Cat and Mouse Game

  "It's about Zhang Niang." Sun Lang said with a deep meaning in his tone, looking at Zhen Ming Su, "You like her, don't you?"

  He glanced at the old man who had lived for over 80 years but looked like he was only in his 40s, and said with a sidelong glance: "I think no man would dislike Mrs. Zhang, liking her and being able to possess her are two different things."

  Sun Langzhong had long been accustomed to his cunning and smiled, saying: "Sometimes I really can't understand you. You know some complex mechanisms and understand medical skills that even I have never heard of before. Your family has a collection of 10,000 volumes, but I've never seen you read a book. You seem clever and insightful, but when it comes to human relationships and worldly affairs, you are completely ignorant. You're careless and reckless, and you may not even realize it yourself. There's a strange aura about you that makes people unconsciously rely on you, but sometimes your nonchalant attitude can make others feel uneasy."

  Zhen Ming's expression turned bitter as he fell silent for a moment, then lifted his head and said, "Uncle Sun, just say what you have to say."

  "You've just taken Zhang's daughter away from Luoyang, have you thought about how she'll live in the future?"

  Zhen Ming sighed and said, "Isn't Zhang Laobanniang good at making tofu? With some capital, she can live a better life than us, her days might be more prosperous without her husband. She is the famous Tofu Xishi of Luoyang after all."

  Sun Lang looked at him incredulously: "Do you really not know or are you pretending not to know? The law of the Great Sui does not allow women without a household registration to operate a business. After a woman gets married, she is registered under her husband's household. If her husband is no longer around, she follows her son; if there is no son, she can only return to her natal family or be sold into slavery in a wealthy household. When Zhang was in Luoyang, at least she had a father-in-law who could support her and allow her to operate a business under his name. Now that her father-in-law has disappeared, it's a huge problem for her to figure out how to survive."

  Zhen Ming was shocked and stunned by what he had just heard.

  Sun Langzhong saw his expression and sighed: "It seems you really don't know, Zhang Niang has been preoccupied with worries all along the way, didn't you notice?"

  Zhen Ming shook his head bitterly and remained silent.

  "Young man, think it over carefully, I'm going to bed now. Alas, as one gets older, one can't take the strain of these recent days. Not like you young people... being young is really good..."

  Sun Langzhong sighed and stood up, entering the camp tent, leaving Zhen Ming alone sitting in front of the fire heap, staring at the flames in a daze, lost in thought.

  ……

  Into the night.

  The gate of Yijiang Inn, a sudden horseshoe sound, dozens of fully armed cavalrymen stopped in front of the inn, the leader was Lian Ri who had been chasing Zhen Mingshu and Yanbang to help Pei Qiantong.

  One of them dismounted and rushed into the inn with several portraits in hand.

  Before long, the man came out of the inn again and whispered a few words in Pei Qian's ear.

  Pei Qiantong pointed with his whip in the direction that Zhen Mingshu and others had left this morning, shouting: "Pursue! We must catch up to them before dawn!"

  ……

  If it weren't for the timely voice navigation warning from the super-generation mobile phone, Zhenming and his party would have been surrounded by Pei Qian's men.

  When Zhen Ming rushed into the camp, calling Zhang Shi and others, Li Jing had already woken up one step ahead, rushing out of the tent, picking up the sharpened bamboo pole placed at the edge of the tent, throwing it like a javelin, with all his might, towards several hundred meters away, several cavalrymen holding torches...

  All that could be heard were a few miserable cries, the cavalrymen holding torches were all pierced through the chest by bamboo poles and fell off their horses. The torches fell to the ground, and the earsplitting neighing of the horses rose up, and the enemy immediately became chaotic.

  The other side didn't know that Zhen Mingsu could detect their approach from hundreds of meters away and take out several cavalrymen from a distance, yet they hadn't even gotten a clear look at Zhen Mingsu's face.

  "Zhen brothers, put out the fire! Help them onto the bamboo raft!"

  Li Jing untied the reins of one of the horse carriages while slapping the rump of another horse carriage, causing the startled and pained horses to gallop out of the forest.

  Zhenming kicked all the bonfires into the river with one foot, and the forest instantly fell into a piece of darkness.

  "I'll divert them, you get on the bamboo raft. If I can break through, I'll meet you downstream. If you don't see me before dawn, leave without waiting for me!"

  Li Jing finished speaking, mounted his horse, and made a fist to Zhang Shi and others: "Sisters, the matter is urgent, Li Jing will send you here, take care of yourself, see you again!"

  "Take care, Brother Jing!"

  The women had not yet bid farewell, when Li Jing spurred his horse and galloped in the opposite direction of the carriage, laughing loudly and shouting: "Xian Tong, my son! Li Jing, the governor of Mayi County, is here. Dare to come and chase your grandfather!"

  Zhen Ming was stunned for a moment, but immediately came back to his senses and shouted at the crowd: "Get on the bamboo raft!"

  ……

  The people and horses of Lin Wai Yan's group finally settled down, while Pei Kun Tong's face turned gloomy like the sky before a storm.

  His subordinates gathered around him, fearing that the other side would hear them, and whispered: "Master, as soon as we met, five of us died. Li Jing, the county magistrate of Mayi, somehow followed them together, and now they are running in two separate directions. Which one should we chase?"

  Pei Qiantong's eyes flashed with ferocity: "Hmph, you trivial schemes, you bring people to chase that horse carriage, I'll chase Li Jing!"

  ……

  ……

  I've lost count of how many times I've been surrounded by people.

  His body was covered in wounds, with arrow and sword injuries, his whole body bathed in blood, his face pale, his entire body on the verge of collapse, if not for the hope still in his heart, he would have long since surrendered.

  Along this street, another kilometer ahead, was the residence of General Right Wuwei of Luoyang City in the west, which was his destination.

  Now he is alone, and after much difficulty has secretly made his way into Luoyang. Just as he was about to reach the residence of the Right Martial Guard General, a group of soldiers suddenly appeared from nowhere and trapped him in this civilian house.

  The surroundings were lit up by the fluttering torches, illuminating the entire residential area.

  The sound of footsteps echoed in his ears, he lay on a pile of hay in a horse stable, covered with a layer of hay, panting heavily.

  Fortunately, this was a residential area and the other party did not know which house he was hiding in, otherwise he would have fallen into their hands long ago.

  But it's only a matter of time before it falls into the opponent's hands.

  He held in his hand a piece of emerald green jade pendant, which was full of water and crystal clear, obviously a top-grade product. In the middle of the jade pendant, an elegant and interesting small swan was carved using hollow-out technique.

  As Zhang handed it down from his neck and into his hand, it was as if he had placed all his hopes in his hands, making the jade pendant feel exceptionally heavy.

  This jade pendant had been hanging from Zhang's neck, deeply buried in her full and snowy bosom.