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Chapter 24 Scissors
But then they saw that the man was slowly fiddling with the tinderbox with his hand, which was missing two fingers.
The identity of the visitor is already obvious!
It was Old Ding who died!
A small pair of scissors lay at his feet, the blade still stained with a little black ash.
Mo Qin was identifying the person when the guy on the ground, seeing that the two were distracted, suddenly broke free from Lin Jun and then turned around.
But then he flipped his sleeve, and a cold glint appeared as a short knife stabbed straight at Mo Qin's calf.
The two were too close, the angle was also awkward, and Mo Qin was carrying someone in his hand.
This knife is going to cripple his leg. Once he falls, it will be very easy to finish him off!
Caught off guard, Mo Qin's knee instinctively rose half an inch, and then everything went blurry before his eyes.
Old Ding made his move!
He was still squatting, but the moment the short knife left his sleeve, the old man was already beside him.
It's simply a matter of reaching out, snapping your wrist, and twisting it.
He pressed down on the man's shoulder and back, and in an instant, the dagger slipped from his hand.
The man's entire arm looked like it had fallen apart; his shoulder, elbow, and wrist collapsed section by section.
"Thump!"
He fell headfirst into the mud, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Mo Qin stood frozen in place; he had seen the entire process clearly!
When Old Ding's palm touched that person.
It felt like something had entered the other person's body, grinding against their skin and flesh inch by inch.
Could it be the legendary...? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Just as Mo Qin was secretly speculating, Old Ding had already squatted back down and continued to fiddle with the spark.
"The fire is almost out."
"Go ahead and arrest people if you need to, don't just stand there and let the wind blow your brains away."
Mo Qin swallowed hard, but ultimately didn't ask the question.
After nodding his thanks, he grabbed the two men, one in each hand, and dragged them to the front of the shed.
Meanwhile, a fight broke out on Liu Gao's side as well.
A tall, thin man hurried toward the old shed, using the firelight and the flow of people as his guide.
But as soon as he poked half his body out, the door shield slammed down on him.
boom!
Liu Gao swung his shield with both hands, striking with such speed and ferocity that it looked like he was whipping a wild dog with a door panel.
"I don't want to fight today! Are you fucking forcing me?"
The tall, thin man was hit so hard by the board that he fell backward, his chest collapsing half an inch. He immediately retreated!
But Liu Gao didn't give him a chance. He pulled back his shield and rushed out, taking advantage of Liu Gao's weakness to kill him!
Next, his shoulder slammed into the other person's chest.
boom!
That was brutal; the tall, thin man's feet left the ground before he fell heavily to the ground and into the mud.
But he didn't give up, and with his last bit of strength, he struggled to crawl forward!
"Still trying to run!"
On the rooftop, Yan Qi finally fired an arrow.
They weren't shooting people, they were blocking the road.
The arrow grazed past the tall, thin man's ear and pierced the wooden post a foot in front of him with a clang.
The fletchings were still buzzing and trembling when Yan Qi nocked his second arrow.
He half-squatted on the roof ridge, his bent arm as steady as if carved from wood, and squinted his left eye.
That's not a threat.
That's the look a hunter gives his prey.
The tall, thin guy understood what he meant.
This time he resigned himself to his fate, gave up struggling, and lay there gasping for breath.
Just then, from the other end of the camp road came the soft sound of armor plates colliding.
Han Shouyi has arrived.
He led the way with a knife, followed by a string of old soldiers, some carrying guns, some carrying buckets, and some carrying ropes.
Upon arriving at the scene, he first looked at the fire, then at the people, and finally at the broken medicine wire in Mo Qin's hand.
Han Shouyi picked up the end of the thread, smelled it, and rubbed it on his fingertips. His face immediately darkened.
"Ignition fuse".
"There's also gunpowder residue."
He looked toward the weapons shed, his voice icy and chilling.
"Damn it, they're planning to blow up the people first, then the weapons shed."
Lin Jun then came around from the side and rear and continued the conversation.
"Firefighting is just a pretext."
"The medicine thread is the real killer move."
"The Shenji Battalion was forced out, lured here, and once everyone was gathered, we set it on fire. With a bang, even if not everyone dies, we'll lose a large number of firearms and manpower before we cross the river."
Having understood the whole story, Han Shouyi didn't ask any further questions and simply waved his hand dismissively.
"Drag it down."
"Trial while still alive."
"Detain all those who sneaked into the East Shed tonight to help with the fire. Check the roster; not a single one can be missing."
"The arsenal, the machine gun emplacement, and the supply route will all be under double guard starting tonight. Anyone who dares to wander off will be tied up first!"
"yes!"
Two veterans came up to greet the person.
The one who was knocked over by Liu Gao had a rag in his mouth as soon as he opened it.
The man who picked up the arrow tried to twist it a couple more times, but he got elbowed and was also injured.
As Han Shouyi left, he turned and glanced at Mo Qin.
"Li Shuai will know what happened tonight."
Mo Qin nodded and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
Once everyone had dispersed, Yan Qi flipped down from the roof.
"There are still a few firefighters near the fire, but they haven't moved."
"They're seeing if we'll all go out."
Liu Gao threw the door panel shield on the ground, sat down heavily, and gasped for breath like an ox that had just finished grinding grain.
"In my life..."
He wiped his face. "I've never felt so good before."
Mochin glanced at him.
"After going to North Korea, there were more enjoyable moments."
Liu Gao was taken aback, then gave a big, silly grin.
Lin Jun stood to the side, gazing in the direction of the weapons shed, and said:
"Nothing happened at the armory tonight..."
She pointed to the spot where Lao Ding had been squatting.
"It's because he's there."
Mo Qin seemed not to hear, the scene from just now still replaying in his mind.
Old Ding's move didn't look like kung fu.
At least it wasn't the kind of kung fu he knew.
Lin Jun turned her head and glanced at him.
"Hey! Are you alright? You don't look too good."
Mo Qin snapped out of his daze at the call.
"fine."
He paused, then tried to make conversation.
"I hit the butt of the gun pretty accurately that time."
Lin Jun gave a soft "hmm" and didn't expose him.
"It's alright. After all, your master is very strict."
"That's right, a good teacher produces outstanding students."
"Stop bragging. If I hadn't pulled you just now, you probably would have stabbed someone to death!"
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm very methodical in everything I do!"
Lin Jun rolled her eyes at him.
"Keep blowing!"
The atmosphere at the front camp became even more somber the next day.
There were more guards at the weapons shed; it was no longer just Old Ding alone, but two more armed soldiers, and the lock on the shed door was replaced.
The firemen and supply troops moved back and forth faster than usual, and everyone's voice was lower than before.
Zhao Tou stood by the training ground as usual.
Once Mochin had steadied himself, he asked a question:
"Were there any shots used last night?"
"Um."
Zhao Tou leaned on his practice stick and remained silent for a moment.
"There was blood?"
"no."
After a while, he finally spoke.
"If you see blood next time, come back and tell me."
Mo Qin looked up at him.
Zhao Tou had already turned his back.
"I need to know whether the guns I teach people to use have killed anyone."
"Absolutely!" Mo Qin laughed heartily and said emphatically.
In the evening, Mo Qin returned the medicine bucket as usual.
Old Ding remained seated.
Mo Qin gently put the medicine bucket down.
"The medicine bucket has been returned."
Old Ding didn't even raise his head, only scoffing.
"understood."
Mo Qin paused for a moment, then squeezed out the sentence.
Thank you.
Ding Laozu's hands didn't stop moving.
"What are you thanking me for?"
"I didn't do anything."
Seeing that the other party was unwilling to say more, Mo Qin also wisely turned around and left.
I had only taken a few steps when a voice drifted from behind me.
"Be careful after you cross the river."
"There aren't any scissors like mine over there."
He paused for a moment, then raised his hand in acknowledgment.
And just as Mochin was returning to the shed.
In the courtyard of an abandoned village, someone else is also watching the same snow.
The prince sat at the table, twirling a bronze wine cup in his hand.
After hearing the report from his subordinates, he showed no anger on his face, but rather a faint smile.
"The person has been arrested."
"The weapons shed wasn't blown up either."
"Your Highness, that old man has made his move."
The person giving the report lowered their voice unconsciously as they finished speaking.
The prince raised his eyelids slightly.
"Old Ding?"
"Yes."
The prince smiled.
"Then it's not a miscarriage of justice."
"With him around, we shouldn't have had too much hope for the arms shed anyway."
The person below was taken aback.
"Your Highness, what if this doesn't work out..."
"No achievement, no success."
The prince put down his wine cup, his voice completely flat.
"You really think I'm putting all my hopes on this one deal?"
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the snow outside.
"In Liaodong, it was just a matter of taking a shortcut."
"It would be great if we could blow those guys up. It would be even better if we could take the weapons shed with us. If we can't, it's not a big deal."
He paused here, as if remembering something, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Back in the capital, the myna bird is living quite a glamorous life these days."
"If I were here, I wouldn't be able to achieve anything, and I wouldn't look good when I saw my father."
These words were spoken lightly, as if half-truth, half-joking, or like old stories.
But no one in the room dared to accept it.
Everyone knows that the "myna" that the prince mentioned is not a name that just anyone can accept.
He quickly changed the subject.
"The Japanese have already made their move."
"The real show tonight is on the post road."
The person below lowered their voice.
"A message came from over there saying that the China Alliance is protecting them very fiercely."
"The fact that they're willing to protect him to the death shows that they know Shen Weijing cannot die."
The prince's gaze was as still as a deep well.
That's enough.
"We weaken the Ming army, they intercept Shen Weijing. We Qing advocate war, they kill those the Ming army wants to protect. Everyone does their own thing, but in the end, it's all the same."
The man asked another question:
"Your Highness, are you really going to let the Japanese take this prestige?"
The prince glanced at him, and the man quickly lowered his head.
"It's fine if you get it."
"Nothing in this world comes for free. Today they're disrupting our aid-to-North Korea supply lines, but tomorrow they'll have to give it back."
"What's important right now isn't who gets an extra bite."
"It saves the Ming army a step."
As he said this, his tone finally turned cold.
"The Huaxia Alliance is now the backbone of the main combat players."
"The more they try to protect people, the more we should cut off that connection."
"Cutting down the troops first."
"Cut the firearm again."
"To further erode people's hearts."
"Once we cross the river, let's see what they can rely on then."
The man bowed his head and replied, "Yes."
The prince looked towards the northeast, his eyes reflecting the snow outside the window.
"Let them continue."
"If we can't take it tonight, we'll try again tomorrow night. We can't let him enter Guangning so easily."
After he finished speaking, he poured the last bit of wine in his cup out the window.
At the same time.
Three hundred miles away.
The snow on the post road was already above ankle-deep.
Three people are running.
To be precise, it was two people running, and one person being dragged along.
The person being dragged was wrapped in a thick cloak. His feet slipped, and he would fall after every three steps. His face was white with cold, but his mouth never stopped.
"I...I told you long ago, this isn't the way to go, but you...wouldn't listen..."
"Shut up!"
The man on the left turned around and cursed.
The rapier in his hand was covered in blood, a corner of the hilt was missing, and the tip of the sword left a broken red line as it dragged across the snow.
The man on the right was even more ruthless; half of his sleeve was torn open, revealing his right arm, which was covered in gray hair, with large knuckles and hooked fingers, like the claws of a wild beast.
And that claw was gripping Shen Weijing's belt, lifting him up and swinging him forward.
All three of them lost their horses.
The first horse was tripped by the tripwire and broke its front leg on the spot.
The second horse was hit by an arrow, and carrying its rider, it rushed a dozen steps before tumbling into the ditch.
Now the three of them can only use their two legs to fight desperately against the seven dark figures behind them.
On the snowy night, the seven men pursued the enemy with considerable skill and strategy.
The two in front carried knives and moved with quick, short steps, barely slipping under their feet; they were clearly trained to chase people in the snow.
The three in the middle carried bows, running and regulating their breathing. The arrows swayed in the moonlight, like the eyes of three venomous snakes that refused to blink.
The last two, though unremarkable, were the most stable runners.
The more this is the case, the more chilling it becomes.
The player with the rapier glanced back and felt a chill run down his spine.
It's less than fifty steps away!
Any slower and you'll get bitten.
The long-haired player, whose voice was already hoarse, was still holding onto Shen Weijing tightly.
"Hang in there a little longer!"
"There's a forest ahead! If we go into the forest, we'll still have a chance!"
"Opportunity my ass!"
Shen Weijing was panting heavily, and his cloak was torn open by a dry branch, making him look like a dog in the mud.
"If this continues, we'll all die!"
The word "death" had barely left his lips when a bowstring rang out behind him—not an ordinary bow, but a war bow!
The rapier player didn't have time to turn around, relying entirely on his ears to pinpoint the location, and immediately swung his sword.
Clang!
The sword tip struck the middle of the arrow shaft, deflecting the arrow by half a foot.
The arrow grazed his earlobe, drawing a trail of blood, and embedded itself in the snow ahead, its tail feathers humming for three breaths before stopping.
But his feet slowed down by half a step as a result.
Just that half step, and the seven behind him took another ten steps closer.
Only forty steps remain.
Shen Weijing suddenly stopped cursing.
He suddenly tugged, almost breaking free from the long-haired player's claws.
"open!"
The long-haired player was taken aback, but didn't loosen his grip.
"Are you crazy?"
Shen Weijing's face was pale from the cold, and his face was covered with snot, tears, and snow water. He looked as miserable as could be.
"They're chasing me."
"Let me go, I'll run in the other direction, and they'll have to split up to chase me. Only when they split up will you have a chance to get into the woods."
The long-haired player stared at him, looking puzzled.
"You think you can outrun them? I didn't realize you had that ability!"
Shen Weijing actually laughed.
"Can't outrun them."
"But I can negotiate."
He raised his hand and patted his mouth.
"I've talked to the Japanese, the Koreans, the military leaders in Liaodong, and the bigwigs in the capital. More often than not, we couldn't reach an agreement, and less often we could win, but I could always manage to stall for a while."
"Just delay it for a while, that will be enough."
The rapier player glanced back at him.
His gaze was half like he was looking at a fool, and half like he was looking at a reckless liar.
Shen Weijing, however, had already started to untie the cloak himself.
"You guys have really been kind enough to protect me all the way."
"I'll walk the rest of the road myself."
Before he finished speaking, he flicked his cloak and rolled down the slope to the left of the post road.
The posture was rather awkward, but the direction of the roll was very accurate!
It wasn't heading into the forest, but towards an open snow slope in the opposite direction.
The seven men in black behind them froze simultaneously.
The leader tilted his head and uttered only two words.
"point."
The three turned towards the snow slope.
The four continued chasing Lin Zi.
The two players exchanged a glance, said nothing, and turned to rush into the woods.
The footsteps behind me indeed separated.
The snow is getting heavier.
Shen Weijing rolled all the way to the bottom of the slope, where his back hit a hard rock, making him wince in pain.
As he got up, he casually spat out a mouthful of snowy saliva.
He glanced back.
Three dark figures had already slid down the slope, getting closer and closer.
Shen Weijing turned and ran.
He was running around unsteadily, still muttering to himself.
"Delay it...delay it...let's just wait until this period is over..."
A string twanged behind me.
The second arrow left the bowstring.
Shen Weijing didn't even dare to turn his head back. He just shrank his neck and lunged forward!
laugh!
The arrow flew past the back of his head, shaving off several strands of hair, and embedded itself in the snow in front of him, its tail feathers trembling.
I didn't win.
But the third arrow was already nocked.
Shen Weijing lay on the snow, panting like a dog, and suddenly realized that his earlier plan hadn't been very clever.
"Delay it for a while..."
"Let's delay a little longer..."
He was still muttering to himself as he crawled forward using both his hands and feet.
The footsteps behind them grew closer and closer; the three figures were like three hungry wolves, about to catch up.
Shen Weijing suddenly looked up.
The bad news is that there's a cliff ahead!
The good news is that it's not too high.
But it was very dark down there, and the snow was very deep; you couldn't see the bottom.
He was stunned for a moment.
The three behind them had already closed to within ten steps.
The leader raised his hand, an arrow nocked, and said coldly:
"Lord Shen, stop running."
"If you run again, I'll break both your legs first."
Upon hearing that voice, Shen Weijing's voice actually calmed down.
"You people..."
"They all... want me to die a quick and easy death..."
He glanced back at the precipice, then at the approaching arrowhead.
The next moment, he straightened his tangled hair ornament.
"pity."
"What I dislike most in my life is following the path laid out for me by others."
After saying that, he took a step back.
Snow began to fall softly from the edge of the cliff.
The three pursuers' expressions changed simultaneously.
"Stop him!"
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Weijing had already turned around and jumped off the cliff.
Wrapped in a tattered cloak, she resembled a tattered flag swept away by the wind, plummeting straight into the night.
The second arrow was fired at almost the same instant.
But it only grazed the edge of the cloak.
With a ripping sound.
The person is gone.
The three rushed to the edge, only to see a vast expanse of darkness below, with swirling snow and mist, and they couldn't even hear the sound of corpses hitting the ground.
The leader had a grim face, as if he had swallowed excrement.
"Go down and search! We need to find them alive or dead!"
The three exchanged a glance and began searching for a way down the cliff.
But the wind and snow were too heavy, the cliff face was steep and slippery, and looking down there was only darkness.
The wind suddenly picked up.
Below the cliff, it was as black as a giant mouth.