Iron Leg was sitting on his horse, which was galloping forward with all four hooves flying. After the fierce fight just now, Iron Leg felt his heart pounding. He raised his hand to take a look and was immediately shocked. He saw that the thin black line on his left hand had become thicker and was rapidly spreading upward. The baby on his back was crying loudly, which made him even more distracted and irritated.
Iron Leg turned his head and shouted harshly, "Stop crying!"
However, the baby cried even louder.
Iron Leg ignored the baby and calculated in his mind. Since he had been poisoned by some strange toxin this time, only by immediately returning to the Tiyun Valley in Yandang Mountain and begging his master to save his life did he have a glimmer of hope. Immediately, he whipped his horse and galloped southward.
At around 3 PM in the afternoon, he arrived in Liaocheng, Shandong. He was not far from the Yellow River. He stopped at a roadside inn for a short rest and asked the waiter to find a wet nurse to feed the baby.
The baby had been hungry for a whole day and sucked on the wet nurse's nipple non-stop. After getting full, the baby fell into a deep sleep again.
Iron Leg took another look at the wound on his left hand. He saw that it had become slightly festered, and a pale yellow liquid was oozing out of the wound. He quickly took some detoxification medicine made by the Mountain Moving Sect. As for whether it would work or not, he could only leave it to fate.
Not daring to delay, he went outside and hired a horse-drawn carriage. He asked the driver to continue the journey overnight.
The driver hesitated and said, "Sir, the road is not safe at this time. There are foreign devils and Boxers everywhere. It's too dangerous to travel at night."
Iron Leg took out a stack of banknotes from his arms and said, "Here are one thousand taels of silver notes from the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in Shanxi. If you can get me to the Tiyun Valley in Yandang Mountain within seven days, all these will be yours."
The driver's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. He asked, "Sir, when shall we set off?"
Iron Leg said, "Now."
The driver said, "Alright, sir. I'll go and get things ready and ask a brother to come with me to take turns driving. We'll be right back."
Iron Leg suddenly said, "Wait a moment."
The driver asked, "Sir, what else is there?"
Iron Leg said, "I also have a newly born baby here. You have to figure out a way to keep him from going hungry on this journey."
The driver smiled and said, "That's easy." Then he turned around and came back driving a horse-drawn carriage after a while. There was a thin and dark middle-aged man sitting on the shaft of the carriage.
The carriage compartment was quite large and could accommodate five or six people. Thick curtains were hanging on it.
The driver lifted the curtain and said, "Sir, look."
There was a round wooden barrel about one foot high in the carriage compartment. The driver smiled and said, "Sir, this barrel is filled with milk. It's enough for the young master to drink for ten days or half a month. I guarantee to raise the young master to be plump and healthy."
Iron Leg nodded and said, "Good. Let's set off now." Then he stepped onto the carriage.
With a crack of the whip, the carriage galloped southward. Along the way, the horse and the driver didn't stop. When the horse got tired, they changed horses. When the driver got tired, they changed drivers. They passed the Yellow River and then the Yangtze River. On the morning of the sixth day, they arrived in Jinhua, Zhejiang.
Jinhua ham in Zhejiang is world-famous. The Shuanglong Cave is also a must-visit place for tourists.
During this journey, the corpse poison in Iron Leg's body had already invaded his chest and abdomen. Iron Leg felt that his limbs were becoming more and more numb. He also felt breathless in his chest. Under the careful care of the driver and with the great nutrition of the milk, the baby was in good health, but he was quite sleepy. He ate and slept every day.
Seeing that there were still more than four hundred miles to the Tiyun Valley in Yandang Mountain, Iron Leg felt relieved. He knew that as long as he could return to the Tiyun Valley before dusk, his life would be saved. At this moment, he heard the sound of chaotic hoofbeats coming from behind. Several riders were chasing after them from a distance.
The driver stuck his head into the carriage and said, "Sir, there are several people riding horses chasing after us from behind. I don't know if they are chasing us. They look quite strange."
Iron Leg was startled and thought to himself: Could it be that the Five Heroes of Southern Sichuan have caught up? He quickly asked, "Are there five people on those horses? Is there a short and fat man among them?"
The driver was surprised and smiled. He said, "Sir, you are really amazing. You can guess it without even seeing them." The driver thought to himself: These guys must be the enemies of this tall and thin man. I hope I won't get involved.
Iron Leg said, "They are my enemies. I'm injured and can't fight them. Let's not take the main road. Turn left onto the side path. Although it's a detour, it can save us some trouble." After saying these words, he was already panting heavily.
After catching his breath, Iron Leg said, "When we arrive at the Tiyun Valley in Yandang Mountain, I'll give you another three hundred taels."
The driver smiled and said, "Since that's the case, I'll do as you say." With a wave of the whip, the carriage turned onto the side path.
The ones chasing after them were exactly the Five Heroes of Southern Sichuan. That day, Wang Baitong failed to catch up with Iron Leg. He immediately sent a signal rocket. In the afternoon, the other three people gradually came to meet Wang Baitong. By night, Tang Zhen also rushed over on horseback. Originally, Tang Zhen had placed Yan Yin at Aunt A Si's house next door and left the Corpse Mastiff there. After discussing with the other four people, they decided to chase southward. Iron Leg was tall and thin with a distinctive figure, so it was easy to inquire about him along the way. They didn't lose track of him until they chased him to Liaocheng. Someone said that they saw Iron Leg getting on a horse-drawn carriage and going south. So the five of them followed the trail and chased after him.
There were thousands of horse-drawn carriages on the road. The five of them patiently asked one by one. On this day, when they reached Jinhua, they saw a horse-drawn carriage in front suddenly turn onto a side path. Tang Zhen said to Feng Zhen, "Brother, do you think there's something strange about that carriage in front?"
Feng Zhen said, "Let's go and ask."
The five of them spurred their horses and chased after it. Five horses surrounded the carriage. Wang Baitong shouted loudly, "Hey, man! Have you seen a tall and thin big guy?"
Before the driver could answer, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a swarthy middle-aged man stuck his head out and asked impatiently, "Why haven't you left yet? If you delay the master's business, you'll be in big trouble!" With a snap, he dropped the curtain.
The driver said with a bitter face, "Sirs, I didn't see the big guy you mentioned. I still have to continue my journey. Please do me a favor and let me go."
The five of them pulled their horses aside. The driver quickly drove the carriage and galloped away.
Wang Baitong said, "Brother, let's go back to the main road. There are more people and carriages there. Maybe we can meet him there."
Feng Zhen nodded. The five of them spurred their horses and went back to the main road. After galloping for more than three miles, Cui Zheng suddenly pulled the reins tightly, and the horse neighed and stopped.
The other four people also pulled their reins one after another and asked, "Third Brother, what's wrong?"
Cui Zheng looked at Tang Zhen and said, "Accent."
Tang Zhen's eyes lit up. He and Feng Zhen looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Right!"
Tang Zhen exclaimed, "Oh no!" Then he turned his horse around and galloped back to the side path. The other four people followed him without hesitation. When they reached the side path and chased for another four or five miles, the carriage was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Baitong asked anxiously, "Fourth Brother, what's going on?"
Tang Zhen frowned and said with a solemn expression, "Iron Leg must be hiding in that carriage just now."
Wang Baitong didn't believe it and widened his eyes. He said, "No way! Fourth Brother, don't make wild guesses."
Tang Zhen asked in return, "Think carefully. What was the accent of the driver and the passenger in that carriage just now?"
Wang Baitong scratched his head and thought for a while. He said, "It seemed to be a Shandong accent."
Tang Zhen analyzed, "We all know that southerners usually ride horses when traveling, while northerners usually take carriages. This is Zhejiang. And that carriage has obviously been on a long journey. The driver and the passenger both had a Shandong accent. That carriage must have been hired by Iron Leg from Liaocheng, Shandong."
Wang Baitong suddenly understood and said anxiously, "What are we waiting for? Let's chase!" Then he spurred his horse and took the lead to chase down the side path. The other four people also followed immediately.