Chapter 522: The Tribulation of Sancha (I)

Fifty miles west of Huashan, there is a three-way intersection, located among the barren mountains and ridges, and the terrain is very remote.

Although the road is rugged and bumpy, it is difficult to travel on, but there are still many vendors and peddlers coming and going here.

Since this is not an official road, there will be no officials or runners blocking the road and setting up checkpoints, which can save a lot of tolls for the people traveling from north to south.

Although there are occasional robberies, the chances of encountering them are rare. For people who travel all year round, taking risks is already commonplace.

Where there are people, there is business, and Sanchakou is no exception.

A tea stall that could not be any simpler and most shabby could not be any more shabby is the most prosperous business in Sanchakou.

All of them were large-leaf tea, and each bowl cost one penny. Most people who passed by Sanchakou would stop by the teahouse to rest their legs and patronize the business.

From sunrise to sunset, in this shabby teahouse, you can always see groups of guests coming and going from all directions.

September 12, noon.

Although it is autumn, the sun is still scorching the earth.

In the tea stall at Sanchakou, vendors resting at three or five tables were talking about all sorts of things.

At a table in the corner, a slender young man was leaning lazily on a three-legged chair, with a large bamboo hat covering his face, blocking the glaring sunlight and also obscuring his features.

The half bowl of tea on the table had already gone cold. Amid the laughter and scolding around him, this man actually fell asleep with his head covered, snoring from time to time.

The shop owners are an uncle and niece. The uncle is in his early forties, but he has been living in the open air for many years and has experienced many hardships. As a result, his dark face is full of wrinkles and he looks to be over sixty years old.

The girl was about 28 years old, with delicate features, red lips and white teeth, and was quite pretty. However, she was dressed very simply, and there were a few pieces of mud on her pretty face, making her look a little slovenly.

In fact, the girl's "dirty" dress is a means of self-protection.

After all, a young girl who is out in the wilderness all day long would inevitably get into trouble if she was too pretty.

Half an hour ago, the young man came to the fork in the road and asked for only a bowl of tea, but threw a silver ingot to the girl.

At this point, he had not yet finished his bowl of tea, but had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Although the girl was busy pouring tea and water, her curious and lively eyes would look at the young man from time to time.

When she had some free time, the girl would quickly pick up the teapot and tiptoe to the young man's table.

She first poured out half the bowl of cold tea, and then poured new tea for him. Her movements were extremely gentle, as if she was afraid to disturb the young man's sweet dream.

"Girl, the sun is scorching. I finally waited for my tea to cool down, but you poured it out. Now you're replacing it with a bowl of hot tea. How can I drink it?"

Before the girl could fill her teacup, a teasing voice suddenly came from under the bamboo hat.

The girl was startled and lost her balance for a moment, causing the scalding hot tea to spill out of the cup in an instant, flowing along the tilted table top onto the young man.

"ah!"

The girl screamed and subconsciously reached out to block it.

Unexpectedly, the young man flicked his sleeves with lightning speed, and a gentle force swept out, forcing the tea on the table to flow back, and in the blink of an eye it turned into drops of water and flew in the opposite direction.

"Sir, I'll make another bowl for you..."

"Don't be nervous girl, I'm just joking with you."

After saying this, the young man stretched his limbs lazily, as if he had just woken up from a dream. Strangely enough, the chair under him had only three legs, but it was as solid as a rock. No matter how he tossed it, it didn't move at all.

Under the girl's incredulous and surprised gaze, the young man slowly lifted the hat in front of him, revealing a handsome face.

This person was Wu Shuang who escaped from the Xilu camp overnight.

A suave, elegant and handsome man with a unique, charming smile that is both good and evil.

The young girl, who was not very worldly-wise, was stunned. Under Wu Shuang's gaze, her heart was beating fast and her cheeks flushed.

The girl realized her own mistake and quickly gathered her thoughts. She asked hastily, "Sir, you have been resting here for half an hour. Don't you need to hurry on?"

"I'm waiting for someone." Wu Shuang picked up the tea bowl and blew it gently, smiling faintly, "I promised him that we would meet there."

"Sir, you are so patient, but..." The girl asked shyly and curiously, "But you are waiting for your sweetheart..."

"Drive! Drive! Drive!"

"Shut up!"

Before the girl finished her words, a chaotic and rapid sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the direction of Huashan.

Then, more than a dozen fast horses came galloping around the three carriages. Wherever they passed, they raised a cloud of dust that covered the sky and sun, causing pedestrians on the road to complain and curse.

In the blink of an eye, the horse team rushed to the fork in the road like a gust of wind. The horses pulled the reins tightly, raised their hooves high, and neighed, which immediately attracted a lot of attention in the teahouse.

"Master, we have arrived at the fork in the road. This place is at least fifty miles away from Huashan Mountain and is very remote. I don't think the Tartars can catch up with us. Please come down and rest for a while!"

A burly man walked quickly to the second carriage, his expression awe-inspiring and his words respectful.

"Help me down."

After a long silence, a weak voice was heard from inside the car.

Hearing this, the burly man hurriedly opened the car curtain and carefully helped the person in the car down.

Jin Fu Yu, with a pale face, seemed to be unable to adapt to the glaring sunlight for a moment. He quickly covered his head with his sleeves, while narrowing his eyes slightly and quietly looking around at everything.

Leng Yiyi was the first to enter the tea shed and carefully checked every teapot with a serious attitude. Wen Lian was seriously injured, so he could only recuperate in the carriage and could not get off.

When Jin Fu Yu's peripheral vision accidentally swept across Wu Shuang in the corner of the tea shed, he was stunned at first, and then a smile of meeting an old friend quickly appeared on his face, and he walked towards him.

"I didn't expect to meet Young Master Wu here. It seems like you and I are destined to be together."

With a burst of elegant laughter, Jin Fuyu came to Wu Shuang. He did not sit down directly, but pointed at the stool beside the table, as if seeking Wu Shuang's opinion.

"Master Jinwu, please do as you please!"

Wu Shuang accepted all offers and motioned the girl to pour tea for Jin Fuyu, saying with a smile, "It's a rare coincidence. Today's tea is on my table!"

"How can I let Young Master Wu spend money?" Jin Fu Yu sat down and waved his hand solemnly to refuse.

Leng Yiyi understood and quickly took out a gold ingot from her waist and stuffed it into the girl's hand, saying, "This gentleman's tea money is on me. Leave the teapot here and you can go down."

After saying this, before the girl could refuse, the burly man rudely snatched the teapot from her hand and pushed it three meters away.

While chatting and laughing, more than a dozen disciples of Jinjianwu had surrounded the tea shed.

In the teahouse, eight burly men stood in pairs around the table with swords drawn. They looked ferocious and aggressive, which frightened the other tea drinkers and the noise gradually subsided.

Seeing this, Wu Shuang just smiled slightly but didn't ask any more questions.

"Did Young Master Wu come from the west?" Jin Fuyu took a sip of tea and asked casually, "The Jade Dragon Palace of Tianshan is also in the west. I wonder what connection it has with Young Master Wu?"

"What does Master Jinwu mean by this?"

"I'm just asking casually." Jin Fuyu said with a smile, "This place is west of Huashan Mountain. If Young Master Wu's home is not in the west, why did you come here?"

Wu Shuang raised his eyebrows and asked, "What about you? Jingjiang Prefecture is clearly in the south, why did Master Jinwu flee to the west?"

Wu Shuang deliberately emphasized the word "escape", which immediately aroused Leng Yiyi's dissatisfaction, and the disciples of Jinjianwu glared at him one after another.

Jin Fuyu remained calm, seemingly unaware of Wu Shuang's "disrespect", and said bluntly: "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by Young Master Wu, but in fact, Jin is heading west. It seems that he is seeking the far distance instead of the near one, but in fact, he is seeking the benefit and avoiding the harm."

"What do you mean?" Wu Shuang teased, "Could it be that the famous Jinwu Master would use such childish tricks to confuse the Mongolians?"

"Haha..." Jin Fuyu laughed up to the sky and said self-deprecatingly, "What do you mean by famous? Jin Fuyu today is no different from a rat crossing the street, a dog that has lost its home. It's hard to survive, so how can I talk about being childish?"

Although Jin Fuyu's words were free and easy, his laughter was full of bitterness and helplessness.

Wu Shuang, Leng Yiyi and others all knew this very well.

"Everyone knows that Jinjianwu is in the south, so those who want to kill me will definitely set up ambushes in the south. If I go south, wouldn't I be walking into a trap?"

Jin Fuyu's words were full of hidden meanings. He only said "people who want to kill me" but did not specify "Mongolians". The implication was that in addition to the Mongols, there seemed to be other people who also wanted to put him to death.

Wu Shuang guessed but didn't reveal it, pretending to be confused and said, "The further west we go, the more Mongolian soldiers there are. Isn't Lord Jinwu afraid?"

"The most dangerous place is often the safest." Jin Fuyu smiled faintly, "Jin was forced to resort to this last resort. Moreover, the danger in the west is not only for Jin, but also for others. In comparison, Jin is more thoughtful."

"How do you say this?"

"Don't you think Young Master Wu really doesn't know?" Jin Fuyu stared at Wu Shuang with a deep gaze, as if he wanted to see through his heart. "Luo Tianjin and I have always been incompatible. Now that he has been elected as the leader of the martial arts world, how can I live in peace?"

"Master Jinwu means... you not only want to avoid the encirclement of the Mongolian army, but also avoid Luo Tianjin's pursuit? You flee westward in order to make Luo Tianjin afraid?" Wu Shuang was skeptical and teased, "Master Jinwu is acting like this, isn't it a bit mean-spirited?"

"Young Master Wu, you don't know that Luo Tianjin's cunning is far more terrifying than the Tartars." Jin Fuyu showed a cunning look on his face. Before Wu Shuang could respond, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "Of course, our martial arts leader may not be as despicable as I thought. Maybe I am just being mean. But in any case, it is never a bad thing to be prepared."

"Master Jinwu is worthy of being on par with the Northern Sage King. He is indeed far-sighted and has made every possible plan."

"Young Master Wu, what you said makes me feel ashamed." Jin Fuyu waved his hands repeatedly and said, "If I had planned everything, I should be the 'Alliance Master Jin' today, not the 'Alliance Master Luo'. In the final analysis, compared with Alliance Master Luo, Jin is still one step behind. Haha..."

Looking at Jin Fuyu, who was forcing a smile despite his injuries, Wu Shuang suddenly had an idea and asked meaningfully, "You told me everything you were thinking. Aren't you afraid that I would tell Luo Tianjin about it?"

"I have learned from Qin San that Young Master Wu played an indispensable role in what happened last night." Jin Fuyu smiled nonchalantly, "To sum up, my life was saved by Young Master Wu. If you want to kill me, you can just take off my head and ask Luo Tianjin for credit. I will never resist."

After saying that, Jin Fu Yu suddenly looked up and met Wu Shuang's eyes. The smile on his face remained the same, and even became brighter.

Wu Shuang stared at Jin Fuyu without hesitation and asked word by word, "Master Jin, are you serious?"

This rhetorical question immediately alerted Leng Yiyi and a group of Jinjianwu disciples. They put their hands on the hilts of their swords and stared at Wu Shuang without blinking.

As long as he dares to disrespect Jin Fu Yu, they will attack him in an instant.

Jin Fuyu remained calm and composed, as steady as a rock, and said confidently, "Every word is true."

In an instant, the scorching air turned chilly and the atmosphere in the tea shed seemed to drop to freezing point in an instant.

The father and daughter of the shop owner and other tea drinkers felt a chill down their spines for no apparent reason. Even in the scorching sun, cold sweat streamed down their faces.

"Quick! A fish has slipped through the net at the fork in the road!"

Suddenly, a loud shout like thunder rang out from nowhere.

Immediately afterwards, strong and powerful sound of horse hooves came from all directions.

The sound came from far away and approached in the blink of an eye. When everyone looked in the direction of the sound to find out what was going on, they saw that hundreds of Mongolian cavalrymen wearing armor and holding scimitars had surrounded the tea shed at the intersection, blocking all access, wind and rain.

"The news is correct, the people from Jinjianwu are indeed here!"

……

(End of this chapter)