Chapter 182 Blackwater City, Yusong Mountain
Blackwater City.
It got its name because it was built next to a black water river.
This river originates from the remnants of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain. Its source is an underground river. The water is deep and cold, but it does not freeze all year round. Even in this winter season, it still flows.
The rice irrigated by this river water has a shiny color, fragrant fragrance and extremely high nutritional value. Therefore, it is highly sought after by wealthy businessmen and dignitaries. A pound of fine black water rice was once sold for two taels of silver.
Because of this, this Blackwater City is very prosperous.
But that's all in the past tense.
Today's Blackwater City is in a state of decline due to years of war and the lack of trade routes.
Although the rice fields outside the city are still green, the rice merchants who once gathered here are almost extinct.
Last time, Zhao Ya and Zui'er avoided the Blackwater City and did not enter because they took the mountain road.
There is no need to take a detour this time, Zhao Ya said while looking at the towering walls of Blackwater City from a distance.
"Let's stay at the hotel in Blackwater City tonight."
"Yeah." Zui'er had no objection.
Meng Shiwen would not have any objection.
Along the way, she spoke very little and spent most of the time sitting in the carriage in a daze. Only occasionally would she chat with Zhao Ya.
The carriage drove towards Blackwater City, but before it reached the city gate, a voice of pleading was heard from the front.
"Master of the village, please show mercy to me outside the law. How can there be any reason in the world that when crossing the city, you have to pay 70% of the silver for goods?"
Zhao Ya has excellent eyesight, so even if he is very far away, he can still clearly see that the speaker is a man in his thirties.
Behind him was Tian Heng, who he had just met yesterday.
But at this moment, Tian Heng's face was pale and there was blood at the corner of his mouth. He had obviously suffered internal injuries.
At the same time, the caravan he was guarding had also been held hostage by a group of people, and they were moving things down.
Standing in front of the pleading man was a burly man, shirtless even in the depths of winter, revealing his body covered in floral embroidery.
After hearing the man's words, the big man laughed ferociously.
"I haven't heard of it before, haven't you seen it now? Stop talking nonsense. Your men are attacking me. I didn't want to kill you. It's already an advantage for you to pack all the goods away. If you keep talking, Watch your head.”
Gao Cong shrank his neck in fright and complained secretly.
Usually, the merchants often took the route of Blackwater City, staying here and replenishing their supplies, and nothing happened. But who would have thought that something went wrong this time.
It turned out that just two days ago, a group of strong men who appeared out of nowhere actually broke through the government office of Blackwater City, captured the lord of Blackwater City, and took over the power.
Then they began to exploit passing merchants.
However, this group of people also has rules. Except for some small traders who are alone, they will not harm the large caravans, but only require them to pay sufficient tolls.
This is considered a normal operation in this world, not to mention that the toll they charge is not high, only about 10% of the goods.
So the passing caravans just pinched their noses to recognize him.
Although I paid an extra sum of money, peace in this world is fundamental. The worst that can happen is that the price of the goods will increase again.
Those who were able to go out to do business at this time were all selling high-value things, so except for two troubles at the beginning, everything became peaceful soon afterwards.
Only when they encountered the Gao family's caravan did something go wrong.
When Gao Cong saw the arrival of a new group of strong men, he asked for money, and naturally he was unhappy.
For him, every extra penny is his own benefit.
But he didn't dare to make a mistake, after all, this was someone else's property, so he quietly ordered his men to hide the valuable goods and falsely report their value.
But who would have thought that this big man was careless, careful, and very shrewd. He quickly noticed something was wrong. When he took stock of it in person, he immediately discovered the fishiness.
He didn't get angry, but immediately raised the toll from 10% to 30% as punishment.
Gao Cong was furious and yelled a few words.
The big man stretched out his hand to strike, but was blocked by Tian Heng, and the two started to move.
Even though Tian Heng was also a warrior in the third realm, he started fighting with this big man and was injured after just a few encounters.
Then the big man raised the toll to 70%.
Only then did Gao Cong realize how powerful he was, so he kept begging for mercy, hoping that the big man would be noble and let him go.
But the big man didn't pay attention at all, and just ordered his men to move the goods quickly.
Although Zhao Ya didn't know the inside information, he had a rough guess from a distance, so he drove over slowly.
The big man frowned when he saw a lone carriage approaching from the official road.
Where did Leng Touqing come from?
Didn't you see that there is something going on here?
Others would have probably avoided it long ago, but this person walked straight over. Could it be that he had something to rely on?
A few thoughts flashed through the big man's mind, but behind him was Blackwater City, and his brothers were also there, all of which gave him great courage.
So as soon as he winked, someone immediately stepped forward to stop Zhao Ya's carriage.
"Where are you coming from? Why don't you get out of the car when you see my village master?"
Zhao Ya sat firmly on the carriage shaft and ignored the shouts of these minions. Instead, he looked at Tian Heng not far away.
Tian Heng naturally recognized Zhao Ya and couldn't help but secretly sweat for him. He winked at Zhao Ya crazily and signaled him to leave quickly.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ya ignored this at all and instead raised his hand to give him a fist.
"Commander Tian, I didn't expect to meet again so soon!"
Tian Heng cried out in his heart.
This young man is too courageous.
Although he should have some strength, Tian Heng had already fought with this big man just now, so he naturally knew how powerful this big man was.
Tian Heng even suspected that this big man was probably a Four Realm warrior.
The key point is that this young man is also carrying a female family member in the car. What is this other than a sheep entering a tiger's mouth?
But Zhao Ya had already spoken, so he had no choice but to respond.
"Yes, Young Master Zhao, we meet again."
Then Zhao Ya smiled slightly and said, "Did something happen to Commander Tian?"
Gao Cong naturally noticed Zhao Ya's arrival. When he saw him asking questions, he spoke before Tian Heng could speak.
"Young hero, we have been passing by since then, but the village master insisted on keeping 70% of the goods as travel expenses. This is really too much, and we simply cannot afford this loss."
Zhao Ya ignored Gao Cong and just looked at Tian Heng with a smile.
At the same time, the car curtain opened, and Zui'er poked his head out curiously.
"Brother Xiaoya, what's wrong?"
Female dependents.
And they are extremely beautiful women.
In an instant, these minions were stunned.
At this moment, Meng Shiwen also opened the car window and looked outside with a frown.
"Xiaoya, do you want to take action?"
She also heard something was wrong outside in the car, so she was ready to take action.
Damn, another one.
And she's extremely beautiful.
There was a commotion among the gang.
The big man's eyes lit up, and he walked towards this side.
Tian Heng was very anxious when he saw this.
If these two beautiful little ladies fall into the hands of these strong men, you can imagine their fate.
So he shouted desperately: "Young Master Zhao, run with the two ladies as quickly as possible."
"Damn old guy, if you dare to spoil my good deeds, I will kill you first." The big man cursed angrily.
At the same time, his men had surrounded the carriage.
The big man walked forward quickly, his greedy eyes turned around Meng Shiwen and Zui'er, and then he smiled.
"Hey, boy, you..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a flash of sword light.
Then the big man was stunned for a moment, and then screamed miserably.
"Ahhhh my eyes!"
It turned out that the knife struck right on his eyes, immediately nullifying his move.
Look at Zhao Ya again, holding a knife in his hand and standing on the shaft of the car, with a dull expression on his face.
The whole place fell silent instantly.
Tian Heng was also stupid.
Because he didn't see clearly how Zhao Ya used the sword.
At this time, the big man covered his eyes with one hand and waved randomly with the other hand.
"Come on, kill him, and I will reward you two little bitches!"
A few bold men picked up the spears in their hands and stabbed at Zhao Ya.
They thought that with a spear in hand, the young man would have to work hard even to draw a sword.
But the next second, another blade of light flashed by.
Then I saw the spears in the hands of these minions were broken at the waist, and then the spears in the hands of these minions were split from the middle.
That's right.
It's a literal split.
I saw a red line extending from their eyebrows to their crotches, and then slowly separated from the middle and fell to both sides.
The bloody smell was so thick that it couldn't be dissolved and was nauseating.
At this time, the expressions of all the minions changed and they all retreated to the back. No matter how much the big man shouted, no one dared to move.
joke.
No matter how stupid these guys are, they can now see how extraordinary Zhao Ya is.
Especially the incredible sword skills frightened many people. Some people had already begun to retreat quietly, preparing to slip away.
After the last drop of blood slipped from the sharp blade, Zhao Ya said calmly: "Which mountain bandits are you from?"
"I am Mr. Fang Dao, the leader of the third village in Yusong Mountain. Boy, if you dare to hurt me, then you will die!" Fang Dao shouted.
The words just fell.
Another flash of knife light flashed, and Fang Dao's head immediately flew out, and then rolled right to Tian Heng's feet.
Looking at the leader of the third village who was so arrogant just now and injured himself, now his head was chopped off without even making a sound.
Tian Heng felt a chill in his heart.
What is the origin of this young man?
Why is his martial arts so powerful and his attacks so crisp and clear?
But for Zhao Ya, killing someone like Fang Dao was as easy as drinking water.
"It's too noisy. Now let someone else answer my question. If you answer it, you will survive. If you don't answer it, you will lose your head." Zhao Ya still had a calm tone.
But these minions were so frightened that their whole bodies were shaking.
Where have they ever seen such a ruthless person?
Even the leaders of the three villages were slaughtered as easily as pigs and dogs in front of him. How could these people dare to resist?
"Yes... yes, sir, what do you want to ask?" One of the minions said with a trembling voice.
"How many people are there in Yusong Mountain?" Zhao Ya asked.
"If you count...counting the leader of the stronghold in charge, there are more than 200 people in total."
More than two hundred people.
Zhao Ya frowned.
He originally thought that Yusongshan could capture Heishui City and should have some strength.
But I didn't expect that there were only so many people.
"What is the strength of your village leader?" Zhao Ya asked again.
These minions looked at each other in confusion, and then listened to this man's words after a moment.
"I... we don't know the strength of Dazhai Master, but we have followed him in several battles, and we have never seen anyone who can survive ten moves under Dazhai Master."
Zhao Ya was thoughtful.
The Fang Dao who just died under his sword should be half-step to the fourth realm. Such a warrior can be the leader of the third village, and he can roughly deduce the overall strength of Yusongshan.
He ignored the gang and turned to look at Tian Heng.
"Commander Tian, is your crisis resolved now?"
Tian Heng nodded quickly, "Yes, thank you Young Master Zhao!"
"You're welcome. This can be regarded as a reward for telling me the current situation of Wuxiang City. Now that the crisis has been resolved, let's leave as soon as possible."
After saying that, Zhao Ya sheathed his sword, raised his whip to drive the carriage, and continued walking forward.
Tian Heng couldn't help being shocked when he saw this, and hurriedly stepped forward to block the way, cupped his fists and said, "Young Master Zhao, where are you going?"
"Of course I'm going to stay in a hotel in Heishui City. I've been sleeping rough along the way. It's time to find a place to have a good rest." Zhao Ya said with a smile.
Tian Heng jumped to his feet anxiously.
"You...you must not do this. The Blackwater City is now occupied by the strong men from Yusong Mountain, and you killed one of their village leaders. If you enter the city, wouldn't you be committing suicide?"
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ya just smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, Commander Tian, for your concern. Of course I know this, but I have a sense of propriety, and I also happen to have something to talk to about Yusongshan and the others."
As he spoke, he urged his horse to move forward, leaving Tian Heng standing there with a confused look on his face.
"Old Tian, what are you doing standing there? Come and help me load all these goods, and then leave here quickly." Gao Cong shouted.
But Tian Heng did not move. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "Master, I want to go to the city."
"Going to town? What are you going to do in town?"
"This Young Master Zhao saved you and me. I can't see him entering this dragon's den by himself."
Gao Cong looked Tian Heng up and down like an idiot, and couldn't help but said: "Old Tian, are you sick again? This young knight is very powerful and must have an extraordinary origin. Since he went to the city, he must have his own reasons. Why are you joining in the fun?"
"But he saved us!" Tian Heng said firmly.
"That was also of his own free will. We didn't ask him to save us! Stop thinking about all this nonsense. Why do I think you are as impulsive as a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid after you have lived forty or fifty years old?" Cong said disapprovingly.
But Tian Heng has made up his mind this time.
"Master, when I first started practicing martial arts, my master told me that I should do something and refrain from doing anything in everything. Now I feel that I should step forward. As for you, Master..."
"It's not far from our destination, and there aren't any bandit troubles behind us. You don't need me."
Gao Cong became angry when he heard this, "Okay, okay, if you want to die, then go ahead. Master, I'm too lazy to care about you!"
With that said, he turned around and went to sort out the caravan.
Tian Heng didn't say a word, bowed his hands to the guards, and then strode towards Blackwater City.
Seeing that he was really gone, Gao Cong became even more angry.
"Damn it, I've never seen such a person before. He's been practicing martial arts so hard that his brain is broken."
"What should we do, young master?" someone asked.
"What should we do? Leave quickly. If there is going to be a fight later, we will all suffer."
Gao Cong left in a hurry with the caravan.
Zhao Ya didn't know about this episode. At this time, he had already entered Blackwater City.
There were only a few pedestrians on the street, and most of the shops along the road were closed. Even if a few were open occasionally, they were deserted and lifeless.
After Zhao Ya's carriage entered the city, it immediately attracted the attention of many people.
Zhao Ya didn't find a place to stay, because from the looks of it, the inns were probably closed.
He drove the carriage toward the center of the city.
Although I have never been to Blackwater City, generally speaking, the city lord's office is located in the center of a city.
Zhao Ya was not in a hurry and walked slowly.
There were more and more people peeking at him along the way, but Zhao Ya didn't care and even talked and laughed with Zui'er in the carriage.
Heishui City is not big, and soon Zhao Ya's carriage passed through the central street and arrived in front of the government office.
At this time, a large group of people had gathered here.
Such a big thing happened outside the city. The leaders of the three villages were all dead. Naturally, the people in Yusong Mountain also got the news.
When they heard that there was only one visitor and that he had already entered the city, the others were fine, but Yao Wang, the leader of Yusong Mountain's Dazhai, was shocked.
As the most powerful person among this group of gangsters, Yao Wang is a real warrior of the Four Realms.
But he knew very well that this kind of strength could dominate the city of Blackwater, but it would not be enough to see outside.
The person who came here was able to kill Fang Dao with one sword, and no one even saw clearly how he used the sword. He was obviously extremely powerful.
How could such a river-crossing dragon suddenly come to our door?
Feeling anxious, he summoned all his men and waited for Zhao Ya in front of the government office.
really.
He saw a carriage slowly approaching, driven by a handsome young man who looked to be about twenty years old at most.
At first glance, this young man doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
But Yao Wang's expression became more solemn.
Because the less surprising it is, the more it proves that the person coming is anything but ordinary.
"Your Majesty killed my Third Village Leader and broke into my Blackwater City. What do you want to do?" Yao Wang decided to strike first and asked directly.
Zhao Ya tightened the reins and the carriage slowly stopped.
Then Zhao Ya did not get out of the car, but sat on the shaft of the car. He looked at Yao Wang first and then said.
"What is your relationship with Qingzhuling?"