Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

The last side of the nine sides is the Gansu side, the starting point at the east end is Lanzhou, and the west ends at Jiayuguan. Further west, there is the abandoned Shazhou Guard.Going northwest through Lanzhou, you enter the Hexi Corridor. This area is nominally under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi, but in fact it is under the jurisdiction of the military government's Xingdusi. Everything is military first, and it is an important area for border defense. Here, the early settlers have taken root. Here, it is also a good place for desperadoes who are homeless everywhere to avoid the limelight.

Here, if you want to survive, you must know martial arts. For any fortress, they are willing to spend a lot of money to hire people with high martial arts skills to be their instructors. They don't ask where they come from, and don't ask about their roots. As long as they have real talents and learning, they will be welcomed, respected and protected, and they will not be afraid of the government. Here, it is absolutely legal to bring a murderer on your body. Xin Wenzhao settled in this place in order to avoid being chased by Xiao Luotian. Going north from Zhuanglangwei, thirty li is Wusheng Fort.Ninety miles further north is Zhenqiang Fort.A hundred miles further north is Gulang Thousand Households.

On the surface, this section of the road is located within the two sides (the second side wall), so it should be safe and not afraid of harassment by the Tartars.In fact, there are many Turpan people lurking in the mountains nearby, who come out to loot from time to time.There are also pirates coming from the West Sea (Qinghai). The pirates are mainly Mongols, and Fanren (Huihui) are their disciples, and it is difficult to deal with them.Therefore, most merchants travel in groups, camels and horses form teams, bows, arrows, knives and guns are all ready, ready to fight at any time. About fifty miles to the north of Wusheng Fort, the official road bypasses the eastern foot of Maya Mountain.There are jagged rocks and undulating wasteland nearby, and the area along the valley of the Zhuanglang River is lush green with lush forests and grass.

In September, the golden wind blows cool, the willow leaves fall, the forests and grass fields are vast, and where the wind blows, half the sky can only see billowing yellow sand, covering the sky and blocking out the sun. On the right side of the road is the Zhuanglang River at the bottom of the river, and on the left side of the road is Ma Niu Mountain. There is no one in the vicinity for twenty miles, and there are no livestock. But there is a small village by the river, with only five or six families, they actually built the wall with earth, dug out the moat, and planted Juma, which shows how strong the folk customs in this area are.

The village faces the official road, and behind it is the river. Outside the gate of the village, there are horse rest sheds and tea kiosks for passing travelers to rest their feet. The first one inside the Zhaimen is the well-known Anmian Inn on this road.This stronghold is also called Anxi Fort invisibly; although it itself is an unknown fortress. There are very few tourists here, only some tourists who have delayed their journey stay. Around Weipai, a tourist came from the north and the south of the official road. The traveler from the north wore a green robe, carried a large package on his back, and wore a single sword. He was about forty years old, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a strong figure like a big bull.

The traveler from the south is just the opposite. He is thin and small, with small eyebrows and small eyes, and has a bunch of mouse whiskers. He is about thirty years old. They are all smaller than the tourists from the north, they are not outstanding, and their appearance is not striking. Those mouse eyes are particularly repulsive. The two stepped into the tea booth almost at the same time, but the thin passenger seemed to be more flexible in his hands and feet. He hurriedly grabbed the only wooden tea bowl on the shelf, and quickly poured tea into the tea bucket. The tall passenger was big, clumsy and inflexible, but angry, rolled his strange eyes, stretched out his giant hand, blocked the mouth of the bucket, and shouted in a thunderous voice: No rules, what are you grabbing?Courting death!There should be a first come first, didn't you see that the uncle entered the tea pavilion first?

The skinny traveler rolled his eyes, flashed a fierce look, and said grimly: "My good fellow, you are so domineering!"You want to die first?good. When the sound fell, the tea bowl suddenly smashed into the opponent's face, extremely fast, puff!There was a sound, and he hit him with a surprise shot. Snapped!The wooden bowl suddenly exploded into dozens of pieces. The tall traveler didn't even blink his eyelids, he didn't even notice, his strange eyes were round, he stared blankly at his short opponent, he snorted once, exhaled twice, and remained silent. The thin traveler was startled, his expression changed, he took a step back and said, "My good fellow, you have actually practiced Hunyuan Qigong, so you should be on your guard for luck first, so we know that you have already planned to make trouble."

The tall traveler snorted again, and stepped forward aggressively. The skinny traveler suddenly attacked again, short people are not suitable for attacking the upper set, and the feet are the most convenient way to attack the lower set, and the sudden attack is difficult and quick first, with a cold scold, both feet kicked in a row, attacking the opponent's knees, puff!Two beeps, with both feet in the middle, the strength is extremely fierce. The tall traveler stood tall like a mountain, his legs were like two mountain stakes, he was motionless, but the hem of his green robe was kicked through two cracks.

The skinny traveler took two steps back, and said in surprise, "My good fellow, your Hunyuan Qigong has been practiced to 80% and you don't believe in evil." When the sound fell, the three-section stick was withdrawn and was about to be released. The tall traveler didn't give in anymore, he was close to him with one step forward, stretched out the palm of the giant spirit, and grabbed his head, his five fingers poked his head like a hook, really like an eagle grabbing food. The three-section stick was swung out in time, puff puff puff!Four heavy blows in a row, the chain made a strange noise, extremely fast, two strikes on the waist and flanks, each strike was solid, and at the same time, the body was floating eight feet diagonally.

The tall passenger has thick skin and thick flesh, and the iron-clad three-section cudgel does not work at all. It's a pity that his body is bulky, and he couldn't catch the opponent with his hand, and he couldn't catch the fast-wielding three-section stick. Obviously he was extremely angry, and he followed and charged like a mad cow, and slashed out with his palm angrily. The wind and thunder came out from the palm, and the momentum was like a landslide. He didn't care that the opponent had a weapon in his hand, and he practiced horizontally, attacking fearlessly with the situation of Mount Tai pressing down on him.

The thin passenger knew he couldn't stand it, so how dare he confront him head-on? The body turned around quickly, like a phantom, and arrived behind the opponent very quickly. With a cold scold, the three-section cudgel exerted all its strength and used its internal strength. puff!Sweeping fiercely on the vital points of the opponent's waist, the first quarter unexpectedly rebounded, turning into an arc and out of shape, and the person was also driven by the rebound force, straight out eight feet away. The tall traveler slammed his palm in the air, but received a heavy blow instead. He rushed forward slightly, roared, and turned around to attack ferociously with his hands wide open. The thin passenger floated eight feet sideways, gritted his teeth and said, "My good fellow, my grandfather is going to shoot you in the eyes with a hidden weapon. I don't believe that your eyes are also invulnerable." The tall passenger was furious, clang!With a single knife out of its sheath, he shouted in an ear-shattering voice: You son of a bitch!If the uncle doesn't divide your body into eight pieces today, he won't be called Iron King Kong. The thin passenger's expression changed, he waved his hand and said: "Wait a minute, you are the Iron King Guo Wei?" snort!Who doesn't know that the uncle is Guo Wei, the iron king.Tie King Kong raised his sword and called. Huh!How did you come here? Do you care if I come or not? Should you fight Sha Shou Zhang in Liangzhou? Tie King Kong was not confused, and asked rather unexpectedly: Huh!How do you know about Shashou Zhang and Guo? Below is the civet cat Chao Fei. Tie King Kong patted his head with his hands, grinned and said, "Oh!I seem to have heard of your character.snort!You don't look like a cat, you look like a fucking mouse. Get the hell out of you!The civet cat Chao Fei blurted out curses, took away the three-section cudgel, shook his head and said, "Ox-nosed old way of doing things, just messing around like this, I promised you to guard the second pass in Liangzhou, why did you change your mind?" Huh!You mean Daoist Tiangang?Iron King Kong asked a little soberly. Of course he is.Civet Chao Fei said. and you The Three Musketeers and I were in charge of guarding the first gate of Andabao, laying an ambush at Wushao Ridge, and we were scheduled to arrive tonight, and the Three Musketeers came later. Tie King Kong put away his sword, grinned and said: "Damn it!"The flood washed down the Dragon King Temple, and the uncle beat you a few times, which was really wronged.oh!Don't rush to Wushao Ridge. What's the matter! The plan has been changed, and Zhang Biao, the scud traveler who travels solo, will come tonight. Are you coming too soon? too fast?Zhengzhuer can set up shop in Lanzhou tonight, you should say Zhengzhuer came too fast. them Their fist-assisting friends arrived, and they probably knew that something was wrong, so they rushed to Lanzhou three days in advance. Tie King Kong laughed strangely, and said: Taoist Tiangang has already found out who their friends are, so he has to change the original plan. you mean This is Fort Anxi, make an appointment with three groups of us, and concentrate on finishing with them at the Anxi Inn.Let's go to the store first and wait for news from Brother Fang, who is traveling thousands of miles alone.Listen to me, you can't go wrong, or you can go to Wushao Ridge and wait, anyway, I won't be the one who went wrong. All right!It's up to you.You wait a minute.The brothers left a secret note to inform the Three Musketeers Huh!someone A trench more than two feet deep was dug outside the fort. There are many trees growing beside the trench, all of which are small pine trees. Before the civet cat Chao Fei finished speaking, his body shot out, like an angry falcon piercing through the forest, entering the forest without any scruples. Iron King Kong has long legs, and he can follow straight in after two steps. The two searched anxiously for a while, but there were no ghosts. Chao Fei, the civet cat, came out from the right, and said with a heavy face: "Weird thing!"If it is a human being, there will be so fast in the blue sky. Tie King Kong shook his head and said: "Damn it, you probably took the rabbit as a human being, and you are suspicious of ghosts!" The civet cat Chao Fei sneered and said: You just saw a ghost.You bastard, didn't you notice the difference? What is different? When walking through the forest, I could clearly smell a delicate fragrance. delicate fragrance?You are dizzy, winter is coming, there is no fragrance of flowers in this area.Iron King Kong said in disbelief. It's the fragrance of a woman, don't you believe it? Hahaha Iron King Kong laughed endlessly. why are you laughing?The civet cat Chao Fei asked displeasedly. Laughing at you of course. What am I funny about? I heard that your civet cat, Chao Fei, is a womanizer. You probably traveled from Xi’an to Hexi, and you didn’t have time to look for women on the way. You’re crazy about women!Ha ha!right! Stop daydreaming, let's go into the castle and drop off at the shop!Maybe, you can find Fanpo in the store to make you happy!Walk! The civet glanced vigilantly at the distant woods before leaving resentfully. The Anxi Inn is small in scale, but it occupies a large area. It has a yard for camels, a parking lot, a horse farm, and a stall.In the third courtyard, there are five or six large guest rooms and two small guest rooms. The bed in the large guest room is a uniform bed, called a Hu bed, less than half a foot high, with a thick mat made of Pennisetum grass as a mat, and a wolf fur mattress in winter, which is crude and simple. Anyway, the requirements for taking this road are not high, and the store is already high enough. The bed equipment in the small guest room is slightly better, but there is no more than a coarse woven blanket. In Lanzhou, the layout of houses is that the houses are small and the windows are large. Here, the houses have big windows and small windows; they are strong and solid, and can prevent wind, sand and cold. Each room is counted as a bunker, which can resist the attacks of Hus and Fans when necessary. Hus Fans have no interest in fighting house to house. Outside the Anxi Inn, there are five or six farmhouses. They cultivate a field on the bank of the Zhuanglang River and raise some cattle, sheep and horses. Since the east and west banks of the Zhuanglang River are surrounded by mountains, it is impossible for the Hu people to come from the east and west sides. If the Hu Kou brigade invaded, either coming from the north or harassing from the south, the people in the fort could not hold on to it, so they could go south to Wusheng Fort, fifty miles away, or flee north to Zhenqiang Fort, forty miles away. In short, escaping is not an option, we must stand by and wait for help.Therefore, everyone in each family must prepare food, swords, guns and horses, live and die with the fort, and there is no other way to defend from house to house. The window is small, not afraid of someone breaking through the window.The doors are narrow and thick, and each door is equipped with three huge bolts. Once the doors and windows are closed, outsiders can never enter, which is quite safe. The two of Tie Jingang were not the first passengers to leave the store. As soon as they stepped into the store, Chao Fei, the civet cat, felt that the atmosphere was unusual, saw that the situation was different, and smelled a crisis. With his sense of the world, he knew that there was trouble, and it was quite trouble. On the two benches in the shop, on one of the two benches lay a big, eye-catching man wearing a green straight gown and crossing a knife; on the other, a shriveled old woman with white hair like silver sat leaning against the wall, with a purple gold dragon's head staff beside her, issuing orders. Palpitating purple light. On the counter, sat a middle-aged dwarf less than three feet tall, biting a leg of lamb, with a pair of naked strange eyes, constantly looking at the guests who came in, not like a clerk, but like a naughty boy. There is a shakuhachi dagger at the waist of this dwarf. Two burly guys came forward to say hello, and one said with a smile: Good morning, two guests!Please sit down please sit down. Chao Fei the civet smiled faintly, unwrapped the package and said: It's still early, the sun has not set, but I don't touch the village before, and I don't rely on the shop behind, so I have to go to your Bawang shop!buddy we two The two masters are on the same road, and they are a family when they travel from south to north snort!Your buddy's tricks are sharp, people in the rivers and lakes can't hide the footsteps of the car and boat shop, so just figure it out!The two of us are going to the room. Guest officer, I'm sorry, there are customers in the two upper rooms of the shop nonsense!You have to help me out.The civet screamed. Guest officer, I'm sorry, the hotel must be first come, first served, and the younger ones can't push out the guest officers who arrived first The bully-eyed man who was half lying on the stool sat up straight, coughed dryly, rolled his bully-eyed eyes, and said loudly: Dude, please understand better!What they have to do in your shop is more or less shameful, and it is indeed a bit inconvenient not to go to the room.Behind the barn, isn't there a straw shed?Just let them live and make do with it! The dwarf sitting on the counter gnawing on the leg of lamb giggled like a proud old hen who had just laid eggs, and said: That's right, the hay house is very quiet, and it happens to be sneaky.Anyway, there is grass in the house, don't cats like to sleep in grass nests? The civet was furious, wanted to explode but held back, smiled coldly and said: "Three Inch Nails Dongfang Sheng, it seems that Chao has never provoked you, right?" Three-inch nails have long little fingernails, not only long but also sharp. He stretched out his fingernails to pick the tendons between his teeth, and said vaguely: Oh!oh!don't be mad you man.I forgot that your brother's nickname is civet, and I slipped my tongue, so please forgive me, brother!Actually, there's nothing wrong with sleeping in straw huts, is there? Chao Fei, the civet cat, was burning with anger and murderous intent. He wanted to attack, but he turned his eyes cautiously, and glanced at the big, bulging-eyed man with a savage face, trying to assess the opponent's whereabouts in his heart. If the other party is a partisan of Three Inch Nails, can he deal with it? Three Inch Nail Dongfangsheng, this dwarf, although he is short and wretched, has a surprisingly high reputation in the Jianghu Tao. People, the annoying guy who makes everyone headache in the evil way. With his three-foot-tall stature, even the most filthy ruffian would not want to argue with him, and even if he wins, he won't be able to win by force. Therefore, he took advantage of all the advantages, could do whatever he wanted, and he had the abnormal mentality of the disabled and cynical, which made him even more vicious and perverse. Chao Fei, the civet cat, is a well-known figure in the rivers and lakes. Of course, he doesn't want to care about this wretched dwarf. But before finding out the details of the other party, it is not appropriate to take the liberty to call out. The mouse turned its eyes and said to Tie Jingang with a cold smile: "Brother Guo, do you know that dear brother?" Tie King Kong glanced at the big man, curled his lips and said: I know, he is a man with sound limbs and five senses, just like you and me, he can't be wrong. Stupid guy!I ask if you know his way number.The civet said angrily and funny. The bully-eyed man didn't think what Tie Jingang said was stupid, but thought it was an unforgivable insult, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, it jumped up and roared like a thunder: Damn it!damn thing!I, Jiang Hong, the soul-breaking knife, have been in the rivers and lakes for more than ten years. Today is the first time I have received such a serious insult. You two bastards must pay a heavy price for this.Let's go out, see you outside the store. Iron King Kong opened his strange eyes angrily, raised his thick brows, and said: Huh!Why is this kid so angry. The civet snorted, and said coldly: "Bastard!"Don't worry about his anger, don't you hear that he scolded us badly?It is not he who is insulted, but us. Yes, it seems that the scolding is ugly.Iron King Kong said loudly. Not only did he scold badly, but he also wanted us to go out and chop off our heads with a knife!The civet Chao Fei further sowed discord. Tie Jingang yelled at Jiang Hong, the soul-breaking knife, with round eyes: You son of a bitch!Let's go out and see who's sharp. Sancunding sat up straight, stood on the counter and said with a strange smile: Good!The two of you are about the same height, you have the same seniority, you have the same names, you just happen to have the same chess and drums, and you will fight to the death. The old woman suddenly opened her eyes, and said with a sinister smile: Yes, if you die, you will lose a competitor.Three-inch nails, why don't you fight yourself? Sancun Nail snorted and said, "Old woman, who wants you to interrupt?" The old woman was still smiling and said: You can't stay out of the fire you lit, right? you damn old godmother The old godmother's figure was moving, she didn't see her making a gesture, but she saw a figure flashing, and approached the counter, and the coiling dragon staff came towards the golden light and turned into a rainbow, and pointed at the three-inch nail's chest door, the speed was shocking. Three Inch Nails was not slow, and slid down the counter like a mouse, shouting: "Old godly woman, what are you?" The old godly woman did not pursue, and said grimly: "Three-inch nail, in front of my mother, you'd better behave yourself, I don't care if you are a three-inch nail, even if you are only one inch tall, my mother will kill you without hesitation." If you don't believe me, you can try it. Swords are on the verge of breaking out, seeing that this fierce fight is inevitable. A light cough came from the door of the shop, a big man came in, glanced at the people in the hall, and said to the pale-faced clerk at the counter as if nothing had happened: Dude, send someone to pick up the car. The big man wore a black strong suit and a sword. He looked extraordinary, tall and strong, about forty years old, and a flying swallow was embroidered on the outside of the treasure bag under his side. The hall was filled with murderous aura and the situation was tense.But the big man was unmoved, calm and indifferent, and spoke in a friendly manner, as if the sky had nothing to do with him. The old godly woman's eyes fell on the flying swallow pattern, her expression changed, she suddenly turned her head and entered the courtyard, and left quietly. The second one to slip away was Three Inch Nails, followed by Jiang Hong, the Broken Soul Knife. The civet cat, Chao Fei, also changed color, gestured to Iron King Kong, and whispered to the shopkeeper in the corner: Dude, take us to settle down.quick! As long as the shopkeeper is not picky, Amitabha hurriedly led the two of them into Dongkuayuan. As Tie King Kong walked, he said in confusion: "Strange!I can see that the old godly woman and Sancunding, who are well-known people in the world, are deeply wary when they see the black-clothed brother.Brother Chao, do you know the origin of that man? The civet cat Chao Fei sneered and said: Brother, haven't you seen that dear friend's treasure bag? Tie King Kong nodded and said: Yes, I saw it. The civet then asked: What did you see? Iron King Kong said to himself: See the treasure bag!I saw a pair of flying swallows embroidered on the bag. What does Feiyan represent?asked the civet. oh!You mean hey!I remembered.You mean, he is Meilin Xiaozhu Yan's family? snort!You are not confused, you finally know the famous Meilin Xiaozhu in the martial arts world.People in the Yan family are moody, and whoever provokes them will be ashamed and their lives will be lost.The old godly woman is vicious and vicious, everyone is afraid of her, and she quietly avoids her. How can we stay and make trouble. Tie King Kong was taken aback, and murmured: Oh no!We are in trouble. The civet snorted and said: Are you crazy? What's the trouble? Tie Jingang said in horror: If the people from the Yan family are friends invited by Li Laogou, wouldn't we be in trouble?And it's quite a hassle! No, Li Laogou regards himself as a chivalrous hero and never interacts with underworld figures.The Yan family of Meilin Xiaozhu is a gangster, with a bad reputation in the world, Li Laogou disdains to associate with them.Of course they will not be invited to help protect the driver. In my opinion, it is no accident that Ms. Yan's appearance in the frontier is not a good thing.Not only is it not helping Li Laogou, but maybe it is the master who seeks revenge on Li Laogou. Tie King Kong followed the clerk into the big guest room, waved the clerk away, threw his bag on the bed, and resumed the topic: Brother Chao, if Mei Lin Xiaozhu came here to seek revenge on Old Dog Li, it would be even more detrimental to us, oh !I hope Taoist Master Tiangang can come to discuss it as soon as possible, this matter is very bad. nonsense!What's wrong? If you think about it, our ambition is to rob Li Laogou's priceless antiques, and Daoist Tiangang is aiming at the Taixu Zhenjue.If the Yan family comes forward to seek revenge, how can we intervene?Will the Yan family let us have a share? The civet's complexion changed, and he said cautiously: "Yes!"Seeing that you don't come out, not only are you not muddled, but you are actually thoughtful!The appearance of people from the Yan family is indeed a bad omen for us, whether it is an enemy or a friend, it is not good for us.Let's take a look at the scenery first, and wait for the arrival of Daoist Tiangang. Before the arrival of Daoist Tiangang, we must be more cautious.I hope to find out their intentions, and prepare early, hey!outside the door The open door seemed to disappear in a flash.