Chapter 65: Sliding Pole Riding the Wind

  It's likely that the National Master also found this disciple too stupid. As for capturing Qu Qing Shi, Tong Bing Lang was not informed either. However, just a few days ago, he received another order from the National Master: Investigate all the green-robed officials who had accompanied Qu Qing Shi on official business outside the city over the past few years.

  It's a small matter, normally, the Green Robes record every mission in the case files. Tong Binglang reviewed the case files and found that during Qu Qingshi's tenure, a total of 137 Green Robe Guards had accompanied him on official business outside the city.

  Liáng Xīn was somewhat perplexed and didn't understand what Guó Shī wanted to investigate these people for.

  Tong Binglang continued, "Today I received a message from my master Hu Lüe, asking me to dispatch these 137 people out of the city, to Tujishan Mountain over a hundred miles away. So I casually made up an assignment and sent them there."

  Gao Jian and Liang Xin exchanged a glance, still unable to guess what the Guoshi was planning, but with over a hundred qingyi present, it was clear that things were unlikely to go well. He asked again, "When will these qingyi set out?"

  "It was just before you sneaked into the Qingyi guards...". Before he could finish speaking, the two riders suddenly realized that the team of Qingyi they had encountered earlier were actually selected and sent by Tong Binglang.

  Gao Jian suppressed his anger and asked a few more questions. Seeing that Tong Binglang really couldn't say anything, he suddenly waved his hand, and a steel awl over a foot long pierced through Tong's eyes and into his brain!

  Tong Binglang's strength was exhausted from screaming, his limbs convulsed, and he died. Gao Jian's expression didn't change; after wiping the bloodstains off the corpse's clothes, he retrieved the steel awl into his sleeve. He stood still for a moment, calculating silently, then said in a low voice: "Those men in green have been gone for almost an hour. If we hurry, we should be able to catch up. First, let's go back to the inn and bring those two kids." As soon as he finished speaking, his stout body floated up and flew towards the inn.

  When they returned to the inn, Yangjiao Cui was sitting opposite two children, smiling and eating a cucumber...

  "Depart, Qiuzi Mountain!" he ordered. As he spoke, he waved his hands and cast several talismans onto the two young boys.

  Cucumber and Molar have followed Gao Jian for many years, so they were used to saying go and going. At the same time, they responded with a sound, ran to one side of the house, stretched out their hands to lift off the big red cloth, Liang Xin was shocked, under the red cloth, it turned out to be a smooth pole covered with symbols.

  Gao Jian burst out laughing and said to Liang Xin, "This thing is a treasure!" Then he floated over and sat on the slide, grinding his teeth and putting away the big red cloth. One in front of the other, they carried the slide and jumped out of the window.

  A goat with a cucumber in its mouth jumped onto Liang Xin's neck, and after settling down, it nudged Liang Xin's head with its lower jaw, indicating that they could set off...

  Two children under the age of ten, carrying a fat man over 200 catties, ran as if they were flying, and wherever they passed, they stirred up a strong gust of wind. At first glance, it seemed like little ghosts carrying a judge, with an inexplicable sense of eeriness.

  Liang Xin followed them, not knowing whether to be surprised or bitter. Gao Jian was laughing with ease, but when they approached the city gate, they were mistaken for real ghosts by the guarding soldiers. The sound of bowstrings being drawn filled the air, and Liang Xin hastily rushed forward to show his identity plaque, only then could they leave the city safely.

  Tuijiu Mountain, located one hundred miles east of Zhenning, is not actually a mountain but rather a small hill. It's only about 16 meters high and less than 100 paces long and wide. Because it resembles a crouching rabbit with its head tucked in, it got its name.

  After leaving the city, a few people really let loose and ran freely. It was only then that Liang Xin was truly surprised. Huang Gua and Mo Ya were carrying a fat man, but their running speed was not inferior to his. This was indeed too unbelievable.

  Gao Jian looked at Liang Xin's strange expression and felt uncomfortable, so he smiled and explained: "This pole is not an ordinary object. The symbols on it match the divine symbols I drew on the two dolls' bodies. To say that they are carrying me running would be wrong; rather, it's the pole that's taking them for a run."

  "Ha ha, if we put down the slide pole, we two brothers can't run anymore."

  The cucumber that was carrying the pole in front hadn't said anything, it just kept raising its head, distinguishing the smell in the air.

  Liang Xin ran while discussing with Gao Jian, "The National Master has sent Tong Binglang to find these green-robed men and send them out of the city. What is his purpose?"

  In the end, Gao Jian sneered: "The Imperial Observatory is determined to make Qu Da's case airtight!"

  Liang Xin nodded heavily, it's not hard to imagine that these 137 green-clad men had all followed Qu Qing Shi out of the city on official business. Suppose they were all dead, then who could prove what Qu Qing Shi did every time he left the city over the past few years?

  The two patrolling officers were both men of conscience, and their faces had turned gloomy. These one hundred and thirty-seven Green Robes were being sent to their deaths. By the same token, it was likely that there were many Green Robes on the other side of Sorrowful Crane Pass who would also be silenced.

  This trip to chase them down is not only to save the lives of the people in green, but also to capture the master who came to silence them, so as to ask about the inside story and settle the case of Qu Qing Shi and Liu Yi.

  No matter what, we must rescue the people and capture the culprits. Even if the Celestial Observatory has the Dragon Token in hand, it is impossible to mobilize the state and prefectural troops to slaughter the Qingyi without reason. The ones who came are definitely high-ranking masters under the National Master's seat.

  At full gallop, their speed surpassed that of a running horse. The more they ran, the faster the circulation of the Seven Star Souls became. Liang Xin felt an endless supply of energy throughout his body, but he didn't dare to use his original true power... As soon as his original power stirred, the seven star souls immediately began to run wildly and recklessly, it was really too dangerous.

  As they got closer to Tuji Mountain, the two riders conferred in hushed tones for a few moments. After Liang Xin nodded slightly, they increased their speed again, overtaking the sled and dashing towards Tuji Mountain like a whirlwind.

  Gao Jian said in a low voice: "Grind your teeth, listen to the ground and find a way. We'll sneak past from a secret place!"

  Liang Xin's 'roaming rider' identity has been exposed, so he might as well go and meet Qing Yi directly. Gao Jian took the two boys with him to take a detour from the side road and secretly respond to him.

  The sky is already showing a faint white light, and the several peaks of the rabbit-shaped mountain are finally in sight, while the green-clad men are resting at the foot of the mountain.

  At this time, the Qingyi in charge of the guard also found someone approaching quickly and immediately shouted loudly: "Stop, report your intention, otherwise kill without...".

  The words had barely left his mouth when the team leader slapped him on the head: "Shut up, he's one of us!"

  The officer in green uniform leading the team was a thousand households, but he usually followed Qu Qing Shi to handle affairs and did not lead troops. Yesterday evening, he also received Liang Xin with Tong Binglang and others. He had a particularly deep impression of the monkey on the neck of the Tour Riding General, and now he recognized him at a glance.

  With two sentences, Liang Xin had already run into the green-clad army and let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart. He smiled and nodded at the approaching Green-clad Commander: "Good, good!" Then, he whispered a few words in the commander's ear, pointing out that they were in a precarious situation.

  The thousand households of Qingyi naturally trusted the patrolling riders without exception. Upon hearing this, a hint of ferocity flashed across his face, and he nodded to Liang Xin first: "I'm grateful, great kindness doesn't need to be thanked, everything depends on Lord Liang's instructions!" Then, he made several gestures to the Qingyi troops under his command.

  The originally carefree and scattered green-clad men, upon seeing the hand gesture, all showed surprise and anger on their faces. They hastily took down the heavy crossbows from their horsebacks, drew the strings, and loaded the arrows. Then, in groups of three or five, they appeared to be scattered but had actually formed a battle array to defend against the enemy.

  There were also seven or eight men in green clothes, who were shouting in low voices, putting blinders and earplugs on all the war horses, gathering them together.

  The men in green uniforms were well-trained and quickly formed a battle line, still looking relaxed on the surface but with vigilant eyes.

  The leader of the thousand households spoke again: "The young masters have already made preparations, are there any further instructions from your lordship?"

  "What instructions does Liang Xin have? Smiling and saying: "Wait... did you bring something to eat?"