Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Sharpening the Sword
"This knife is 'the blade of a thousand armies'."
Han Shizi stretched out his knuckle-protruding and twisted fingers, and gently stroked the war-scarred goose feather blade ridge.
He looked at the knife with emotion in his eyes, and did not regard it as a dead thing.
"It's a pity that it has been dusty in the grass for many years, and its ambitions are hard to achieve. It was not until you changed its master that it had to show its edge again, and the energy on the blade has been re-gathered over the years." Han Shizi continued: "It can't let go of you, so It will come back to you no matter what."
Jing Li crossed one leg and sat on the floor in front of Han Shizi, listening intently.
Although Jing Li didn't believe the absurd words in the latter part, the previous part completely spoke about his past, and the origin of Master Pei's family sword, which is indeed miraculous.
Today is the fourth day after the "Battle of Qinglian Temple".Han Shizi's home is located in the east of Luling County. It was originally a small deserted temple, and most of the place was used as his workshop for sharpening and storing swords.As for the living room, although it is quite spacious, it is poorly furnished and has no tables, chairs or beds. Instead, a few large straw mats are used to cover the floor, and a small tea table is placed as a place to rest and read. It is rather ancient. .
The "Six Swords of Breaking the Door" were gathered in the room at this moment, and the straw mat was neatly covered with everyone's weapons.
Han Shizi first looked at Jing Li's several weapons, picking them up one by one to enjoy them like a child who suddenly got a lot of new gadgets.At this time, he picked up the bird-head dagger again, carefully admiring the patterns on the blade: "It's a foundry handed down to Nanman by the Hui people. What's the name of this sword?"
"The locals call it the 'female slave dysprosium'." Jing Li replied, "Senior is really well-informed."
"It's rare, it's rare." Han Shizi said, seeing the damage on the blade, he couldn't help frowning: "You can use it very thickly."
"To me, a knife is just a tool." Jing Li said frankly.
Han Shizi nodded: "Yes."
He was very excited.When scanning the various weapons on the table, he noticed the biggest one among them at a glance - the battlefield wild knife brought by Hu Linglanyuan from Satsuma; Jing Li's weapons are even rarer.
——It will be a big challenge to polish so many exotic weapons.so fun.
Jing Li's Yanling Saber was naturally picked up from the battlefield.In addition, Meng Qihe and Tang Ba spent another whole day climbing down the cliff next to the open space with ropes, and retrieved for Jing Li the iron chain, gun head and bird head dagger that were nailed to the wall—Jing Li escaped from the mountain wall. When falling, I used this short knife to stick into the wall halfway, and slowed down the speed of falling, so that I could land safely, otherwise I would not only get injured on one foot and one arm, but I would just settle down.
Among Jing Li's lost weapons, only the Yuanyang Yue dart knife could not be found.He guessed that the Shu kings probably didn't know how to use this weapon, so they put it in the armory of "Qinglian Temple", and it might have been burned together with the temple.
Han Shizi then watched Yan Heng's saber.His eyes lit up, he took the long and short swords out of their sheaths one by one, and after only looking at them for a moment, he returned the sheaths respectfully, cupped his hands over his head and bowed before putting them back on the mat.
"The most precious treasure of the Qingcheng sect is the 'Male and Male Dragon and Tiger Sword'. Unexpectedly, this old man was able to hold it in his hand during his lifetime. It is an honor."
Han Shizi stared at Yan Heng's face while speaking.Yan Heng didn't know what his intention was, but Han Shizi kept silent, which made Yan Heng very uncomfortable.
Han Shizi looked at Yan Heng for a long time.Silence nodded.
Yan Heng still didn't understand, but Jing Li patted him on the shoulder.
"The old man is looking at you, whether you are worthy of using this pair of swords."
Han Shizi nodded his head silently, already affirming Yan Heng.
Yan Heng was very excited, and bowed his head to Han Shizi in salute.
Everyone who has known Yan Heng for a long time can see that after this battle, his whole person is different, exuding a swordsman's demeanor that he lacked in the past.
Tong Jing was especially happy for Yan Heng.These days we get along day and night, and occasionally she will see that Yan Heng is alone after practicing the sword, always with a blank and contemplative look; or when everyone is eating, whenever something touches his memory, he will look at it. With one corner in a daze.She knew very well how heavy the burden of the "Qingcheng faction" was on Yan Heng's heart...
"Then it's you." After Han Shizi called out, Tong Jing woke up from her contemplation.She saw that Han Shizi had already held the "Still Life Left Sword" in his hand.
Han Shizi looked at the dumb black strange sword in his hand, then at Tong Jing, frowned and shook his head, still making a "tsk tsk" sound.
"Hey, old man." Tong Jing said very dissatisfied: "Speak out if there is anything wrong, don't just mutter over there!"
"This sword is very murderous." Han Shizi sheathed the "Still Life Sword" by his side: "It's a good sword, but it's not suitable for you."
As he spoke, he crawled to the corner of the room, found the bag of weapons he brought back from the cave when he was rescued that night, and selected a sword from it.
"You are so lucky. When you attacked 'Qinglian Temple', I was preparing to grind it, otherwise it would have been destroyed together with the temple."
Han Shizi pulled the sword out of its sheath, and saw that the sword body was much narrower than normal, with raised ridges on both sides, making the cut surface of the sword body slightly diamond-shaped, and it was not until the front three inches of the sword tip that it became flat and thin.Both the hilt guard and the pommel are in the shape of cirrus clouds, and purple cloth strips are intertwined around the grip, giving it a very quaint appearance.
Han Shizi waved his sword lightly in front of him.He himself doesn't know martial arts and swordsmanship, but after studying day and night, he has a deep understanding of the principles of sword use, and judges the pros and cons of each weapon from it.
"I heard that this sword was taken by King Bolongshu who killed a certain knight a few years ago. There are very few people in that gang who know how to use swords, so no one has ever used it. I will give it to you. "
Han Shizi skillfully pinched the tip of the sword with only two fingers, and handed the hilt to Tong Jing, as easily as holding a feather, which shows the strength of his fingers, wrists and arms.Seeing the elegant shape of the sword, Tong Jing's heart has been moved for a long time; but she just said something rude to Han Shizi, if she happily accepts the sword now, wouldn't she be very spineless?So she pretended to be indifferent, and casually reached out to hold the hilt of the sword.
"The original name of this sword has been lost. According to its characteristics, I changed its name to 'Xunfeng'." Han Shizi let go of his finger.
Although Tong Jing was half-kneeling on the table, the moment she took the "Speedy Bee Sword" she already felt a wonderful fit. The weight balance was very good, and it was much lighter than the "Still Life Sword", which was more suitable for people with little strength. Tong Jing.From the shape of the blade, it can be seen that this "Speedy Bee Sword" is mainly sharp and sharp, and it is also very suitable for the fighting method she is good at.
——This sword seems to be waiting for her master.
Tong Jing still couldn't suppress the joy in her heart, and when she gently gestured with the sword, she smiled so much that she showed her front teeth.
"But I won't exchange that 'Still Life Sword' for you." Tong Jing said to Han Shizi, "I still want to take it with me."
——Because it was the token that Yan Heng gave her when she parted in Wushan last time...
"Haha, it's my turn?" Lian Feihong rubbed her hands at this moment, full of anticipation.
Everyone thought that Mr. Feihong was the former head of the Kongtong School, and that Han Shizi must have treated him with more courtesy.Unexpectedly, Han Shizi picked up a flying knife and threw it at Lian Feihong's feet without looking at it: "It doesn't make any difference whether you grind this kind of thing, don't waste my life." He then pointed to Kongtong. Pai's master sword "Fenshijian" and the Western Region machete: "These two are quite interesting. I'll fix them for you."
Han Shizi said, but looked at Lian Feihong's injured right arm: "But you old bone, with such a serious injury, after I sharpen the sword, will you still need it? I don't want to grind it in vain. .”
"What?" Lian Feihong's temper also exploded: "You don't know my Kongtong school's most famous 'flower technique'? I only rely on this left hand——"
Han Shizi looked disinterested in listening, and suddenly interrupted him: "There are so many weapons, it can't be finished in three days and two days. I think it will take at least half a year."
"Then we will stay here for half a year." Jing Li readily agreed: "The people of Luling are still lingering, and are very afraid that King Bolongshu will come again, so we just stay for a longer period of time. And..." He stroked his eyebrows Bandages: "We always need to find a place to recuperate. There is not much silver left in our pockets. It is rare to have a place where we can eat and sleep for nothing. There is no reason to leave."
Everyone also laughed heartily.
Only roundness yawned greatly.Everyone else looked at him.
He stroked the thin hair on his head: "It's suffocating. You all use swords, but I only use sticks. I don't have to sharpen it at all. I'm so suffocated that I'm hungry again."
Everyone laughed again.
The sunlight came in through the paper window and shone on their faces, making them very warm.
Xue Jiuniu was buried in a cemetery outside his hometown, Mafu Village, to the west of the county seat.His grave is adjacent to his friend Xiaohu. There are more than a dozen new graves on the cemetery, all of which were buried after King Bolongshu came to Luling, which shows the degree of tyranny of the Shu kings. ——Jiu Niu, your tomb is the last one. Jing Li stretched out his injured right leg and sat on the ground in front of the tomb.Ten days have passed, but his left shoulder and right knee injuries have not improved significantly, and it is still difficult to exert strength. Jing Lie was bare-chested in the evening sun, revealing a whole body of embroidery and tattoos, with his left arm still hanging on his chest with a cloth scarf. The long oars lay across his lap.Hu Linglan held the handle of the oar firmly for him, allowing him to carve with one hand. The thorn crack carved another horizontal line on the oar, and the tool used was the curved blade of the plum heart tree that was shaped like an animal's tooth, and the handle was still connected with the iron chain. One force after another he dug the blade into the extremely solid wood.The face with a new scar between the eyebrows was covered with sweat. Hu Linglan, who was kneeling beside him, has been silently watching him sculpt. After engraving, Jing Li inserted the curved blade into the ground beside him, and raised the oar towards Xue Jiuniu's grave. "This engraving is not just to remember the guy I killed. It's also to commemorate you." As he said that, he half-kneeled on the ground with a paddle, pulled out the curved blade from the ground, and gently placed it in front of Xue Jiuniu's grave together with the iron chain, and dug the nearby soil with his hands to bury the weapon.Hu Linglan also helped him pile up the sand. "I'm sorry, I couldn't bring the head of Bolongshu King to sacrifice you this time. You can accept this thing first." He patted his belt towards the grave, where there was another same curved blade: " I just lost a pocketknife and need a replacement. We'll each share one, shall we?" He waved to Xue Jiuniu, put on his clothes, and walked to the path outside the cemetery without looking back. Halfway between the two, Jing Li suddenly handed the oar in his hand to Hu Linglan beside him. Hu Linglan didn't understand, when she reached out to take it, Jing Li's vacated palm took her injured left hand. They didn't look at each other, just stood hand in hand on the graveyard, watching the sunset in the west. Hu Linglan seemed to hear her own heartbeat, several times she was so nervous that she wanted to shake off Jing Li's hand, but in the end she still followed him without moving. After a long time, when it was getting late, Jing Li led Hu Linglan and continued walking to the big tree by the roadside where the horse was tied. One black and one red figure rode on the horseback together.Jing Li scolded lightly, and urged the horse to run back and forth, carrying the burning sunset on his back.
On the morning of Wang Shouren's farewell to Luling, people from villages and towns with a radius of more than ten miles from the county came to see him off. The city was literally empty of thousands of people, and the north gate had to be opened by the "Six Swords of Breaking the Gate". Wang Shouren walked outside the city gate with six disciples, and was about to board the carriage he had come in.It was still the skinny horse that pulled the cart.In the previous battle, they had surrendered dozens of good horses from Shu Wangzhong, but Wang Shouren still refused to exchange one. "These horses are reserved for the people of Luling to rebuild their livelihoods, and I cannot take them." Thousands of people brought all kinds of crops to give to the king. If they were piled together, they would be enough to fill a hut.Wang Shouren only said softly, "I can't take it with me", and refused to accept it at all. Meng Qihe also followed with a group of former bandit brothers.A dozen of them decided to escort Mr. Wang until they left the border of Jiangxi Province. "Master Wang, please allow me to repay this kindness." Meng Qihe knelt down and said to him last night.Seeing that Meng Qihe was very determined, he finally agreed. Wang Shouren and his disciples were standing in front of the carriage, and were about to say goodbye to "Six Swords of Breaking the Door", when many people suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, crying and begging Mr. Wang to stay a little longer.Wang Shouren hurriedly asked his disciples to help the old and weak among them. "I have stayed for a month." He said with a wry smile, "I am going to Nanjing to take up my post." At this time, a powerful voice yelled: "Everyone stand up!" The hearts of those kneeling people were shocked, and more than a dozen of them jumped up in surprise. This tiger's roar is made by Yuanxing.In a month his hair had grown back, and he was back to his former scruffy, wild monk look.He slammed his brow-level stick on the ground and said sharply, "Master Wang is going to be promoted, why do you want to stop him? A talent like him will surely be promoted step by step in the future; the bigger the official he is, the more people he can help There are more, far more than a small place like yours, how can you be so selfish?" Although the round tone is rude, the sentences are sonorous and reasonable.After hearing this, the people consciously put away their grief and stood up one by one. At this time, there was a dissatisfied uproar from behind the crowd.I saw a fat figure in the middle, it was Xu Hongde, the magistrate of Luling County.After driving away King Bolongshu, Wang Shouren still ordered him to be placed under house arrest in the mansion, and he was not released until a few days ago.At this moment, Xu Hongde brought his son and several subordinates, and wanted to send off Lord Wang, but he was too embarrassed to go forward. "Lord Wang, is it really okay to let him go?" Tong Jing looked at the little official with disgust, and put her palm on the handle of the "Xunfeng Sword" at her waist. This action scared Xu Hongde back a few steps. "After all, he is an official ordered by the court. Should we kill him? I have already checked, and this Xu man is not bad at all." Wang Shouren said. In the past month since he lived in Luling, Wang Shouren sent four of his disciples to visit many old acquaintances in the official circles of Jiangxi Province with his own letters. People care.As far as those people know, King Bolongshu has secret connections with the magistrates of many counties north of Luling, and a large amount of money is involved in the transaction.When Wang Shouren's disciples heard this, they naturally thought of "Fangxian San". There must be corrupt officials who bought this kind of drug that harms the body and mind from King Bolongshu, and amassed money in the domain. Those old acquaintances of Wang Shouren, although they didn't make it clear because they were afraid of causing trouble, they hinted in their words that there were high officials in the province involved in this terrible activity, and they believed that there were higher forces behind them. On the contrary, Xu Hongde, the magistrate of Luling County, was very timid and did not dare to participate in this "business".Of course he was not immune to some bribes. "He has nothing to do with this matter. You don't have to worry about him making things difficult during your stay in Luling; he will never report on our private house arrest and seizure of his power." Wang Shouren said again: "This person is not a serious harm. This time, he knows that he has the power in my hands, and he will not dare to treat the people harshly during his term of office, and Luling will have a good life." When Wang Shouren said that, he showed slightly cunning eyes, smiling and looking at Xu Hongde in the distance. Lian Feihong was very impressed when he heard this: This Mr. Yangming is indeed not comparable to ordinary rotten scholars. He is brave and witty in leading soldiers in battle, but he is also very scheming when dealing with treacherous officials. He is really an all-rounder! Confucian student Huang Xuan came to Yan Heng, and cupped his hands to him: "Young Xia Yan... I said some unkind words when we first met, and underestimated a few warriors... After this battle, I just realized that I was wrong! " "No, Brother Huang, you're right." Yan Heng also replied, "It's just that our paths are different. Brother Jing said: Everyone has his own path. I thought: If we want peace in the world, we must have different people to work hard together.” Huang Xuan couldn't think that this swordsman, who was a few years younger than himself and had much less education than himself, would say such a truth, and couldn't help but bowed his head again and saluted: "Teach me." Jing Li then walked to Wang Shouren's side.Wang Shouren saw that Jing Li was still walking with a limp on one leg, and his left hand was still bandaged, and thought to himself: This time he paid a big price... From the look in Wang Shouren's eyes, Jing Li knew that he was worried that his injury would not heal for a long time.Jing Li didn't take it seriously, and just said to him relaxedly: "My lord, take care." Wang Shouren nodded: "My disciple stopped by to find out if there is any news about the whereabouts of Bolongshu King and his group, but they don't have any clues. They are probably still hiding somewhere." "Didn't you just say that many Jiangxi bureaucrats have contacts with that guy?" Jing Li smiled: "We will 'visit' them one by one in the future. We will always find a little bit of clues." ——What a man who doesn't understand what "giving up" is. Wang Shouren stroked his beard and looked at the distant mountains outside the city. "Wang has a hunch that this matter is far from over. It will even turn into a major event that shakes the world in the future." When Jing Li heard it, he knew that Mr. Wang was worried about the ambitious plot of Prince Ning's mansion again, and he didn't know when it would explode. ——Oh, yes, I just remembered now, I haven't given Li Junyuan an answer... "My lord, although we have known each other for a short time, we have lived and died together. This friendship is no less than a close friend." Jing Li's bold words made the people around him fall silent: "He will not care about your lord. Any danger is a mountain of swords and a sea of fire, and we will definitely come when we wait for the 'Six Swords of Breaking the Door'." Wang Shouren saw that the "Six Swords of Broken Door" stood side by side. Although there were still large and small scars on their faces, everyone was full of energy, and there was no trace of hesitation in their shining eyes, and they all agreed with Jing Li's promise. Wang Shouren arched his hands above his head, bowed his head deeply in the manner of the ancients. "Thanks." A simple word, but expresses the most sincere gratitude. "Master Wang, thank you for your teaching." Yan Heng stepped forward and said, "It made me understand a lot—whether it is using a sword or being a human being." "I'm just a guide at best." Wang Shouren looked at the students on the left and right, and replied with a smile: "It's all your own understanding." Wang Shouren then lifted the bamboo curtain and entered the carriage.Zhu Heng, Yu Huan, Huang Xuan and other six disciples of Yangming also got on their horses one by one, and together with Meng Qihe's cavalry, set off on the main road to the north. "Six Swords of Breaking the Gate" watched the back of the team leave, and turned back after a while, but saw thousands of people still gathered outside the city gate to watch them off, refusing to move half a step. "Go, go! What are you still doing here?" Lian Feihong stretched his legs and kicked the ass of a farmer next to him: "Go back to work! There are many things waiting for you to do in the city and the village. Do you have time to cry and cry here? Why are we fighting so desperately with Lord Wang? Just so that everyone can live a good life! Why don’t you go back soon? Do you want to disappoint Lord Wang?” Many others who were crying stopped their voices when they heard it, and wiped away their tears of reluctance.The crowd gradually began to disperse. After a long time, the farewell people in front of the city gate were sparse, and there were almost only six warriors left.They suddenly remembered that the city gate they were at right now was the place where they entered Luling when they first came to Luling.The six people raised their heads in admiration, and looked at the rough banner of "Six Swords Breaking the Gate" hanging on the gate tower. "Oops." Yuan Xing scratched his hair, "It seems to be a little itchy." Hu Linglan and Tong Jing laughed.Lian Feihong scratched at the white hair and said, "It's because you are addicted to doing this kind of thing." Yan Heng nodded. Compared with simply honing each other's martial arts skills, being a knight is another kind of training. "Don't worry." Jing Li said with a smile: "There are still many hateful guys in the world, waiting for us." He stroked the scar between his eyebrows and put away his smile. "Not to mention the previous things, we haven't finished yet."
More than a month later, Li Junyuan, the think tank of Prince Ning's Mansion, received a mysterious letter.Someone left this letter at the side door of the palace. It was stated that it was personally signed by Li Junyuan, and was picked up by the servants in the palace and handed over. Li Junyuan opened it, only to see a pile of extremely scribbled characters on the letter paper, and there was no signature. "Our warriors are not running dogs and flying eagles. If you want to tame the mansion, it is wishful thinking. Don't mention it in the future. I heard that the demons in Jiangxi are in power recently, and all loyal people will be tortured. If the Xining Palace is involved, we are thousands of miles away. I will take all of your heads. Break the door with six swords." Of course, Li Junyuan didn't show this offensive letter to King Ning, and hurriedly tore it up. In order to win the favor of the prince, Li Junyuan tried his best to recruit martial arts people to form the leading guards of the palace, but so far he still has nothing and is very distressed. Unexpectedly, just twelve days after receiving the letter of "Six Swords of Breaking the Door", a Nanchang magistrate who had accepted bribes from the palace brought a group of strange people to ask him to see him.
Today's King Zhu Chenhao of Ning, whose ancestor was Zhu Quan, the seventeenth son of Emperor Taizu, was a prodigy in both civil and martial arts in the early years of the founding of the country. At the age of fifteen, he was sent by his father to guard the north. Together with his fourth elder brother Zhu Di, king of Yan, they are also known as the twin jades among the princes. Later, King Yan sent troops in the name of "Jing Nan" and successfully seized the throne of his nephew, who became Emperor Yongle of Ming Taizong.Zhu Quan, who had made great contributions to the war, was defrauded by the emperor's brother. He not only withdrew all his military power, but was also transferred to Nanchang, and lived under the surveillance of the court's secret agents. Ended up depressed. Zhu Chenhao is the fifth grandson of Zhu Quan, and he is now thirty-six years old.He was tall and tall, and his waist hung with a jade belt was as thick as a bear. When he walked through the corridor under the palace of King Ning's mansion, every step he took had the aura of a beast coming out of the forest.Under a pair of thick eyebrows, the eyes are very sharp, and the brows have been furrowed for many years. This sharp appearance is indeed quite similar to the vigorous ancestors back then. King Ning was surrounded by a large group of followers.One of them was a thick man with two knives in his belt. A scar on the left corner of his mouth was cut horizontally to the earlobe, causing his whole face to tilt to one side, exuding a very fierce aura.This man's name is Min Niansi, originally the leader of a group of bandits in the south of Jiangxi, he was recruited by King Ning as a confidant, and he was appointed as the general of the guard, and he is the most beloved personal guard of the prince.At this moment, Min Niansi took the guards of the same old brothers, and marched on both sides of the prince - King Ning liked to put on such a posture no matter where he went, so as to remind himself that he was always preparing for battle. Zhu Chenhao was followed by Liu Yangzheng, a scholar, who was one of the two think tanks and military advisers he regarded as his confidant (the other was Li Junyuan's father, Li Shishi). This Liu Yangzheng is in his early forties, with a strange appearance and a bookish air. He is from Juren, and his hometown is not elsewhere, but Luling County. .Ning Wangfu recruited thieves to form a guarding army, all of which were in charge of him.Liu Yangzheng is good at speaking, has a good literary talent, and is also good at calligraphy, which is very popular with Zhu Chenhao. "How is the ceremony going?" King Ning asked Liu Yangzheng as he was walking. "It's been done in sevens and eighties. I will send someone to the capital next month." Liu Yangzheng answered with a paper fan, "But this time it cost a lot, and the treasury is a bit empty..." "Let's send Ling Shiyi to fill it up." King Ning said calmly.Ling Shiyi was the vanguard general of the palace guards, and he was also a bandit, so he was very aggressive and easy to kill.Most of the shady activities in the palace are entrusted to him. Since the current Emperor Zhengde came to the throne, Zhu Chenhao has spent all these years trying his best to rebuild the personal soldiers of King Ning's Mansion who had been abolished for a long time.For this reason, he kept bribing and buying high-ranking officials in the capital, and paid tribute to many rare and rare treasures year after year to please the emperor and avoid his suspicion;In order to enrich financial resources, Prince Ning's Mansion often used its authority to occupy the land of local people, and would kill them whenever they resisted, and local officials would do nothing.The people around Nanchang, when they heard that the soldiers of King Ning's Mansion were going to pass by, they were all overwhelmed with fright. "Your servant will settle this matter." Liu Yangzheng said respectfully.He is not an official of the imperial court, so he is not qualified to be called a "minister"; such an answer secretly implies that King Ning is regarded as the son of heaven.This is the depths of the palace, and there are no outsiders, so Liu Yangzheng dared to please King Ning so boldly. King Ning and his party arrived at a side hall on the west side of the palace. The environment here was quiet, and the windows on both sides faced the empty garden. King Ning often used it as a place for secret meetings with his military advisors. King Ning was about to tell Min Twenty-four and all the guards to wait outside the hall, but Liu Yangzheng disagreed. "I don't know what kind of person I'm seeing, so my lord should be careful." "Mr. is really thoughtful." Zhu Chenhao nodded with a smile.Although he usually has an imposing appearance, he understands the principle of respect for corporals, and has always respected Liu Yangzheng very much, often calling him "Sir".Even a group of warriors who were born as thieves, he didn't think they were of lowly background, they were often rewarded, and even ate and drank at the same table from time to time. King Ning then entered the hall with all the guards. Li Junyuan, who was still dressed in brocade clothes, had been waiting in the hall for a long time, and when he saw it, he hurriedly saluted the prince. "My lord is overjoyed!" Li Junyuan congratulated Zhu Chenhao loudly as soon as he sat down.He knew that King Ning was very superstitious, and he liked to hear such words the most. "What's the happy event recently? I don't know." King Ning took the brocade handkerchief from the servant and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Your lord, do you still remember that earlier, my ministers said about the martial arts battle in Xi'an Prefecture?" As soon as King Ning heard it, his eyes lit up and his face was full of interest. "Biography!" Li Junyuan shouted to the side of the hall. Two guards of the royal residence led one person in through the side door. When King Ning and the others saw this visitor, they were all shocked. It's just because this person's figure is really amazingly tall. King Bolongshu was wearing a "brown snake" taoist robe with the "Tai Chi" logo embroidered on his chest. When he came in, he walked in a windy manner - the knife wound on his thigh was not completely healed, but his excellent lightness footwork was enough to cover it up. He knelt ten feet in front of King Ning, his bald head was still at the height of the prince's chest.When King Ning saw this man's strange appearance and extraordinary demeanor, he already smiled appreciatively. Zhu Chenhao of the Bolongshu Dynasty bowed his head and kowtowed. "Wu Jihong, a disciple of the Wudang School, is willing to be a dog and a horse to help the prince achieve unworldly hegemony."
Xue Jiuniu was buried in a cemetery outside his hometown, Mafu Village, to the west of the county seat.His grave is adjacent to his friend Xiaohu. There are more than a dozen new graves on the cemetery, all of which were buried after King Bolongshu came to Luling, which shows the degree of tyranny of the Shu kings. ——Jiu Niu, your tomb is the last one. Jing Li stretched out his injured right leg and sat on the ground in front of the tomb.Ten days have passed, but his left shoulder and right knee injuries have not improved significantly, and it is still difficult to exert strength. Jing Lie was bare-chested in the evening sun, revealing a whole body of embroidery and tattoos, with his left arm still hanging on his chest with a cloth scarf. The long oars lay across his lap.Hu Linglan held the handle of the oar firmly for him, allowing him to carve with one hand. The thorn crack carved another horizontal line on the oar, and the tool used was the curved blade of the plum heart tree that was shaped like an animal's tooth, and the handle was still connected with the iron chain. One force after another he dug the blade into the extremely solid wood.The face with a new scar between the eyebrows was covered with sweat. Hu Linglan, who was kneeling beside him, has been silently watching him sculpt. After engraving, Jing Li inserted the curved blade into the ground beside him, and raised the oar towards Xue Jiuniu's grave. "This engraving is not just to remember the guy I killed. It's also to commemorate you." As he said that, he half-kneeled on the ground with a paddle, pulled out the curved blade from the ground, and gently placed it in front of Xue Jiuniu's grave together with the iron chain, and dug the nearby soil with his hands to bury the weapon.Hu Linglan also helped him pile up the sand. "I'm sorry, I couldn't bring the head of Bolongshu King to sacrifice you this time. You can accept this thing first." He patted his belt towards the grave, where there was another same curved blade: " I just lost a pocketknife and need a replacement. We'll each share one, shall we?" He waved to Xue Jiuniu, put on his clothes, and walked to the path outside the cemetery without looking back. Halfway between the two, Jing Li suddenly handed the oar in his hand to Hu Linglan beside him. Hu Linglan didn't understand, when she reached out to take it, Jing Li's vacated palm took her injured left hand. They didn't look at each other, just stood hand in hand on the graveyard, watching the sunset in the west. Hu Linglan seemed to hear her own heartbeat, several times she was so nervous that she wanted to shake off Jing Li's hand, but in the end she still followed him without moving. After a long time, when it was getting late, Jing Li led Hu Linglan and continued walking to the big tree by the roadside where the horse was tied. One black and one red figure rode on the horseback together.Jing Li scolded lightly, and urged the horse to run back and forth, carrying the burning sunset on his back.
On the morning of Wang Shouren's farewell to Luling, people from villages and towns with a radius of more than ten miles from the county came to see him off. The city was literally empty of thousands of people, and the north gate had to be opened by the "Six Swords of Breaking the Gate". Wang Shouren walked outside the city gate with six disciples, and was about to board the carriage he had come in.It was still the skinny horse that pulled the cart.In the previous battle, they had surrendered dozens of good horses from Shu Wangzhong, but Wang Shouren still refused to exchange one. "These horses are reserved for the people of Luling to rebuild their livelihoods, and I cannot take them." Thousands of people brought all kinds of crops to give to the king. If they were piled together, they would be enough to fill a hut.Wang Shouren only said softly, "I can't take it with me", and refused to accept it at all. Meng Qihe also followed with a group of former bandit brothers.A dozen of them decided to escort Mr. Wang until they left the border of Jiangxi Province. "Master Wang, please allow me to repay this kindness." Meng Qihe knelt down and said to him last night.Seeing that Meng Qihe was very determined, he finally agreed. Wang Shouren and his disciples were standing in front of the carriage, and were about to say goodbye to "Six Swords of Breaking the Door", when many people suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, crying and begging Mr. Wang to stay a little longer.Wang Shouren hurriedly asked his disciples to help the old and weak among them. "I have stayed for a month." He said with a wry smile, "I am going to Nanjing to take up my post." At this time, a powerful voice yelled: "Everyone stand up!" The hearts of those kneeling people were shocked, and more than a dozen of them jumped up in surprise. This tiger's roar is made by Yuanxing.In a month his hair had grown back, and he was back to his former scruffy, wild monk look.He slammed his brow-level stick on the ground and said sharply, "Master Wang is going to be promoted, why do you want to stop him? A talent like him will surely be promoted step by step in the future; the bigger the official he is, the more people he can help There are more, far more than a small place like yours, how can you be so selfish?" Although the round tone is rude, the sentences are sonorous and reasonable.After hearing this, the people consciously put away their grief and stood up one by one. At this time, there was a dissatisfied uproar from behind the crowd.I saw a fat figure in the middle, it was Xu Hongde, the magistrate of Luling County.After driving away King Bolongshu, Wang Shouren still ordered him to be placed under house arrest in the mansion, and he was not released until a few days ago.At this moment, Xu Hongde brought his son and several subordinates, and wanted to send off Lord Wang, but he was too embarrassed to go forward. "Lord Wang, is it really okay to let him go?" Tong Jing looked at the little official with disgust, and put her palm on the handle of the "Xunfeng Sword" at her waist. This action scared Xu Hongde back a few steps. "After all, he is an official ordered by the court. Should we kill him? I have already checked, and this Xu man is not bad at all." Wang Shouren said. In the past month since he lived in Luling, Wang Shouren sent four of his disciples to visit many old acquaintances in the official circles of Jiangxi Province with his own letters. People care.As far as those people know, King Bolongshu has secret connections with the magistrates of many counties north of Luling, and a large amount of money is involved in the transaction.When Wang Shouren's disciples heard this, they naturally thought of "Fangxian San". There must be corrupt officials who bought this kind of drug that harms the body and mind from King Bolongshu, and amassed money in the domain. Those old acquaintances of Wang Shouren, although they didn't make it clear because they were afraid of causing trouble, they hinted in their words that there were high officials in the province involved in this terrible activity, and they believed that there were higher forces behind them. On the contrary, Xu Hongde, the magistrate of Luling County, was very timid and did not dare to participate in this "business".Of course he was not immune to some bribes. "He has nothing to do with this matter. You don't have to worry about him making things difficult during your stay in Luling; he will never report on our private house arrest and seizure of his power." Wang Shouren said again: "This person is not a serious harm. This time, he knows that he has the power in my hands, and he will not dare to treat the people harshly during his term of office, and Luling will have a good life." When Wang Shouren said that, he showed slightly cunning eyes, smiling and looking at Xu Hongde in the distance. Lian Feihong was very impressed when he heard this: This Mr. Yangming is indeed not comparable to ordinary rotten scholars. He is brave and witty in leading soldiers in battle, but he is also very scheming when dealing with treacherous officials. He is really an all-rounder! Confucian student Huang Xuan came to Yan Heng, and cupped his hands to him: "Young Xia Yan... I said some unkind words when we first met, and underestimated a few warriors... After this battle, I just realized that I was wrong! " "No, Brother Huang, you're right." Yan Heng also replied, "It's just that our paths are different. Brother Jing said: Everyone has his own path. I thought: If we want peace in the world, we must have different people to work hard together.” Huang Xuan couldn't think that this swordsman, who was a few years younger than himself and had much less education than himself, would say such a truth, and couldn't help but bowed his head again and saluted: "Teach me." Jing Li then walked to Wang Shouren's side.Wang Shouren saw that Jing Li was still walking with a limp on one leg, and his left hand was still bandaged, and thought to himself: This time he paid a big price... From the look in Wang Shouren's eyes, Jing Li knew that he was worried that his injury would not heal for a long time.Jing Li didn't take it seriously, and just said to him relaxedly: "My lord, take care." Wang Shouren nodded: "My disciple stopped by to find out if there is any news about the whereabouts of Bolongshu King and his group, but they don't have any clues. They are probably still hiding somewhere." "Didn't you just say that many Jiangxi bureaucrats have contacts with that guy?" Jing Li smiled: "We will 'visit' them one by one in the future. We will always find a little bit of clues." ——What a man who doesn't understand what "giving up" is. Wang Shouren stroked his beard and looked at the distant mountains outside the city. "Wang has a hunch that this matter is far from over. It will even turn into a major event that shakes the world in the future." When Jing Li heard it, he knew that Mr. Wang was worried about the ambitious plot of Prince Ning's mansion again, and he didn't know when it would explode. ——Oh, yes, I just remembered now, I haven't given Li Junyuan an answer... "My lord, although we have known each other for a short time, we have lived and died together. This friendship is no less than a close friend." Jing Li's bold words made the people around him fall silent: "He will not care about your lord. Any danger is a mountain of swords and a sea of fire, and we will definitely come when we wait for the 'Six Swords of Breaking the Door'." Wang Shouren saw that the "Six Swords of Broken Door" stood side by side. Although there were still large and small scars on their faces, everyone was full of energy, and there was no trace of hesitation in their shining eyes, and they all agreed with Jing Li's promise. Wang Shouren arched his hands above his head, bowed his head deeply in the manner of the ancients. "Thanks." A simple word, but expresses the most sincere gratitude. "Master Wang, thank you for your teaching." Yan Heng stepped forward and said, "It made me understand a lot—whether it is using a sword or being a human being." "I'm just a guide at best." Wang Shouren looked at the students on the left and right, and replied with a smile: "It's all your own understanding." Wang Shouren then lifted the bamboo curtain and entered the carriage.Zhu Heng, Yu Huan, Huang Xuan and other six disciples of Yangming also got on their horses one by one, and together with Meng Qihe's cavalry, set off on the main road to the north. "Six Swords of Breaking the Gate" watched the back of the team leave, and turned back after a while, but saw thousands of people still gathered outside the city gate to watch them off, refusing to move half a step. "Go, go! What are you still doing here?" Lian Feihong stretched his legs and kicked the ass of a farmer next to him: "Go back to work! There are many things waiting for you to do in the city and the village. Do you have time to cry and cry here? Why are we fighting so desperately with Lord Wang? Just so that everyone can live a good life! Why don’t you go back soon? Do you want to disappoint Lord Wang?” Many others who were crying stopped their voices when they heard it, and wiped away their tears of reluctance.The crowd gradually began to disperse. After a long time, the farewell people in front of the city gate were sparse, and there were almost only six warriors left.They suddenly remembered that the city gate they were at right now was the place where they entered Luling when they first came to Luling.The six people raised their heads in admiration, and looked at the rough banner of "Six Swords Breaking the Gate" hanging on the gate tower. "Oops." Yuan Xing scratched his hair, "It seems to be a little itchy." Hu Linglan and Tong Jing laughed.Lian Feihong scratched at the white hair and said, "It's because you are addicted to doing this kind of thing." Yan Heng nodded. Compared with simply honing each other's martial arts skills, being a knight is another kind of training. "Don't worry." Jing Li said with a smile: "There are still many hateful guys in the world, waiting for us." He stroked the scar between his eyebrows and put away his smile. "Not to mention the previous things, we haven't finished yet."
More than a month later, Li Junyuan, the think tank of Prince Ning's Mansion, received a mysterious letter.Someone left this letter at the side door of the palace. It was stated that it was personally signed by Li Junyuan, and was picked up by the servants in the palace and handed over. Li Junyuan opened it, only to see a pile of extremely scribbled characters on the letter paper, and there was no signature. "Our warriors are not running dogs and flying eagles. If you want to tame the mansion, it is wishful thinking. Don't mention it in the future. I heard that the demons in Jiangxi are in power recently, and all loyal people will be tortured. If the Xining Palace is involved, we are thousands of miles away. I will take all of your heads. Break the door with six swords." Of course, Li Junyuan didn't show this offensive letter to King Ning, and hurriedly tore it up. In order to win the favor of the prince, Li Junyuan tried his best to recruit martial arts people to form the leading guards of the palace, but so far he still has nothing and is very distressed. Unexpectedly, just twelve days after receiving the letter of "Six Swords of Breaking the Door", a Nanchang magistrate who had accepted bribes from the palace brought a group of strange people to ask him to see him.
Today's King Zhu Chenhao of Ning, whose ancestor was Zhu Quan, the seventeenth son of Emperor Taizu, was a prodigy in both civil and martial arts in the early years of the founding of the country. At the age of fifteen, he was sent by his father to guard the north. Together with his fourth elder brother Zhu Di, king of Yan, they are also known as the twin jades among the princes. Later, King Yan sent troops in the name of "Jing Nan" and successfully seized the throne of his nephew, who became Emperor Yongle of Ming Taizong.Zhu Quan, who had made great contributions to the war, was defrauded by the emperor's brother. He not only withdrew all his military power, but was also transferred to Nanchang, and lived under the surveillance of the court's secret agents. Ended up depressed. Zhu Chenhao is the fifth grandson of Zhu Quan, and he is now thirty-six years old.He was tall and tall, and his waist hung with a jade belt was as thick as a bear. When he walked through the corridor under the palace of King Ning's mansion, every step he took had the aura of a beast coming out of the forest.Under a pair of thick eyebrows, the eyes are very sharp, and the brows have been furrowed for many years. This sharp appearance is indeed quite similar to the vigorous ancestors back then. King Ning was surrounded by a large group of followers.One of them was a thick man with two knives in his belt. A scar on the left corner of his mouth was cut horizontally to the earlobe, causing his whole face to tilt to one side, exuding a very fierce aura.This man's name is Min Niansi, originally the leader of a group of bandits in the south of Jiangxi, he was recruited by King Ning as a confidant, and he was appointed as the general of the guard, and he is the most beloved personal guard of the prince.At this moment, Min Niansi took the guards of the same old brothers, and marched on both sides of the prince - King Ning liked to put on such a posture no matter where he went, so as to remind himself that he was always preparing for battle. Zhu Chenhao was followed by Liu Yangzheng, a scholar, who was one of the two think tanks and military advisers he regarded as his confidant (the other was Li Junyuan's father, Li Shishi). This Liu Yangzheng is in his early forties, with a strange appearance and a bookish air. He is from Juren, and his hometown is not elsewhere, but Luling County. .Ning Wangfu recruited thieves to form a guarding army, all of which were in charge of him.Liu Yangzheng is good at speaking, has a good literary talent, and is also good at calligraphy, which is very popular with Zhu Chenhao. "How is the ceremony going?" King Ning asked Liu Yangzheng as he was walking. "It's been done in sevens and eighties. I will send someone to the capital next month." Liu Yangzheng answered with a paper fan, "But this time it cost a lot, and the treasury is a bit empty..." "Let's send Ling Shiyi to fill it up." King Ning said calmly.Ling Shiyi was the vanguard general of the palace guards, and he was also a bandit, so he was very aggressive and easy to kill.Most of the shady activities in the palace are entrusted to him. Since the current Emperor Zhengde came to the throne, Zhu Chenhao has spent all these years trying his best to rebuild the personal soldiers of King Ning's Mansion who had been abolished for a long time.For this reason, he kept bribing and buying high-ranking officials in the capital, and paid tribute to many rare and rare treasures year after year to please the emperor and avoid his suspicion;In order to enrich financial resources, Prince Ning's Mansion often used its authority to occupy the land of local people, and would kill them whenever they resisted, and local officials would do nothing.The people around Nanchang, when they heard that the soldiers of King Ning's Mansion were going to pass by, they were all overwhelmed with fright. "Your servant will settle this matter." Liu Yangzheng said respectfully.He is not an official of the imperial court, so he is not qualified to be called a "minister"; such an answer secretly implies that King Ning is regarded as the son of heaven.This is the depths of the palace, and there are no outsiders, so Liu Yangzheng dared to please King Ning so boldly. King Ning and his party arrived at a side hall on the west side of the palace. The environment here was quiet, and the windows on both sides faced the empty garden. King Ning often used it as a place for secret meetings with his military advisors. King Ning was about to tell Min Twenty-four and all the guards to wait outside the hall, but Liu Yangzheng disagreed. "I don't know what kind of person I'm seeing, so my lord should be careful." "Mr. is really thoughtful." Zhu Chenhao nodded with a smile.Although he usually has an imposing appearance, he understands the principle of respect for corporals, and has always respected Liu Yangzheng very much, often calling him "Sir".Even a group of warriors who were born as thieves, he didn't think they were of lowly background, they were often rewarded, and even ate and drank at the same table from time to time. King Ning then entered the hall with all the guards. Li Junyuan, who was still dressed in brocade clothes, had been waiting in the hall for a long time, and when he saw it, he hurriedly saluted the prince. "My lord is overjoyed!" Li Junyuan congratulated Zhu Chenhao loudly as soon as he sat down.He knew that King Ning was very superstitious, and he liked to hear such words the most. "What's the happy event recently? I don't know." King Ning took the brocade handkerchief from the servant and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Your lord, do you still remember that earlier, my ministers said about the martial arts battle in Xi'an Prefecture?" As soon as King Ning heard it, his eyes lit up and his face was full of interest. "Biography!" Li Junyuan shouted to the side of the hall. Two guards of the royal residence led one person in through the side door. When King Ning and the others saw this visitor, they were all shocked. It's just because this person's figure is really amazingly tall. King Bolongshu was wearing a "brown snake" taoist robe with the "Tai Chi" logo embroidered on his chest. When he came in, he walked in a windy manner - the knife wound on his thigh was not completely healed, but his excellent lightness footwork was enough to cover it up. He knelt ten feet in front of King Ning, his bald head was still at the height of the prince's chest.When King Ning saw this man's strange appearance and extraordinary demeanor, he already smiled appreciatively. Zhu Chenhao of the Bolongshu Dynasty bowed his head and kowtowed. "Wu Jihong, a disciple of the Wudang School, is willing to be a dog and a horse to help the prince achieve unworldly hegemony."