied, but accidentally hit the hammer askew again, and cried out in pain. The long wooden war chariot he had hurriedly made with blood and tears indeed played a crucial role in the Battle of Huangshi Slope.

  On the day of the battle, Xiaoliu finished packing up early and handed a green cloth bundle to Huā Cuì, saying solemnly: "Everything I've saved up over the years is in here. You take care of it for me. If I don't come back... you can use these things to marry into a good family."

  "Even if you come back, I'll still find a good family to marry into."

  Xiao Liu walked a few steps with his wooden sword, feeling uneasy, and turned back to say: "Just in case... I really didn't come back... on the seventh day of my death, don't forget to offer me more bowls of rice, on Qingming Festival, don't forget to burn more paper money for me..."

  Hua Cui patted the bundle in her hand, which was heavy with goods. She quickly put on a smiling face and said, "You can go at ease."

  Min An was deeply inspired, went back to his room and changed into a hemp robe, tied it with a plain white belt, brought a pair of leg wraps and a jug of osmanthus wine, and snuck into Fei Yi's courtyard. As expected, today was the day of the final battle, everyone had gone early to prepare, no one was standing here on guard. Min An easily broke into Fei Yi's room, put things on the wooden table, bowed his head and said: "This half month I made a pair of leg wraps for Master and brewed a jug of wine, you help me keep them first. If I don't come back, take these things to offer to Master, get him in a good mood, then it's easy to become his apprentice and learn from him."

  He stood by the window, picked up a cup of early tea and slowly drank it down, looking at the bamboo note cards hanging on the flower rack in the morning light, without saying a word. Min An deliberately walked to his side, used the hand hidden in his sleeve to pinch himself hard, and when he lifted his head, his eyes immediately turned red. "In case... I really didn't come back, there are some things that need to be handed over to you first... Master's temper is not very good... You must remember to fight back with fists, scold back with mouth, hit the shoes and smell the stench... Serve him well..."

  Fei Yi didn't even glance at Min An, slowly finishing his tea before saying, "Let's go, I'll follow you this time."

  Min An didn't expect that what he was about to say had already been guessed by Fei Yi, and even more surprisingly, Fei Yi agreed so easily. He couldn't help but stare blankly for a moment. He quickly came back to his senses and chased after Fei Yi's retreating figure, saying: "Hmph, I see you're someone who yields to softness but not hardness, if only I had known earlier...". Fei Yi turned around and gave him a glance, then pulled up her scarf to cover her mouth, indicating her determination to remain silent.

  Huangshi County Magistrate led a team of eleven people, including Lian Bi Si, to push three long wooden war chariots up the slope. Bi Si held a green umbrella and sat at the top of the slope to direct the battle, with Fei Yi standing beside him in black clothes as his guard. The small six, small Jia, old Ban Tou and others who were with Min An put down the white cloth hat's veil, slightly covering their eyes, and pulled up the scarf on their necks to protect their noses and mouths.

  Cao Thirteen led over a hundred bandits, their momentum fierce and menacing. Seeing Min An and the others with their mournful expressions, they blocked the slope below, laughing loudly. A young man with narrow eyes and a pointed chin shouted loudly: "The public gate dogs are all afraid of our great master's house, covering themselves with a funeral banner as armor, thinking that knives and guns can't penetrate, but don't know that our great master can scold you to death with just one word?"

  After finishing, Mao Shi San indeed opened his throat and scolded loudly. Min An and the crowd listening couldn't help but want to cover their ears, at this time the east wind started to blow. The saying "everything is ready except for the east wind" also applies here, Min An immediately took advantage of the wind to set fire, whipped the horse's buttocks, and urged the horses to run down the mountain slope. The rest of the people followed suit.

  Min An's war chariot was rough and inferior, but it had a strange effect. When the horses charged forward, the cloth rope on their tails was burned off, opening the quicklime bags connected to them. The quicklime blew out with the wind, spraying everywhere, and the powder was splashed onto Ma Shi San and his gang's heads and bodies. They didn't expect this kind of attack, and their eyes were scorched, unable to distinguish friend from foe. Many people trampled each other. When the horses charged into their midst, they neighed loudly, and when they tried to grab the horses, the war chariot slid down the slope, colliding with their bodies. At this time, the mechanism was triggered again. A loud twanging sound was heard, and a row of blunt-headed arrows shot out from behind the cloth bags, flying out one by one, striking the bandits with great force, making them cry out in pain.

  On the mountain top, Fei Zhang shot arrows that never missed their mark, suppressing the bandits' momentum from a high vantage point. His bow and arrow seemed to have eyes, avoiding non-vital areas of the enemy but precisely taking down the leaders, allowing the war chariot to advance smoothly. After shooting a quiver full of arrows, he stood calmly with his hands behind his back, continuing to watch the chaotic battle below.

  Min An shouted to Lao Ban Tou and others to rush down the mountain, kicking anyone they saw. If someone couldn't be kicked down, they'd add a few more blows. Without much effort, they rounded up twenty or thirty bandits and tied Mao Thirteen up with an oiled cowhide rope. Bi Si hastily rode his horse down the slope, using official language to persuade the remaining bandits, who were both fighting and retreating, to surrender, thus ending the battle at Huangshi Slope.

  Bis won a complete victory, capturing all of Mao Shi's gang. He issued certificates of good behavior on the spot, dividing and conquering many of the bandits, comforting them to go back to their villages and farm, and not to do any more evil deeds. The remaining bandits were just the leaders whose names were listed in the case files, no more than five people. Bis saw that the young man who was calling out to him had a sly look on his face, and he was worried that it would be difficult to control him if he let him go. Min An had been observing the man's reaction, and when he saw Bis's intention, he quickly whispered to stop him, reminding him that the case of the Green Eyebrow Bandit's second-in-command had not been settled yet.

  Young people saw the household registration paper being taken back, and another group of officials came over with a rope, shouting: "I am Xiaozhuang Liu Er, I ran out to do business after abandoning my land, my brother-in-law is Ma Lao Ye of Qingquan Town, a man of great prestige, how dare you tie me up?"

  Xiao Liu shouted: "Which Ma Lao Ye, we only listen to Bi Da Ren here!" He kicked one foot and flew over, kicking down Liu Er, tying him up with a rope. He turned his head and pulled Mu An's sleeve, pulling him back into the circle of yamen runners.

  The yamen runners looked at the old captain's hand holding the straw sign, and did not dare to make a move. The old captain pushed Min An, who was silent, and said: "Young master's plan to catch the thief has won a victory, he is the first meritorious person. Young master will go first."

  Min An reluctantly drew a grass slip first, and drew a long grass root. A smile immediately piled up on his face. Everyone drew one by one, and the last short slip fell into Xiaoliu's hand. Xiaoliu shouted loudly, turned around and wanted to run, but the old class leader hurriedly pulled Xiaoliu's collar and shouted: "Mao Thirteen Outer Guard for one night! Zhu Liu Head Pointing!"

  Min An smiled and said: "So you're called Zhu Liu Tou!"

  Xiao Liu rolled her eyes: "Grandpa, you can't change your surname or name just because of this, Zhu Liutou is still Zhu Liutou!"

  Lao Ban said: "Zhu Liu stays behind, pigs stay for a head, just stay there."

  Min An saw Fei Yi standing in the distance with his sleeves fluttering, looking relaxed and at ease. He hurried over to him and said warmly, "Thank you for lending a helping hand."

  Fei Yi turned and walked away, with Min An following him for a while before hearing him say lightly: "Your way of fighting is quite novel." Cattle, lime, and flour all came into play, regardless of which faction the people belonged to, they were all smeared with a big flower face, and then took advantage of the chaos to kill each other.

  Min An looked a bit embarrassed: "We can't take the stage, we can't take the stage, if it gets out, it'll lose face for everyone. We have fewer people, so we can only use some clever tricks."

  "The end justifies the means, remember this."

  Min An indeed remembered this sentence and turned around to "deal with" Fei Yi without holding back.

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