Chapter 63

Luo Yang is adjacent to Xingyang County. It’s only ten miles to the east to enter Xingyang territory, but it’s quite a distance to the center of Xingyang County.

As the sky grew darker, seeing that they still had a bit of the journey left, Wu Fan and his two companions decided to find a place to rest, to avoid being stranded in the wilderness with nowhere to stay.

Especially the young eunuch Man Ning, who was very particular about cleanliness, couldn’t bear it.

However—

Wu Fan, sitting on his horse, leaned forward to check the dense forest on both sides of the road, his expression wary, and said in a low voice, "Lord Man, are we being watched? I always feel like someone is watching us!"

The young eunuch Man Ning sat lazily on his horse, muttering, "We’ve been watched for a while, they just haven’t made a move yet."

Without Man Ning saying it, Wu Fan already knew who was watching them. In such a desolate area, how could good people follow others around at midnight? They were definitely bandits.

"This isn’t going to work!" Wu Fan pinched his chin, pondering, and said with a grim expression, "We need to get rid of them to have peace!"

Man Ning turned to look at Wu Fan, smiled strangely, and said, "There are about sixty of them. Can you handle it alone?"

Wu Fan smiled confidently and said, "Then I’ll trouble Lord Man to take care of my nephew. I’ll show you that things don’t always need to be solved with violence; words can work too!"

Man Ning giggled, said nothing, and her eyes flickered, seemingly waiting for the show to begin.

Wu Fan dismounted, handed the reins to Tong Wei, and said, "Follow Lord Man later, don’t panic! Don’t make a sound!"

Tong Wei looked at Wu Fan blankly, not quite understanding what was going on.

Wu Fan slowly walked to the side of the road, clasped his hands, and said, "Brothers! You’re treading on my turf, which isn’t right!"

Though he didn’t know much about bandits, Wu Fan, being from the Eagle-Soaring Guard, and with his late father being skilled in such matters, had learned a lot of underworld jargon from a young age. His words meant: We’re all in the same line of work, you’re the local gang, but the target you want to rob is me, which isn’t right.

Hearing Wu Fan’s bold and firm tone, the people hiding by the roadside knew they were discovered and couldn’t hide anymore. Taking advantage of the night, they stood far away, clasped their hands, and said in a deep voice, "Brothers! You didn’t introduce yourselves first? (Friends, if you’re trying to get information, why not introduce yourselves first?)"

Wu Fan grinned and said calmly, "From the west, Luoyang! My surname is Wu! Brothers, your eyes aren’t very sharp! (I’m from the west, Luoyang, my surname is Wu. Brothers, your eyes aren’t very sharp! In other words, you don’t even recognize me, what are you doing here?)"

The man thought for a moment, lowered his head, and asked the person next to him, "Who is the most famous Wu in Luoyang?"

His subordinate thought for a long time and shook his head, "There are too many! Many major security agencies and martial arts schools! Boss! This person seems to be an insider, not the official we’re waiting for! (Boss: leader. Insider: expert in the field. Official: government official.)"

The man didn’t speak, and Wu Fan hummed, then continued, "Brothers! Be clear! Don’t take me for a fool, keep your eyes sharp, and don’t be too rash! (Friends, be reasonable, don’t take me for a fool, keep your eyes sharp, and don’t be too rash, or it could be fatal!)"

"Brothers! Since we’re both insiders, I won’t detain you! (Friends, since we’re both insiders, I won’t detain you.)" The man bowed and suddenly said, "Have you seen any officials? (Do you know if any officials have passed by?)"

Wu Fan’s eyes flickered, and he smiled, "Brothers! In broad daylight, an official went north! (In broad daylight, an official went north!)"

The man bowed again and said, "Thank you!"

Wu Fan grinned, turned back, and mounted his horse, shouting, "Brothers! The target is tough, be careful, and get out of here quickly! (Friends, the target is tough, be careful, and get out of here quickly.)"

The man watched Wu Fan and his companions ride away, sighing, "What a decent man!"

After riding for a long distance, Wu Fan reined in his horse. Before the young eunuch Man Ning could ask, he said, "Lord Man, something’s not right. I think our journey will be difficult, and we might run into trouble!"

Man Ning frowned and said, "What’s not right? I didn’t understand what you said to those people."

"I warned them not to target us at first, and then they asked me if I had seen any officials from Luoyang," Wu Fan took a deep breath and said, "If I’m not mistaken, those people are after us! Think about it! In the past, when officials and bandits colluded, the officials would come first. If the officials couldn’t solve the problem, the bandits would act as a cover for an ‘accident’. This time, they’re directly sending bandits to kill us, without even letting us pass! Something big must have happened in Xingyang County!"

Man Ning thought for a moment and shook her head, "Then what? Can we go back?"

Wu Fan licked his lips and said, "Going back is definitely not an option. If we don’t take up the post by the deadline, we’ll lose our heads according to the empire’s law. We have to go, but... we can’t go openly. We need to think of another way!"

Man Ning raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean...?"

"Divide and conquer!" Wu Fan said firmly, "You continue to handle the official side, and I happen to know some bandits in Xingyang. I’ll go to them for information, maybe I’ll find something useful!"

Man Ning pouted for a while, "Alright! Let’s do it your way!"

The night was deep, and the moonlight was cold.

After saying goodbye to Man Ning, Wu Fan and Tong Wei galloped ahead.

In the dark, Tong Wei couldn’t help but ask, "Uncle! Where are we going?"

Wu Fan didn’t answer, but smiled, "Are you tired, hungry, or can’t stand the pain in your legs from riding for so long? Ha ha! Just hold on, it’ll be better when we get there! I’m a bit regretful for bringing you out this time. This matter... could really be life-threatening!"

"I’m not afraid!" Tong Wei’s young face was filled with determination. Seeing Wu Fan looking at him, he repeated, "I’m not afraid!"

"Ha ha ha...!" Wu Fan laughed, "Good! Good kid! You have courage! But, you can only say these three words after you’ve killed someone and tasted blood!"

"Uncle?" Tong Wei smiled innocently, "Can you... teach me?"

"What?"

"Those things like 'Brothers' and 'insider'."

"Oh! Underworld jargon!" Wu Fan smiled and pondered, "I’ll teach you later, but not now. You need to focus on your martial arts training, understand? When you become a martial artist, you’ll be qualified to use those terms! Alright! Stay alert, we still have about twenty miles to go, it’s a long way!"

Does Wu Fan have friends in Xingyang?

Yes!

The Wagang Fort, the Zhai siblings, and Hu Che'er.

...

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