I don't want to return

The two men were so frightened that they trembled like chaff, and one of them, an old man with long beard and white hair, knelt down on the ground with a plop, looking as if he was about to faint.

Mu Chongyu walked over suspiciously and looked at the two of them carefully.

Although these two people looked haggard, they were well dressed, they didn't look like poor old farmers, but like rich and noble families.When the two saw the group of them, they were trembling with fear. One of them was still prostrate on the ground, and it didn't look like a killer lurking here.

Just when he was wondering, he heard one of the younger young people begging bitterly: "Don't kill me, don't kill me, please let me and my father go!"

As he spoke, he bowed his head and knelt under Xue Jinghong's knife, begging for mercy.

Mu Chongyu leaned down: "Who are you? Who wants to kill you? Could it be that you were also hunted down?" Seeing that the young man seemed to be completely immersed in fear, he could only patiently say: "Don't be afraid, we will fight with you." I've never met you before, and I'm not the one who came to kill you."

After speaking, he looked at the old man who was lying on the ground beside him, and stretched out his hand to help him up: "This is your father? Who are you father and son?"

Xue Jinghong on the side also put away the knife with a strange expression, exerted force on his arm, and lifted the young man who was kneeling on the ground.

"You..." The young man wiped his tear-stained face, and looked at the group of people in doubt.

Except for Xue Jinghong who was wearing a mask and looked fierce, there was an older scholar in the group, several middle-aged men in strong clothes, and this handsome gentleman who was talking to him.Although they were carrying swords, they really didn't look like the men in black who killed themselves.

However... the young man shifted his gaze to Mu Chongyu, still hesitating: "This... righteous man, are you really not from Lord Bai?"

He was scared just now, so he only took a vague look, thinking that the person came here to pursue his own life in person, but now he can see clearly, and he can tell if this person is not, but he has a vague feeling that there is always a similar feeling.

The person in front of him was also born with a face like a crown jade, and his eyebrows and eyes vaguely resembled that person. What made him even more frightened was that, although this person's overall aura was much softer than that of Lord Bai, it also made him subconsciously I can't help being awed.

"Master Bai?" Mu Chongyu keenly grasped these two words, and immediately asked, "You mean Bai Yuanmo? Bai Yuanmo wants to kill you?"

The young man flinched, and nodded with a gloomy face.

Mu Chongyu couldn't believe it. He turned his head and looked at Xue Jinghong, but saw the calm look in Xue Jinghong's eyes, as if he had expected it.

"Hongqing?" Mu Chongyu frowned and asked, "Do you know something hidden?"

Xue Jinghong didn't answer directly. He glanced at the mountain road behind him and said, "Third Master, this is not a place to talk. Since both of them were hunted down, we will take them to find a secret place first." Hide, it's not too late to ask questions."

Mu Chongyu also had this intention.While thinking secretly in his heart, he persuaded the two to hide with them.

Fortunately, there are many hills and mountains in this place. They walked all the way to the depths of the forest, made a few turns, and stopped in a cave.

Several brothers from Yingtou Village carefully searched for a water source near the cave, while Mu Chongyu stood with his hands behind his back, looking seriously at the two people who claimed to be hunted down.

Looking at Mu Chongyu's expression, the two couldn't help trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Mu Chongyu raised his eyebrows, and said helplessly, "You two don't need to be so afraid. I started killing you just now on the mountain road, and I don't need to wait until now."

"I just want to hear the truth. Knowing the ins and outs, we can help the two of you escape from the hands of the villain." Mu Chongyu wanted to comfort the other party with a gentle voice, but the faintly foreseeable facts made him tense It's tight, and it's hard to be as pleasant as usual.

Uncle Xuan Wang, why did he attack ordinary civilians?Mu Chongyu couldn't imagine the reason.He shook his head, took a long breath, and looked at the two silently.

This time it was the elder who couldn't hold back first, he threw himself to Mu Chongyu's feet, and said in a trembling voice, "I beg the righteous man to save my son!"

He said it in tears, and Mu Chongyu couldn't help being angry when he heard it.

It turned out that the elder's surname was Tao, and he was originally a well-known squire in Lin'an. His family had lived in Lin'an for generations, and he had accumulated thousands of acres of fertile land, and his family wealth was quite strong.His son, the young man, inherited the elder's family business a few years ago. He not only managed the family business in an orderly manner, but also opened a shop and became a wealthy merchant.

In the past, before Beiyu sent troops to the south, although Lin'an was the fiefdom of King Xuan Muyuan, it was also under the jurisdiction of the Nanyan court.However, Nanyan did not implement the policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business, and merchants and farmers were equally respected.Therefore, the family surnamed Tao is flourishing like a brocade.

But until recent years, the iron cavalry from Beiyu attacked, and the Nanyan regime was overthrown. The former prefect of Lin'an became the current Lin'an prefect, and everything was very different.

Merchants have become the most despicable existence, and the richest merchants in Lin'an in the past have been suppressed by high interest and heavy taxes in just a few years.

Among them, Bai Yuanmo was the only businessman who survived.Not only can he escape the catastrophe himself, but he can also protect the merchants in Lin'an County from disaster.

When the elder surnamed Tao said this, there was a strange smile on his face. It was not so much a smile as a mockery wrapped in hatred.

Of course, one has to pay a price to be protected by Bai Yuanmo.The price is that from now on, he will obey his orders and stand up for him, even if his life is in danger.

This was a pretty fair deal.The father and son surnamed Tao were originally merchants, so of course they understood that merchants value profit, and if they want to get something, they must pay corresponding rewards.They have no complaints.But it wasn't until they found out that the thousands of acres of fertile land that they had been annexed by the government with heavy taxes was in the hands of Bai Yuanmo, that they suddenly realized.

"A family of officials and bandits, a family of officials and bandits." The elder Tao sighed angrily, "This Lord Bai was originally with the Lin'an County Guard. First he forcibly annexed my property behind his back, and then pretended to be He took in my father and son in a merciful manner, and let my son work hard for him. Is there such a shameless person in the world! I think most of the merchants in Lin'an County were ruined by this double-faced gentleman. .”

The elder sighed again and again for a long time before continuing.Ever since his father and son discovered this secret, they were no longer willing to work under Bai Yuanmo's hands.Bai Yuanmo had a strong background, they had no hope of getting back the property, so they gave up this idea, and only wanted to leave Lin'an, start from scratch elsewhere, and start over.But even this request, Bai Yuanmo refused.

Two days ago, the two of them bid farewell to Bai Yuanmo on the grounds that their distant relatives were sick and wanted to take care of them. Bai Yuanmo pretended to agree at that time with no change in expression, but who knew that they were hunted down that night.The father and son fled in a hurry.It was also lucky, for some reason those people disappeared halfway through the chase.But they didn't dare to run out easily, and kept hiding in the woods until they met Mu Chongyu and his gang.

Xue Jinghong was listening, while quietly watching Mu Chongyu's face.He remembered that a few nights ago, when he was being hunted down by an assassin, he chased the assassin all the way and bumped into a couple who were assassinated.He didn't think deeply about that couple at the time, but now that he thinks about it, it is very likely that they are in the same situation as the father and son in front of him.It's a pity that the couple couldn't escape...

Mu Chongyu's face was already gloomy.He frowned tightly, and could not help clenching his fists under his sleeves tightly.

He originally thought that even if Mu Yuan went against his wishes, even if he couldn't tolerate him, and wanted to use Beiyu's pursuers to put him to death, he should treat the people in his own territory kindly after all.In today's world, there are endless wars, only the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas are barely intruded by the flames of war, but although there are no external disasters, there are actually internal disasters!

Mu Chongyu only hated himself for coming to the south to find Mu Yuan!What he hated the most in his life were people who defected to the country and turned to the enemy, because the former self was so stupid, and he threw himself into Beiyu's prison so odiously.

And Mu Yuan actually colluded with the corrupt officials in Beiyu to oppress his people in Nanyan!

At this time, it was gradually slanting westward, and the sunlight outside the cave seemed to lose its strength, slowly crawling on the cave wall.No one spoke in the cave for a while, only the old man's resentful sighs were heard.

Just at this time, there was a loud sound of footsteps calling, and Mu Chongyu was startled, and hurriedly stood up, but heard a voice full of joy from outside the cave.

The author has something to say:

Thank you little angels for your support, okay~