From the mouths of several bandit scouts, Ning Ji inquired about the distribution of bandit gangs on the Xianxia Road. After carefully studying the nearby maps at the checkpoint, Ning Ji's progress, although not on the main roads, was not met with too much obstruction. On the contrary, at several bandit gang checkpoints, the two secretly detoured through the difficult mountain paths, even seeing the location of the bandit villages from afar, and even spotting several sentries on watch. Sometimes Qu Longjun would secretly peek, and sometimes Ning Ji would go over to knock them down, even managing to scavenge some copper coins from the bandits' persons. Although progress was slow, it could be considered carefree. Although Qu Longjun used to be delicate, she had already undergone a year of training since leaving the Southwest. Now, in the mountains, under the careful guidance of a survival master like Ning Ji, her skills and temperament had become agile and vigorous with each passing day of walking and climbing, and she had even developed a healthy beauty. From Xianxia Pass to Jian'ou, a large city in the mountains, the mountain road was about 300 li, but the two were not in a hurry, traveling and sightseeing along the way. On March 23rd, they approached the vicinity of Pucheng halfway. On this day, the two were not in a hurry to go to the county town. They still set up camp in the mountains at night, and Ning Ji enthusiastically planned to go to the county town tomorrow to "ship goods" and sell some of the treasures he had "scavenged" along the way. Late that night, after midnight, there were faint noises coming from the mountains. Ning Ji had learned the art of scouting in the army, so he used his weapon as a pillow at night, ready for battle. Therefore, when he heard subtle sounds on the ground, he woke up. After listening for a while, he got up and nudged Qu Longjun, who was fast asleep. With his steel saber on his back, he opened the tent and went out. In the darkness, a rustling sound was coming towards them. Then, two figures, supporting each other, darted out of the forest in front of them. Under the bright starlight, one of the two figures was probably injured, holding a weapon and probably escaping for their lives. Suddenly seeing the tent and figure on the grass slope, they were both startled. Ning Ji, with his twin sabers stuck in his back, stood there like a deep pool and a towering mountain, his gaze calm and extremely difficult to provoke. The two sides looked at each other for a moment. The shouts from behind gradually grew louder. Ning Ji slightly raised his hand and waved it to the side of the mountain, indicating that he had no intention of causing trouble and let the two pass. The two then bypassed the location of the tent and ran away to the side. After the two figures disappeared from sight, Ning Ji returned to the tent. Qu Longjun had already knelt up, holding a sword: "What's wrong?" "Strange, they look like yamen runners in their clothes, being chased and killed late at night... What are the Fujian soldiers doing?" "Could they be bad guys?" "Who knows... but the ones chasing behind seem more like a rabble..." As he said this, he raised a finger. "Shhh, they're coming." As he spoke, someone else darted out of the forest. One of them said, "Fourth Brother, there's someone here!" "Whoa, there's even a horse." "Search! Search——" "Come out——" Excited and seemingly bloody shouts rang out. Under the moonlight, several figures quickly surrounded the tent. Slightly approaching, Ning Ji opened the curtain and stepped out, saying: "What's all the noise late at night!" Seeing someone stepping out of the tent and speaking impolitely, the middle-aged man holding a long saber at the front slowed down slightly. Sizing up the long saber behind the figure, he cupped his fist and said in a loud voice: "Powerful is the ancestor of Dharma." This man was tall and burly in stature, with a rough appearance. His long saber was already stained with blood, looking extremely like a seasoned veteran who licked blood off the blade. As he spoke the cant, his footsteps did not stop. While sizing up the opponent and the surroundings, he walked straight up: "Killing yellow dogs at night, the flood washed the Dragon King Temple, are you brothers from inside, flash a vine!" As he spoke, he was still beckoning his companions to search the surroundings. Some were looking around, some were kicking the grass on the ground, and some were running towards the jujube blossom horse. Qu Longjun had already stood behind the curtain at this time, saying in her mouth: "He wants to match the cant..." She had also learned some of these Jianghu cants in "White Rakshasa", and was about to respond. Ning Ji had already kicked the chest of the middle-aged man who came like a Jianghu boss with one foot, sending the man flying out with a bang. In the night, the figure that was still moving forward instantly changed direction, kicked out several feet, and then turned into a tumbling gourd, stirring up the sky with grass stems. Everyone was slightly stunned. Ning Ji's figure suddenly advanced, and a sense of oppression roared. A lackey next to the middle-aged man only saw the other party's stepping figure, and then was punched in the face with a backhand, and the whole person crashed out. Going further, the lackey who was about to reach out to lead the horse was staring wide-eyed at this time, raising a steel saber, and the approaching image in the darkness drew up a piece of wood from the ground with a backhand and hit it over the head like a storm. Only the sound of Peng Peng Peng was heard, and sawdust flew in the night. The man was knocked down by the steel saber, his arm was bent, and then the whole person was smashed into

a tumbling gourd, and kicked again. Two more people rushed from the side. One was knocked over by a backhand punch, and the other was glanced at, holding a knife and retreating in panic. This conflict under the starlight only lasted for a moment, but the advancing figure, the power of one punch and one kick, was breathtaking. He turned his head and walked towards the middle-aged Jianghu man who had reported the cant with great momentum at the beginning. The other party was trying to get up from the ground. Looking up, he was kicked away roughly again. "I said! Disturbs people's dreams late at night, and also reports the cant to me! Also recites poetry! Do you have manners? What status are you and what status am I! Damn it, there's a road to heaven, you don't take it, the sea of learning is boundless, you make it hard, ah you! Damn it, reciting poetry..." He muttered and cursed, turned back and walked to the person who had retreated with a knife before, and reached out and slapped the other person in the face before walking back. This person also looked like a desperado in Jianghu. For a moment, his eyes flickered, his eyes changed, he gritted his teeth, but he did not dare to make a move. Only after a moment did he grit his teeth and say: "A scholar... a scholar can be killed,"

"but not insulted..." Before he finished speaking, Ning Ji turned his head and smashed him to the ground with a punch, and then kicked him hard with one foot after another. On the grass slope under the night, this person's body was bent and rolled, and then curled up into a ball. The sound of Peng Peng Peng kicking echoed in the night wind. The sound of beatings continued for a moment, and two more pursuers came out of the forest before Ning Ji stopped. His twin sabers on his back were not drawn, and the five people who chased here at the beginning were all wounded. At this time, he sat down on a rock with great airs, pressing his hands on his knees. "Dare to search my place, lead my horse... Is it yours that you dare to reach out! Okay, speak, who are you? What do you do? What have you done? If you say it well, you can leave. If you don't say it well, I'll bury you... Ill-mannered bastards!" At this time, there were a total of seven people outside this forest. Except for two people who were not beaten, the others were injured to varying degrees. The middle-aged man who had taken the lead in greeting them had stood up with the support of his companions. He looked around, not knowing what expression to make for a moment. But then he finally gritted his teeth and cupped his fists, his voice becoming gentle. "I... We are righteous people who have formed an alliance spontaneously... I, I am Meng Biao, the Mountain-Pushing Saber of Five Ox Village. Tonight... tonight, our brothers are here, here to kill the yellow dogs, not wanting to clash... clash with senior, but... I, I have followed the rules, said hello, Senior... Brother, this, this is a bit..." Meng Biao looked at the man sitting on the stone in front of him with great airs. The other party was skilled in martial arts and obviously had a violent temper, which made it difficult for him to choose his words. Saying "This is a bit" was already the extreme of complaint and grievance. And the other party stared at him. At this time, he opened his mouth, revealing his grim teeth. "Following the rules? Saying hello? Relying on the fact that you have a lot of people, you walked over while talking, and let your brother lead my horse. Is this called following the rules? Do you know that it's easy to have misunderstandings if you get so close to me before the greeting is finished - it's easy for you to die! Who is your boss? Who are your parents? Have they taught you well!" The other party's words were indeed domineering and awe-inspiring. Meng Biao and others also reacted at this time. They relied on the fact that they had a lot of people, and they may have killed people before, so they had a psychological advantage. Therefore, while greeting them, they were approaching aggressively, but they did not expect the other party to be even more ferocious and have an even more violent temper, and they directly started fighting. Although there have been some "rules" in the green forest in recent years, incompetence is the original sin. If the other party is completely barbaric and unreasonable, they would have to get their face back even if they were beaten and lost their lives. But since there is such a reason, then they can step down. Meng Biao cupped his fists: "This... this is indeed our fault, but, this, this brother, we are killing yellow dogs tonight, for the sake of justice. Just now, we chased two yellow dogs here, and we were anxious in our hearts, so we did something offensive. I hope brother... I hope you two forgive me." As he spoke, Qu Longjun, carrying a precious sword, had also appeared in a higher place. The moonlight shone on him, only to see his robe fluttering and his eyes cold, which immediately set off a more intimidating master demeanor. "Killing yellow dogs... is excusable." Ning Ji, sitting on the stone below, made an expression that he understood, and then said, "Knowing your mistake, you can leave." Qu Longjun also opened his mouth above: "These yellow dogs, what exactly is their background?" Meng Biao cupped his fists and said: "It is... It is a tax official and his entourage. We, we have killed this cruel official. What we are chasing are several yamen runners who are helping the evildoers." "Hmm." Qu Longjun nodded, "Then it should be killed." Ning Ji also nodded along with him: "So that's how it is, then you can go. I forgive you for tonight's offense." Meng Biao and others looked at each other. Although they were aggrieved in their hearts, they did not know whether they should speak next or how to say it. After hesitating for a while, a man next to Meng Biao cupped his fists and stepped forward. "Tonight, we offended you, it is indeed a bit wrong, but since the two brothers also agree with the righteous act of killing yellow dogs, you must also be fellow Taoists in the green forest who understand righteousness. We chased the yellow dogs here, and we don't know... Two brothers, have you seen..." He mustered up the courage to say this. Ning Ji's gaze in front of him sank, and the atmosphere on the grass slope gradually cooled. He did not know if this hot-tempered master was going to start hitting people again because of the question. After being so quiet for a moment, they heard the other party say: "We are walking in Jianghu, and we are naturally at odds with the government's hawks and dogs. You have chased the wrong place. Go and find it elsewhere." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The one who spoke just now cupped his fists again: "Also... I don't know, I don't know what the two brothers' names are, and where is your immortal hometown..." Being stared at coldly by Ning Ji, he quickly said: "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. We, we have no other intentions, but today we have met a master, and it is good to tell it back, so that we will not have any misunderstandings when we meet again." "I am not afraid of misunderstandings." Ning Ji sneered. After a pause, he said, "It doesn't matter if I tell you, grandfather, I don't change my name or surname, my name is Sun Wukong, and Jianghu people send a bandit nickname 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven', you must remember it clearly... As for my brother, his surname is Long and his name is Aotian, that is, the famous 'Martial Arts Alliance Leader' Long Aotian. Do you remember!" His words were full of domineering, and everyone was shocked when they heard them. "Martial... Martial Arts Alliance Leader..." "...Great Sage Equaling Heaven?" Everyone is walking in Jianghu, and now they are heavily brainwashed by the green forest novels from the Southwest. They naturally know the concept of the term "Martial Arts Alliance Leader", but of course they have not heard the name Long Aotian. For a time, they did not know what to say. It was as if you were signing up in Jianghu, and suddenly someone said: "I am the emperor." Of course you don't believe it, but if the other party is irritable and you can't beat him, then you probably don't know what to say in person. The group of people cupped their hands and left in silence. When their figures disappeared in the woods, Ning

Ji remembered and said loudly, gathering his mouth: "In the future, when you see people from our Martial Arts Alliance, wake up!" Previously, Qu Longjun was afraid of being seen through, so she had returned to the tent with her hands behind her back. At this time, Ning Ji also turned back and went back, and looked through the tent seams with Qu Longjun. Only then did he see Qu Longjun smiling and turning his head: "You... you don't need to hit them like that. I can actually respond to Jianghu's cant. I said it before." Ning Ji smiled and shook his head: "That's not the point. The two yamen runners ran over here, and there are actually some traces. These guys just killed someone, and their blood is very strong. While greeting them, they were searching everywhere, and it was easy for them to see something. At that time, there could only be an endless battle. I beat them up in advance to save their lives." He paused, "But it's also strange, why do these people want to kill tax officials?" "I thought of this." Qu Longjun said softly, "Since ancient times, imperial power has not been under the county. In the past, tax collection naturally relied on the cooperation of large families and clans in various places to collect it. The Wu Dynasty's... This majesty, when he arrived in Fujian, since he wanted to seize power, taxation was the most sensitive place, and Fujian was precisely the place where the power of clans and large families was the strongest and most stable. Listen to their words between the lines of killing yellow dogs. It seems that throughout the mountains of Fujian, the government and the large families are killing each other very fiercely." "So that's how it is..." Ning Ji nodded, and then said, "How can the country do things without collecting taxes." "The situation in various places is always different, right." Qu Longjun thought for a while, "However, they have suffered a loss, will they call people over now? Should we avoid it?" Ning Ji thought for a while: "These people... claim to be spontaneous righteous people, taking advantage of the dark moon and high winds to kill tax officials. They have gained the upper hand for a while, but after all, they can't be afraid of the government, right? And the ones who came are all crooked melons and cracked dates. I think... there's no need to be afraid for now..." He said this, but after a while, he still came out and packed his things with Qu Longjun. That night, he moved the place of rest a little. His current skills are not afraid of trouble, but there is no need to take too much risk... ----------------- When Ning Ji was transferring his camp, on the other side, Meng Biao and others limped back, and met with some cooperating righteous people and the leading brothers in a broken temple in the nearby mountains, and talked about what happened. "...Several of us were there, and we met a man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks. Without saying a word, he hit people when he saw them..." These people are really not bandits from the village, but righteous people and knights who were recruited and gathered from all over by the leader. At this time, when they talked about the ferocity of this man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, there was an uproar. Someone said that he must be a running dog of the court, and they had to gather people on the spot to kill him and find their place back. But the action of killing the tax official must have

caused a riot, and it was no longer suitable to create extra branches at this moment. So everyone argued for a while. When they heard the names Long Aotian, the "Martial Arts Alliance Leader", and Sun Wukong, the "Great Sage Equaling Heaven", they all said that these must be perfunctory aliases. After saying this for a while, when they were about to disperse, a scholar dressed person frowned and raised his hand: "Wait a moment, I seem... to have heard of these two people." "Oh?" Everyone and the leading brothers all looked at him for a moment. They saw this scholar take out a package from his arms, open it, and take out several books similar to the "Hero Book", and began to search on the spot. After a moment, he found a clue. Everyone looked at the top and took a breath of cold air. That was the reward issued in the Jiangning Fair Party's power last year. At that time, Jiangning claimed to hold the world's first ring, and heroes from all sides gathered together. Even Lin Zongwu, who was once called the number one person in the world, broke out a battle with the Black Flag master there. Since then, the Fair King overturned the table, and now the entire Jiangnan is in a mess. The masters who can survive in this kind of environment are truly a level higher than those in Fujian. And the names of Long Aotian and Sun Wukong appeared on the reward black list at that time, ranked not low, and the fact that they are still alive today is enough to show the shocking nature of the two people's skills. Only the reasons described on the reward and the recorded nicknames were slightly different from what the other party reported. Everyone gathered around to look at the two nicknames on the reward, touching their chins, their eyes were either dazed or complicated. The previous indignation and bloodiness were swept away at once. Someone nodded, and next to him, someone also nodded. "Hmm..." "This is..." "These are two..." "These are two... evil masters." Everyone understood. Then Meng Biao and others also understood: No wonder... I was beaten. No wonder his temper was irritable. Because... they are that kind of evil masters. ----------------- The stars and the moon in the sky flowed and changed towards the west. The ghostly people in the mountains gathered and dispersed again. In the foggy mountains, Ning Ji and Qu Longjun got up early and lit a fire, ate a simple breakfast, and then packed their bags, led the jujube blossom horse and began to go down the mountain. After walking for a while, they gradually passed through the village and entered the "avenue" located in the mountains. There were not many pedestrians on the Xianxia Ancient Road, but it was already close to Pucheng County. Occasionally, they could see some mountain people carrying burdens. Ning Ji and Qu Longjun talked and laughed, preparing to set up a stall in the most lively place in the city, and by the way, eat some good things with mountain characteristics to reward the fatigue of the journey along the way. At a mountain road corner about to reach the county town, the two saw the bruised and swollen "righteous man" Meng Biao by the roadside. And several figures beside him. ///.