Chapter 69: Wò Lóng Gǎng

  That man's eyes were blurry from drinking, he swayed as he stood up, let out a belch, and a mouthful of alcohol fumes sprayed far away. Long Fei hastily covered his own mouth and nose. The man smiled slightly: "I originally thought that General Long was a heroic and chivalrous man, but it turns out you can't even stand a little bit of alcohol fumes, how disappointing!"

  "Who are you?"

  "Xiangyang Pang Tong!"

  "So it's Mr. Feng Chongyi, Pang Tong! I've long admired you!"

  "Hahaha......" Pang Tong burst out laughing: "You actually know me? This 'Feng Chou' was just given to me by my uncle yesterday, I didn't expect you to know too, General Long is indeed a godly person!"

  "Goodbye, goodbye!" Long Fei bowed with his fist and cupped hands: "If Brother Shi Yuan has nothing else to do, I will take my leave."

  "Slow!" Pang Tong suddenly changed his drunken demeanor, his two small eyes gleaming with sharpness, coldly staring at Long Fei as he slowly said: "Left Chancellor, this time you came to Xiangyang and did a great thing, not only killing Sun Jian but also framing Liu Jingzhou, truly a brilliant move! But I wonder, where is the jade seal that Sun Jian carried on his person now?"

  The three words "Left General" suddenly appeared, and Long Fei was shocked. He did not expect that Pang Tong would also be a member of the Black Ice. This Black Ice is indeed extraordinary, although he does not know what position Pang Tong holds in the Black Ice, just based on the fact that Pang Tong knows this Left General, it can be determined that Pang Tong's status is absolutely not ordinary. Since Feng Chou is a member of the Black Ice, then Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong are good friends. Long Fei dare not think further, as Zhuge Liang exists in his heart like a god, absolutely not to be profaned.

  "What did Brother Shi Yuan say? I didn't understand a single sentence!"

  "Haha! Left Shu Zhang, you don't have to pretend anymore. To be honest with you, we are fellow travelers. You serve the Left Shu Zhang, and I serve the Grand Shu Zhang, my official position is several levels higher than yours!"

  "What does that have to do with anything? According to our rules, you and I are not in a position of authority over each other, even if you are the superior, it has nothing to do with me!" Pang Tong still spoke clearly, so there was no need to beat around the bush: "May I ask, Commander, was it you who sent someone to deliver a letter to me last night?"

  Pang Tong nodded: "Not bad! I've specially invited you to have a drink together, someone wants to meet you!"

  "Who is it?"

  "You'll know when you get there!" Pang Tong said, and walked out of the door by himself, without worrying that Long Fei wouldn't follow up.

  As Pang Tong had expected, Long Fei followed from a distance. The streets were crowded and Pang Tong's short stature made him disappear into the crowd immediately. Fortunately, Long Fei and his men were all tall and could still see him even on tiptoes. They called over Huang Zhong and the four of them followed Pang Tong towards the outskirts of Xiangyang City. Pang Tong walked slowly, occasionally grabbing the wine gourd from his waist to take a couple of sips. He had no horse and proceeded forward step by step.

  Although it's not yet summer, Xiangyang's weather is already somewhat sultry. Dian Wei decisively took off his clothes, revealing robust muscles and a chest full of long hair. His entire body was pitch black, from afar he really looked like a giant ape. Pang Tong walked slowly, just leaving the city when several men caught up to him. No matter how Long Fei changed his questioning tactics, Pang Tong refused to reveal their destination.

  Out of Xiangyang City, looking at the gradually distant official road. Long Fei only then ordered Huang Zhong to go back and lead the horse, he didn't want to be like Pang Tong, using his feet to measure the land beneath his feet, who knows if there will be a fierce battle later, absolutely must conserve energy. Just after crossing the Xiang River, Huang Zhong came back. The four of them mounted their horses, looking at the short and small Pang Tong taking step by step forward, they couldn't help but feel playful in their hearts.

  Dian Wei suddenly pulled the reins, and his warhorse neighed loudly as it galloped past Pang Tong's side. It then circled back from the front, returning with a whirlwind of dust that enveloped Pang Tong. The dust made Pang Tong cough repeatedly, covering his mouth and face with his sleeve. When the dust finally settled, Pang Tong's face was streaked with sweat, and several men burst out laughing.

  "You...!" Pang Tong cursed loudly, completely disregarding his own identity. Long Fei naturally didn't back down either, and when it came to cursing, Pang Tong's words were elegant, while Long Fei's were vicious. As a result, the two sides clashed, and although Pang Tong looked ugly, his mouth wasn't slow at all - he managed to shut down Long Fei and his four companions with just one remark, leaving them speechless and forced to resort to threatening measures.

  Both sides scolded each other as they walked, and it didn't feel particularly tiring. Huang Zhong walked up to Long Fei's side: "My lord, we've already left the Xiangyang border, this is now Nan Yang territory!"

  "Nanyang? Isn't that Yuan Shu's territory?" Long Fei waved his hand: "Brothers, be careful, this is indeed Yuan Shu's territory!"

  Although they were not afraid of Yuan Shu, after all, there were fewer people. What if they were surrounded by a large army? It's not a joke! Dian Wei shouted loudly: "Ugly eight! Where are you taking us? If you don't say it, grandpas will leave!"

  "Ugly Eight Freaks? Haha...!" Pang Tong burst out laughing: "This name is the first time someone has called me this, but let everyone see, who between you and me is the Ugly Eight Freaks? If we're talking about being ugly, I'm not even worthy of comparison!"

  "I'll chop you down!" Tian Wei was enraged and spurred his horse forward.

  They had not yet reached Dang County, and the sky had already darkened. Long Fei let out a long breath; this kind of weather was advantageous for them, and even if they were surrounded by a large army, he would have a way to escape. They had been walking all day, and their water and rice were almost gone; their stomachs had been growling loudly for some time. But Pang Tong was leaning against a large tree, drinking wine from his gourd. At noon in Xiangyang Tower, Pang Tong had eaten the most; it seemed he had made early preparations.

  "What is this place?" Long Fei looked around, a dense forest blocked their view, and the official road passed through these dense forests. Huang Zhong glanced around: "It should be Qinglongkou, further north is Dengxian County, east to Yuanshui, west is Wolonggang."

  "Wolonggang?" Long Fei shouted as he stood up: "Wolonggang, isn't that the residence of Zhuge Liang? Tomorrow we'll go to Wolonggang and take a look! If we can persuade Zhuge Liang to help us, it would be like adding wings to a tiger!"

  Long Fei spoke, turning his head to look at Pang Tong. He had originally wanted to use these words to provoke a reaction from Pang Tong. Even just a little, he would be able to see some clues from it. Unfortunately, Pang Tong didn't have any movement at all. Still hugging the wine gourd, he curled up and fell asleep with his head lowered. Long Fei couldn't sleep, this time Hei Bing finding him was already suspicious, and sending someone like Pang Tong who was a heavyweight character was even more suspicious. For the entire night, he was thinking and analyzing.

  The next day, when they set out again, Pang Tong indeed headed west. As soon as they entered the Qinba Mountains, the scenery changed immediately. What caught their eyes was a vast expanse of green, with bamboo, grass and newly sprouted buds occupying more than half of the mountain ridge. Pang Tong's mood was excellent, and he even burst into song in his hoarse voice. Unfortunately, the language was not understood, and Long Fei did not understand a single sentence.

  Wolonggang is a branch of the Qinba Mountains, but it faces south and has a mild climate, with spring-like weather all year round. As soon as spring arrives, the area becomes a vast expanse of green. In the mountain valley, several farming households are busy transplanting rice seedlings. A gentle breeze blows by, causing the bamboo groves and tree branches to sway back and forth, startling a few small birds into flight in the sky. The mountain road winds its way up, but is not steep or rocky, with babbling brooks and flat stone bridges stretching deep into the mountains.

  Pang Tong seemed to be a familiar guest here, with people constantly greeting him, but Pang Tong didn't even bother to respond and just continued singing. Although the song wasn't very good, his voice was incredibly loud, causing a group of children to laugh continuously. Suddenly, as they turned a bend in the mountain road, a thatched cottage appeared before them, with wisps of smoke rising straight up from behind it and dispersing among the treetops. In front of the cottage door, several men dressed as scholars were intently playing chess, perhaps due to Pang Tong's singing, they turned their heads towards him, their faces wearing a hint of bitter smile.

  "Shi Yuan brother, your singing is truly lingering for three days, making us all shiver from head to toe! Haha...!"

  Pang Tong still had a smile on his face, shaking his head: "That shows that you have already heard the flavor in it, congratulations!"

  “Haha...” A few people glanced at Long Fei and others, asking Pang Tong: “Are they the ones that Master wants to find?” Pang Tong nodded. Those few people smiled faintly and continued playing chess, ignoring Pang Tong and Long Fei. Long Fei became even more puzzled, listening to their tone, it seemed like they were also from Hei Bing, could it be that Hei Bing's lair was in Wò Lóng Gǎng? Could Zhuge Liang be the leader? This thought was immediately denied by Long Fei. According to time calculation, Zhuge Liang left the mountain at 26 years old, now he is only 20 years old. In all social organizations, hierarchy is strict, it would not let a 20-year-old young man be the leader, besides, Wò Lóng and Fengchū are equal in status, Pang Tong is just a senior official, how could Zhuge Liang be the leader?

  After crossing another mountain ridge, an old man with a cane stood in the middle of the road. Pang Tong hastily stepped forward two steps and saluted respectfully. The old man nodded and looked at Long Fei and others: "Can you all get off your horses?"

  Long Fei flipped over and dismounted his horse, casually putting the crimson dagger from his saddle bag into his bosom. He cupped his hands together in respect and asked: "May I ask who you are, sir?"

  The old man smiled: "General Long doesn't need to ask more, it will be clear soon! Please!"

  The deeper he went, the more solemn it became. Long Fei felt that this solemnity carried a faint murderous aura. A beautiful melody came from a pavilion not far away. It was so moving that it touched his heart. After listening to it, he only felt comfortable all over his body. The person playing the piano wore a white robe, with a white ribbon tied around his head, and had a handsome face. His fluffy beard had just grown out, forming a faint black color around his lips.

  "Kongming! The guest has arrived! Go and pass on the message!" The old man said in a soft tone, without any hint of refutation.

  The man in white immediately stopped playing the zither, stood up and bowed. His slender figure and handsome appearance were absolutely stunning. The two words "Kong Ming" immediately made Long Fei guess that he was none other than the famous Zhuge Liang, who was a god to Lao Tzu and also Long Fei's idol. Long Fei couldn't help but take a few more glances, until Zhuge Liang's figure disappeared into the forest.

  Following the old man, they continued to walk in, deep in the dense forest, a quiet courtyard appeared before their eyes, with a young child already waiting at the door. The old man's pace suddenly quickened, and he arrived at the gate in three or two steps. The bamboo fence could not block the situation inside at all. Long Fei saw clearly that in the spacious courtyard, three old men sat cross-legged on the steps below, with a middle-aged man sitting opposite them, seemingly saying something. The speaker's expression was serious, and the listeners' faces were solemn. This strange scene was completely different from Long Fei's imagination.