jdhmnovel Chapter 158 Blocking the Way
Chapter 158 Blocking the Way
Yunyi didn't bring Lao Quan this time, but instead took Luo Yu with her, because Luo Yu had been to Tianyang City before and even stayed there for a while, so he was quite familiar with it.
Luo Yu was originally under Boss Jing, but now he works under Yun Yi. He has always worked quietly and kept a low profile. However, when she asked, he took the initiative to come forward and offered to accompany her.
Going to Tianyang City might involve various dangers, so Yunyi sparred with him a few times.
"Your kung fu doesn't seem like something you learned without proper training."
"Yes, I once had a master." Luo Yu nodded.
"Then how did you end up in Black City?"
Luo Yu glanced at Yun Yi, then lowered his head and remained silent, clearly not wanting to speak.
Yunyi didn't ask any more questions, but instead mounted her horse and rode off first.
Luo Yu glanced at Yun Yi's retreating figure, then hurriedly mounted his horse and chased after her.
The distance from Black City to Tianyang City is about seventy or eighty li. If Yunyi's little white dog runs at full speed, it will take about half an hour to get there.
However, Luo Yu's horse is just an ordinary horse. If he were to run at high intensity for seventy or eighty miles continuously, it would probably be worn out.
Moreover, the roads are in poor condition, with mountains, hills, and even a short stretch of desert. So, even without any unforeseen circumstances, it will take two or three hours to get there.
What's more, they ran into trouble not long after leaving Black City.
Two groups were fighting and had blocked the road.
"This must be a fight between people from two quarries." Luo Yu spurred his horse to Yun Yi's side, reined in, glanced at the dozens of people fighting ahead, and frowned slightly. "It's probably over territory."
"Two people from the quarry?" Yunyi frowned as well. "They're both victims, is it really worth fighting so desperately?"
Luo Yu glanced at Yun Yi: "Chief, you're new here, so you might not be familiar with things yet."
"Then tell me and I'll be familiar with it, right?"
"These quarries all belong to the imperial court, but in reality, the court has no idea about the scale of the quarries, and some quarries may even have other things underneath them..."
“But even if there’s a mine, isn’t it still one master? Is it necessary to fight for it?” Yunyi couldn’t understand this point; there must be other reasons.
"Indeed, they all belong to the imperial court, and are basically controlled by the Marquis of Zhenbei. However, he is a clever man and will not control everything. For example, some small quarries outside the city are owned by local wealthy households or people with connections. As long as they are given enough tribute, they will be allowed to operate with a blind eye."
Yunyi nodded. Sure enough, there was a reason. The master was different, so it was normal for them to fight over territory.
“When General Gu was here before, he never developed small quarries like this. They were all the kind of quarries that the imperial court explicitly stipulated. Even prisoners were given a chance to survive by General Gu. There were fewer deaths back then, but now…” Luo Yu sighed, and the rest of his words were obvious.
"Do you know which two groups of people these are?"
"Because it's close to the desert, there are only two quarries, one belonging to the Cao family and the other to the Sun family."
What's behind that?
"I don't know if it's true. It's said that the masters behind both families are from the capital, one is the Third Prince and the other is the Fifth Prince, but this has not been verified yet."
Yun Yi scoffed: "After the former crown prince was deposed, those two are the most likely candidates in the court." Not only are they openly and secretly fighting in the capital, but they are also cultivating their own power bases and engaging in various struggles outside. They can probably make a difference with just a word, but what about the people below them?
Human life is truly as worthless as grass.
"Boss, what should we do? Should we continue waiting or..."
"We..." Yunyi hadn't finished speaking when she suddenly spurred her horse forward, her steel whip flying out with a jingling sound, knocking away an iron shovel from someone's hand and saving a child.
Luo Yu hurriedly followed.
"Who are you?" The man who had been knocked away by the shovel glared angrily at Yun Yi.
The people fighting around them also stopped and looked at Yunyi.
"I'm just passing by. Do you know you're blocking my way by fighting here?" Yun Yi sat upright on her horse, looking down at the group of people. There were about twenty or thirty people on each side, but one side was full of young people while the other side was a mixed group. The people were not only young people, but also old people, children and women.
The child she just rescued looked to be only seven or eight years old.
A woman rushed over and hugged the child, then hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to Yunyi to express her gratitude.
Yunyi waved her hand, saying it was nothing at all.
There was a leader on each side. Upon hearing this, one of them waved his hand, and the ragtag troops hurriedly retreated, clearing a path for them.
The people on the other side remained unmoved, and even looked at Yunyi with disgusted expressions.
Yunyi led Luo Yu through the crowd, but instead of leaving immediately, she turned her horse around and looked at everyone: "You are all laborers, just trying to make a living. Is it necessary to risk your lives?"
"This is none of your business. Since you've already passed by, just hurry up and move on." The leader of the group of young people waved his hand at Yun Yi.
“Actually, I think this girl is right.” The leader of the other side stepped forward. “Cao Gui, why are we fighting? Isn’t it all for that mountain? Can’t we split it in half? Even if you get it all, you only have so many people, can you mine it all?”
"Sun Fu, are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending? My master has his eye on your establishment. If you submit to us, you can live a life of luxury with us." Cao Gui sneered. "But why are you so stubborn?"
“Our quarry can at least support everyone. If they follow you, they will only face death.” Sun Fu’s face darkened. “We will not agree to this.”
"Since that's the case, then don't blame us for being impolite." Cao Gui said, preparing to make a move.
"I'm talking about Cao Gui," Yunyi said again, "you're only with young people, bullying the old, weak, women and children. Is that meaningful?"
"Hehe, young lady, you're quite pretty. Want to come down and have some fun? I guarantee it'll be interesting... Ouch." Cao Gui looked at Yun Yi with a lewd gaze, but before he could finish speaking, he suddenly covered his mouth, and blood trickled from between his fingers. "You..."
Yun Yi turned her head in surprise to look at Luo Yu. This guy's hidden weapons are pretty good too.
"Stop spouting nonsense if you don't want to die." Luo Yu looked at the other party coldly, as if he were looking at a dead man. "My gang leader is not someone you can insult."
"You...you're with them?" Cao Gui pointed at Sun Fu. "Brothers, get her! Whoever catches this little wench gets to keep her, then we'll take turns with her..."