Chapter 94

In the midst of the fierce wind and snow, a group of people blocked the path of the carriage. The leader rode a black horse, dressed in a black fur coat. Due to the dark night, his appearance was unclear.

Sitting inside the carriage, Ye Yu saw the carriage suddenly stop and frowned, asking in a deep voice, "A-Kuan, why did we stop?"

"Master... there are people ahead... they seem to be bandits..." A-Kuan's voice trembled as he stammered in reply.

"Bandits? Brother, it seems you were right!" She Tongcheng said, then lifted the curtain and bent to exit the carriage.

As soon as She Tongcheng left the carriage, the surrounding silence turned into agitation. She Tongcheng looked around and, with the help of the snow's reflection, noticed that the area was filled with archers. This situation made She Tongcheng's expression extremely serious.

When She Tongcheng reported the situation to Ye Yu, Ye Yu's face also showed a hint of surprise. He thought to himself that his "crow's mouth" was indeed quite accurate; he had just mentioned the bandits of Xiaogushan, and now they had appeared.

At this moment, the leader rode his horse slowly to the front of the carriage. He sat on the horse, raised the whip in his right hand, and shouted, "Is Ye Yu inside the carriage?"

"May I ask who you are..." Ye Yu, supported by She Tongcheng, got out of the carriage and sat in the wheelchair he always carried.

The black-clad man looked down at Ye Yu from his high position, his voice cold and disdainful: "I am the master of Xiaogushan, the well-known He Xiaojun. Ye Yu, I have been waiting for you for a long time!"

"Oh? To have a hero like He wait for me, I am truly flattered! But may I ask why you are waiting here?"

"Why? Naturally, to take your life!" Hearing Ye Yu call him a hero, He Xiaojun felt very pleased, but his words remained cold and stern.

He then waved his hand, signaling the archers to close in on the carriage: "You can see that for your sake, I have made my brothers endure the cold and hunger for a long time!"

Seeing dozens of archers closing in, Ye Yu's forehead broke out in a cold sweat. If these archers fired together, even if he hid in the carriage, he would be turned into a hedgehog after a few rounds.

"You bandits are truly unreasonable! We have no grudge or enmity with you, so why are you doing this!" She Tongcheng stood in front of Ye Yu, scolding the black-clad man in front of everyone.

The black-clad man laughed heartily: "They say that one takes on the job for the money, so you should just accept your fate!"

"Brothers, shoot these three to death!"

"Hold it! Hero He, I have something to say!"

The black-clad man, hearing this, quickly waved his hand to stop the shooting and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What are your last words, a man about to die?"

"Hero He, as the saying goes, 'men die for wealth, birds die for food.' Since someone has hired you to kill me, how about we make a deal?"

"Deal? Speak!"

Ye Yu couldn't help but take a deep breath and then clasped his hands, saying, "You rob for wealth. How much did the person who hired you pay you? I can offer ten times that amount! What do you think?"

"Oh? How can I trust you?"

"Ha ha! If you don't trust me, you can detain us first. I have a token here. You can send someone to Lian Prefecture. Then my family will bring ten times the wealth to exchange with you!"

Ye Yu wheeled his chair closer and took out a jade pendant from his chest, indicating for He Xiaojun to take it. He Xiaojun did not dismount to take it but ordered a small thug to fetch it.

However, Ye Yu suddenly pulled back the jade pendant and looked at He Xiaojun with a mocking expression: "Why don't you dismount to take it yourself, Hero He? Are you afraid that I, a disabled man with no strength, will harm you?"

"You! You scum, how dare you insult our chieftain! I'll beat you to death!" The thug, indignant, raised his arm to strike Ye Yu.

"Step back!" He Xiaojun glanced at Ye Yu and then laughed coldly: "Am I afraid of you? Ha ha! What a joke! I'll do as you wish!" He Xiaojun then dismounted and walked toward Ye Yu.

At this moment, the snow fell even harder, and the cold wind from the mountains stirred up layers of snow, filling the quiet valley. Ye Yu calmly waited for He Xiaojun to approach, his face showing a hint of calm.

He Xiaojun strode toward Ye Yu. In a situation he controlled, he had no reason to fear a disabled man with no strength.

Just as He Xiaojun reached Ye Yu, Ye Yu suddenly withdrew his right hand and lightly tapped the armrest of the wheelchair. Amid the rustling sound of the snow, a series of sharp whistling sounds could be heard.

When Ye Yu made this sudden move, He Xiaojun felt a sense of foreboding. Before he could react, dozens of hidden darts shot out from Ye Yu's wheelchair.

Caught off guard, the darts aimed at his lower body, and He Xiaojun had to use his agility to dodge them. After dodging, he found that over ten of his men had been hit.

He Xiaojun, filled with anger, was about to punish Ye Yu when Ye Yu, seizing the opportunity, wheeled his chair close to He Xiaojun and grabbed his head with his right hand like an iron claw.

He Xiaojun, in a panic, naturally did not give up easily. He tried to break free with a backhand move, but Ye Yu would not let his prey escape. He then smoothly grabbed He Xiaojun's throat.

His movements were as swift as lightning, smooth and fluid!

"You!..." He Xiaojun, with a red face, glared at Ye Yu.

At this close range, Ye Yu noticed that He Xiaojun's appearance was not as handsome as his name suggested. If he had to describe him, he would use the words "rough and rugged."

Feeling the movement of the thugs around him, Ye Yu slightly increased the pressure on He Xiaojun's throat and coldly warned, "If you want to live, make your men behave! This hand of mine, which can crush bones, can't guarantee not to break your neck!"

"Step back! All of you, step back!"

Slap!

Ye Yu's left hand swung, and he slapped He Xiaojun, scolding, "You scum, daring to kidnap me! And you call yourself He Xiaojun! With such a rough face, you make people shudder!"

"Tell me, who hired you to kill me!" Ye Yu's eyes showed a hint of killing intent as he squeezed He Xiaojun's throat with his iron-like right hand.

He Xiaojun, nearly suffocated, struggled but found no effect. Finally, he gave up and said with great difficulty, "Master Ye, let go first... listen to me..."

Slap!

Another loud slap landed on He Xiaojun's face, the burning pain making him close his mouth. Ye Yu pulled out a dagger from the compartment of the wheelchair, its sharp blade gleaming.

He then frowned and coldly rebuked, "Less talk! If you don't speak, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He Xiaojun did not expect this weak-looking scholar to be so ruthless. Seeing the sharp dagger about to pierce his chest, He Xiaojun broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly shouted, "Master Ye, you can't kill me, I was just joking! The leader ordered me to escort you over the mountain..."

"Leader? What leader?" Seeing He Xiaojun's fear, Ye Yu thought he was not lying, but he still did not understand what this "leader" was.

Seeing that Ye Yu had no intention of letting him go, He Xiaojun took out a letter from his waist and handed it to Ye Yu: "Master Ye, this is a letter from the leader for you..."

Ye Yu glanced at the letter, especially the seal at the bottom, and his eyes lit up. He then handed He Xiaojun to She Tongcheng to guard and went to read the letter.

After reading the letter, Ye Yu couldn't help but laugh. He then turned around, shook his head speechlessly, and signaled She Tongcheng to release He Xiaojun.

"Truly, we didn't know each other until we fought, Chief He. I apologize for my earlier actions!" Ye Yu clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his face showing a hint of remorse.

He Xiaojun's expression was very awkward, and he returned the gesture: "It was my own fault for playing a trick on you, Master Ye. I wanted to test your courage, and I deserved the humiliation. Since you are passing through Xiaogushan, as the chieftain of Feihu Fort, I must show you hospitality! Please!"

"Alright! Chief He, please!" Ye Yu laughed heartily and followed He Xiaojun to the fort without hesitation.

During the two days he stayed at the fort, Ye Yu listened to He Xiaojun's story and finally understood the situation. He did not expect Ye Mingzhi to still be so stubborn, wanting to kill him.

Especially with Li Mo's involvement, this made Ye Yu even more angry. He thought that his enmity with the Ye Mengxin family was understandable, but he had no grudge with Li Mo, yet Li Mo still wanted to kill him.

Fortunately, they had hired the wrong person. Now that He Xiaojun's Feihu Fort was part of the Hidden Alliance, they would not oppose Ye Yu for a bit of wealth.

Speaking of the Hidden Alliance, Ye Yu thought the name was quite good. He thought that Li Dayan, who could barely read, had chosen such a meaningful name, which was quite impressive.

The letter He Xiaojun gave to Ye Yu was written by Li Dayan, briefly describing the progress over the past six months. After reading the letter, Ye Yu felt very gratified, as all the nine gorges and eighteen forts in the Chuzhou border region were now under Li Dayan's control!

The speed of this development was hard for Ye Yu to believe. At the end of the letter, Li Dayan congratulated Ye Yu on his success and promised to protect him on his journey to the capital for the imperial examination.

Seeing Li Dayan's achievements and progress in the letter, Ye Yu realized that Li Dayan was competing with him in speed! What would they be like three years from now?

After staying at Feihu Fort for two days, He Xiaojun personally escorted Ye Yu down Xiaogushan. Watching the carriage gradually disappear from sight, He Xiaojun couldn't help but praise, "The leader's friend is indeed extraordinary, so young yet so profound! If I had known, I wouldn't have humiliated myself..."

On the slippery official road, the carriage moved slowly. Ye Yu lifted the curtain and gazed at the raging wind and snow, softly laughing to himself, "Lin'an, I, Ye Yu, am coming..."

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