Running Back and Forth

Dong Zhongshu recognized the Iron-backed Ape Su Fang.

However, the other party did not recognize Dong Zhongshu, who was collecting debts.

When Dong Zhongshu changed his name and went to the Northern Border Military Region, it wasn't just a simple name change; it involved a complete overhaul of his clothing, hairstyle, and appearance.

Even when meeting with fellow officials, it would be difficult to uncover Dong Zhongshu's identity without a thorough investigation.

And when it comes to those who have only heard of their reputation, it is even more difficult to identify them.

On the bamboo raft, Su Fang, holding a bamboo pole, fixed his gaze on Dong Zhongshu's face.

He even used his nickname from his adventures in the martial arts world, so this person was obviously not someone he knew well. Su Fang would still do what he was supposed to do.

"Since you know who I am, Su, then stop the ship and hand over the goods." Su Fang frowned and said, "I do have some reputation. I may rob goods, but as long as you cooperate, I won't kill anyone!"

"You are the sect leader of one side..."

"Stop talking nonsense," Su Fang waved his hand and said, "The emperors of the Han Dynasty were all scoundrels before, so there's nothing shameful about us being bandits!"

After the Qin Dynasty collapsed, the country was leaderless, and the struggle for supremacy among the various schools of thought was inevitable. But no one expected that the one who would ultimately reap the rewards would be a local ruffian.

Even though local ruffians established a dynasty, there were many schools of thought that were not Qi Ingestion Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty.

If even the Emperor Qin could not win over the various schools of thought, the Gao Emperor would have no chance.

The conflict between the imperial court and academic schools has never ceased since the founding of the Han Dynasty, and the current state of the Beast Taming Sect is also closely related to the imperial court.

Su Fang glanced at Dong Zhongshu and the others on the large ship with hostility, put down the bamboo pole in his hand, and immediately took out two water-splitting spikes from his waist.

"Did you bury something underwater?" Dong Zhongshu asked, frowning.

"They're just a few water monkeys!"

Su Fang tapped the river with the water-dividing spike, and the water immediately became murky, causing the boatman and others to gasp in surprise.

Clearly, water monkeys are extremely destructive to boats and can even endanger the boatmen.

"Ten strings and a half taels of silver, I'll offer ten strings and a half taels of silver for safe passage!"

Dong Zhongshu and Su Fang exchanged only a few words before Su Fang began to take action.

Knowing that Dong Zhongshu was incapable of protecting everyone on the ship, Zhao Liang immediately shouted.

The price he offered for the toll was not low, and Su Fang's eyes lit up slightly before he pointed to the riverbank.

"Put yourselves on the bamboo raft, and we'll take you to the shore. Everything on the raft is ours!"

The river is a good place for a kidnapping, and it's much easier to create despair than buying passage through mountain strongholds.

Let alone ordinary merchant ships, even official ships carrying hundreds of people would have to kneel in this area.

No matter how strong or powerful one is, how skilled one is in swordsmanship, or how Divine Ability Technique Method, none of these matters when facing the Beast Taming Sect's ability to control water beasts.

Some may escape, but no one can guarantee the safety of others.

Su Fang remained expressionless as he looked at Zhang Debiao and the others holding bows.

He spoke calmly, issuing his final ultimatum, awaiting a response from the ship.

"You won!"

After a long pause, Zhao Liang on the large ship gritted his teeth and spoke.

A bamboo raft quickly approached the large ship, and shouts rang out, ordering Zhao Liang and the others to jump onto the raft and disembark.

This made Zhao Liang jump down with a look of resentment.

The bamboo raft sank slightly in the water, just like his heart sinking into the deep water.

He glanced at Dong Zhongshu Dong Zhongshu, who also jumped down without saying a word.

Then came Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Debiao, and others.

The group of seven landed on the bamboo raft, and a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, who was punting the raft, extended a bamboo pole and steadily pushed off towards the riverbank.

Their abandonment of the ship corresponds to the boarding of the Beast Taming Sect members.

Exclamations of surprise came from the ship every now and then; the group had clearly found some good stuff.

Salt and cloth were goods for merchant caravans. To enable them to travel further, these goods were not sold to ordinary people, but were high-end items sought by the Zhao family, and were quite expensive.

Another carriage carried a locked iron box filled with money.

Several dozen strings and half-ounce coins were undoubtedly a huge sum of money. In order to prevent the use of half-ounce coins in certain areas, a lot of gold and silver were even mixed in.

What should we do?

Zhao Liang's eyes were filled with despair.

The person is safe, but the money is gone.

Returning to Shu County was a long and arduous journey, as was heading to the Northern Border; neither way was it easy to make progress.

Even more seriously, Zhao Liang's body couldn't withstand this kind of torment.

Leaving the ship at this moment meant that his life was heading towards a possible end.

Even though he came from a wealthy family, Zhao Liang couldn't help feeling lost.

"You sons of bitches, you used to be so high and mighty..."

The Beast Taming Sect disciple punted on the bamboo raft, his mouth full of profanities, yet also carrying a hint of vengeful pleasure.

If Zhao Liang hadn't revealed his family background and mentioned any possible connection with the government, they wouldn't have felt such hostility. But having suffered a blow from the imperial court and even lost their sect, few disciples of the Beast Taming Sect wouldn't hate those associated with the government.

For the Beast Taming Sect, some disciples even harbor murderous intentions towards others.

"Does everyone still remember that day when Dongfang Shuo ran back and forth in the ancestral hall?"

On the bamboo raft, Dong Zhongshu finally spoke.

At this point, they were still more than ten meters away from the riverbank and nearly fifty meters away from the large ship.

Dong Zhongshu was the first to offer a reminder, which brought Zhao Liang back to his senses quickly.

We understand!

Zhao Liang nodded repeatedly.

I learned a lesson in the best way to deal with a group attack when I spent the night in a village.

Although Zhao Liang and the others were unconscious at the time, the incident was discussed back and forth afterwards and served as a topic of conversation during their travels.

Consequently, everyone learned how to effectively counter the chaos.

Dong Zhongshu was clearly preparing to launch a counterattack.

"Shut up, you lot! We can talk after we get off my bamboo raft!"

The Beast Taming Sect disciple who was punting the bamboo raft shouted a curse, which immediately attracted the attention of several other Beast Taming Sect disciples who had not boarded the raft. Some of them even punted closer.

But before these people could get close, Dong Zhongshu had already drawn the sword from his waist.

He thrust his sword into the gaps in the bamboo raft repeatedly, and a splash of bright red blood immediately rose to the surface of the water.

"Hey!"

Zhang Debiao exhaled and made a sound, following Dong Zhongshu's move in just two seconds, kicking the Beast Taming Sect disciple who was using a bamboo pole into the water.

There are plenty of rivers and streams around Shu County, and although everyone's swimming skills are average, no one is a complete landlubber.

Zhao Liang reached out and grabbed the bamboo pole, bracing himself downwards.

The bamboo rafts kept coming ashore, and Zhang Debiao drew his bow and shot arrows.

"They fought back, and the monkeys that let the water flow killed them!"

"Call the hunting dogs over from the shore too!"

As soon as the arrow was shot, the members of the Beast Taming Sect cried out, making all sorts of strange noises.

Dozens of water monkeys with white fur on their heads appeared on the river surface, and following the command, they quickly dived down and burrowed towards the location of the group's bamboo raft.

At the same time, the sounds of dogs barking and howling echoed along the riverbank.

Dozens of hunting dogs emerged from the weeds, barking incessantly at the group; some even began swimming into the river to approach.

While the individual combat abilities of cultivators in the Beast Taming Sect are mediocre, the sect excels at controlling beasts, and even demons.

Although the Beast Taming Sect may seem to have only a few dozen members at present, these individuals can quickly muster the fighting strength of hundreds of people.

This is also why Dong Zhongshu had to mention Zhang Xuezhou running and fighting in the ancestral hall at that time.

For everyone, what follows will undoubtedly be a fierce battle.