novelhk Page 85
Page 85
Many people watched and cheered, but few actually gave money.
The man turned around almost completely.
There were only twenty or thirty copper coins in the tray.
The young man looked visibly disappointed, just as he was about to put the tray away.
Suddenly, a ten-tael silver ingot was placed in the dish.
The young man looked up and saw a beautiful young woman.
"Your fist and spear techniques are quite good; these are what my brother and I..."
Before the girl could finish speaking, the man dressed as a wealthy man behind her took out a ten-tael garlic-shaped gold coin and put it into the tray.
"Those ten taels of silver ingots are yours, this is mine."
The young girl was Qiongying. When she saw that Zhao Yuan had actually given her a gold bar as a reward, her little face was filled with surprise.
"Brother, you..."
The villagers who had gathered around were also in an uproar; many of them were seeing this garlic-shaped golden garlic for the first time.
Immediately, a buzzing and noisy discussion broke out.
The young man was also startled and quickly said...
"This gentleman has taken the wrong thing; please take it back immediately!"
"Haha, I already put them on the plate, how could I have made a mistake?"
Zhao Yuan smiled, cupped his hands, and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, are you Shi Xiu, the one who's always ready to stand up for the weak and known as the 'Desperate Saburo'?"
"My name is Shi Xiu. I am appreciating your kindness, sir..."
Shi Xiu was somewhat stunned; he was indeed quite famous in his hometown.
But that was far away in Jiankang Prefecture, Jinling.
How come someone in this northern land knows his name?
Before he could figure it out, Zhao Yuan had already extended an invitation.
"There are too many people around here, and we were just looking for a hotel to have a drink. Brother Shi Xiu, would you mind coming with us?"
Having just received a favor, Shi Xiu naturally couldn't refuse.
He quickly gathered his things, bundling the sticks and other items into a ball.
As Zhao Yuan and the others departed.
After they left, the villagers gradually dispersed, discussing the generous landlord.
But a thin, short man, twirling the silver in his hand, watched Zhao Yuan and his companions' retreating figures and chuckled strangely.
"Hehe, I never expected to find such a fat sheep in such a small town! It just goes to save me some money!"
Chapter 109 Shi Qian, the Flea on the Drum, Kindly Steals a Horse
Town hotels,
Shi Xiu sat down with Zhao Yuan and the others, and after drinking several cups,
Only then did I find an opportunity to ask.
"Thank you for the generous gift, sir. Please tell me your name so that I, Shi Xiu, can repay you in the future!"
Before Zhao Yuan could speak,
Qiong Ying, who was standing nearby, rushed to introduce him, saying, "My elder brother's surname is Zhao. He is the same Zhao Dalang from Tokyo who killed the tiger with one punch!"
"So you are the current leader of Liangshan. Please accept my bow!"
Shi Xiu quickly knelt down.
"Brother, please get up quickly,"
Zhao Yuan quickly helped him up: "I came to Cangzhou to visit Master Chai, but I never expected to meet Brother Shi Xiu here."
"I'm so lucky to have met you, brother."
Shi Xiu sighed, "Now that my brother has given me the gold, my uncle is finally saved."
After exchanging names, the drinking became increasingly comfortable.
After several bowls, Shi Xiu finally couldn't help but ask,
“Brother, how do you know my name? Although I have some reputation in my hometown, I should be unknown in Shandong and Hebei.”
"I only heard about it from someone by chance before. They're probably someone you helped in the past."
Zhao Yuan made up a random excuse to get away with it.
"By the way, what are your plans next, brother?"
“I, 013, want to wait until my uncle’s illness has eased a bit before escorting him back to his hometown, Jiankang Prefecture,”
Shi Xiu replied, “In my hometown, there is a divine doctor named An Daoquan. He is an expert in medicine and his medical skills are extremely high. No one in the north can cure my uncle’s illness. I’m afraid only An Daoquan can cure him.”
“Indeed, I have heard of the name of the divine physician An Daoquan,” Zhao Yuan nodded.
Shi Xiu said with some shame, "I can only repay my brother's kindness after I have settled my uncle."
"Brother, what are you saying? How could I be the kind of person who would coerce someone into repaying a debt of gratitude?"
Zhao Yuan comforted him, saying, "Brother, please take good care of your uncle. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to Liangshan to find me."
"elder brother......"
Shi Xiu's eyes reddened, but he only cupped his hands in greeting and said nothing more, everything was understood without words.
The group drank several more bowls of wine.
Shi Xiu, worried about his uncle's condition, bid farewell to Zhao Yuan.
He went back to the guesthouse he was renting.
After having eaten and drunk their fill, Zhao Yuan and the others set off to return to Chai Jin's manor.
They first saw Wu Song off, then drank with Shi Xiu, and by then it was already past noon.
In order to get back to Chaijin before sunset,
The group then abandoned the main road and took the small path northward.
When they arrived at a grove of dead trees,
Suddenly, they heard someone shouting for help.
Zhao Yuan and the others followed the sound.
Then a short, thin man was seen clutching his right leg and collapsing onto the snow.
Seeing Zhao Yuan and the others approaching, he quickly said,
"Sir, I accidentally stepped into a trap and injured my calf with an animal snare. Please, sir, save me!"
Zhao Yuan also noticed that there was indeed blood on the man's right leg, so he asked Jiao Ting to go forward and help him up.
“This man is thin and small, so the two of you can ride together on one horse. When you reach the town near Master Chai’s manor, you can put him down.”
"Don't worry, brother, I understand."
Jiao Ting nodded, helped the man up, and then helped him onto his own horse.
He was about to mount his horse when, unexpectedly, the skinny man suddenly kicked the horse's belly.
He rode his horse like an arrow released from a bow, turning around completely.
He then rushed back in the direction from which the crowd had come.
This sudden situation stunned Zhao Yuan and the others for a while before they came to their senses.
"Damn it! That man wasn't injured at all; he was just trying to extort our horses!" Jiao Ting said angrily.
"I'm going after him right now!"
Qiongying was about to chase after him in a huff, but Zhao Yuan grabbed her reins.
"Alright, it's getting dark soon, we should hurry on our way!"
"Jiao Ting, you're taking my ride!"
After Zhao Yuan finished speaking, he mounted Qiongying's flowery horse on his own.
"Would you mind sharing a ride with me, young lady?"
"You're already up here, why are you still asking this?"
Qiongying gave a soft hum, her face slightly flushed.
They stopped talking about catching the horse thief and obediently followed Zhao Yuan's instructions.
Continue walking along the path.
The group walked like this for a while,
Unexpectedly, the horse thief had followed them all the way.
He trailed behind the group, occasionally uttering a provocative remark.
(bica)
"Brother, let me go and get that bird!"
Jiao Ting was so angry that his face turned ashen. After he finished speaking,
Without waiting for Zhao Yuan's reply, he spurred his horse and chased after the horse thief!
The lean man on horseback, upon seeing Jiao Ting chasing after him,
He immediately spurred his horse and rode back!
Jiao Ting chased after him angrily for four or five miles.
Seeing that they couldn't catch up no matter what, they finally pulled on the reins.
Unexpectedly, the lean man also stopped.
He rode at a distance on horseback, continuing to provoke them.
"That scoundrel is truly despicable! If I catch him, I'll tear him in two!"
Jiao Ting snorted angrily and was about to spur his horse to give chase again, but Zhao Yuan stopped him.
"Don't chase after him, something's not right with him."
"what?"
Jiao Ting was somewhat bewildered, and Lin Chong, standing beside him, also frowned and said...
"This person seems to be leading us somewhere."
"Could this person be a lackey from some mountain stronghold, trying to lure us into a trap?" Qiongying guessed.
"No, this person just seems to want us to avoid taking that shortcut we just came from,"
Zhao Yuan looked around: "We just passed this place. If we walk another mile or two, we will reach the main road. Why would anyone set up an ambush to rob someone on the main road?"
"So what exactly is this guy's purpose? He can't be playing a trick on us, can he?" Jiao Ting said, feeling frustrated.
"What's his purpose? We'll find out by asking him."
After Zhao Yuan finished speaking, he put his arm around Qiong Ying and rode forward.
Before the lean man could turn and leave, he shouted loudly,
"Brothers over there, why are you leading us back to the main road? Was there something wrong with that path we just walked on?"
Zhao Yuan had only been testing the waters casually, but to his surprise, the lean man laughed heartily and replied...
"You're a wise man, sir. All my hard work hasn't been in vain!"
“A bandit has recently come to that path and has gathered forty or fifty henchmen to rob people. I was in town earlier and saw that you were generous and knew that you were a kind-hearted person. I couldn’t bear to see you lose your life, so I wanted to lead you back to the main road.”
"If that's the case, why don't you just tell me the truth, brother?"
Zhao Yuan asked in confusion, "Why bother toying with us like this?"