Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Chengdu
Walking on the seemingly endless vertical and horizontal streets, Yan Heng feels as if he is in a complex and colorful maze, and feels dizzy.
The streets and alleys are full of markets and workshops, selling gold and silver brocade, gauze hats and shoes, folding fans, calligraphy and paintings, silk and bamboo musical instruments, iron tools, knives and axes, goldfish and birds... There are also countless taverns and tea shops. , every family is so novel in Yan Heng's eyes.He couldn't stand the amount of sound, light and color stuffed into his head at once.
Yan Heng grew up in a poor village, and was sent to Mount Qingcheng to learn swordsmanship as a teenager. The only time he went down the mountain for more than six years was when he went to the "Wuliting" to test his sword.Has Yan Heng ever set foot in a big city like Chengdu, the provincial capital?
——Before entering the city just now, he stood at the city gate, looking up at the city wall more than three feet high for a long time.
Yan Heng lowered his head to look at the stone-paved streets on which his straw sandals were treading.There is such a beautiful road in the world, but he never thought about it.
"Let's go! Why are you in a daze?"
Jing Li was a few steps ahead of him, looking back to urge him.
When entering this city street, of course, one cannot walk with a knife as aggressively as in the wild.Jing Li simply put on the big cloak he usually used to keep out the rain, from head to knees, covering the knife hanging on his waist.The long Japanese sword on the back was wrapped in cloth.The oars are not obtrusive, so they are used as a burden for carrying the luggage and rested on the shoulders.
The "male and female dragon and tiger swords" on Yan Heng's back and waist are more conspicuous than Jing Li's weapon, and of course they have to be wrapped in cloth.He wore a bamboo hat on his head, for fear that if he happened to meet someone from the Wudang sect on the street, he would recognize him.
"Follow me. There are so many people on this street, I won't be able to find you if you get lost." Jing Li turned around and strode away after speaking.
Yan Heng hastily followed, his eyes patiently no longer fixed on the shops beside the street.
He looked at the back of Jing Li in front of him.Jing Li's steps are open and natural, with the wind blowing under his feet, his posture is like walking in the hall of his own home.
——Brother Jing is a man who has seen the world outside after all, so it really is different...
Yan Heng looked envious.
"Brother Jing... have you been to Chengdu before? I think you seem to be very familiar..."
Jing Li shrugged: "No. Anyway, they are all big towns, and each one is similar."
"yes?……"
As they were walking, the two saw twenty or thirty people surrounded by a wall facing the street on the road ahead, who were looking at something on the wall.
Jing Li curiously stepped forward and squeezed in to have a look, Yan Heng followed closely.The crowd was pushed away by Jing Li's strong shoulders.
Looking up at the wall, there was a piece of paper with large characters written on it, which seemed to be a notice or something.The color of the paper and ink is not new, it has probably been pasted for three or four days.
Yan Heng carefully looked at what was written on it.Of course, the Qingcheng School will not let their disciples become illiterate, and they have always hired teachers to go to the mountains to teach their disciples to read and write.But after all, most of the time and energy are spent on practicing swords on weekdays, and Yan Heng doesn't know many words.
There are three words on this announcement, but Yan Heng must recognize it.
"Qingcheng faction".
"It's them." Jing Li stared at the notice that there was no payment, and smiled like a wild animal. "Wudang faction. They are indeed here."
Yan Heng clenched his fists tightly, and stared at the announcement he didn't fully understand with angry eyes.Of course he knew what was written on it.I also know who would announce this news to the world in such a hurry.
——Since they want to be called "Invincible in the World", they are of course eager to declare it to the world.
Thinking of the enemy being in the same city as him, Yan Heng's blood boiled for a while.
—Will you meet them?
Thinking of this, another cold sweat broke out on the back.He knew very well that with his current martial arts, he was no match for these elite disciples of the Wudang School, so he felt very complicated.
"Go." Jing Li pulled Yan Heng out of the crowd.
"Brother Jing..." Yan Heng unconsciously pulled down the bamboo hat to hide his face. "What do we do now?"
"What should I do? I said it earlier: living is the first thing that matters."
Jing Li looked at the densely packed signboards on both sides of the street.
"When you come to the city, of course you must first find a place to stay. After sleeping in the open air for the past few days, your bones are numb."
The two walked for a while, and Jing Li stopped under the signboard of an inn.He looked up at the facade of the two-storey "Xiangyun Inn", and he thought it was good, so he stepped into the threshold.
"Brother Jing...we..." Yan Heng hurriedly called.
Jing Li ignored him, went into the restaurant downstairs, and when he got to the counter, the middle-aged shopkeeper behind the counter greeted him immediately with a smile on his face.
"I want a roommate." Jing Li said without waiting for the shopkeeper to speak. "I'm with this brother."
"Welcome! Welcome!" The shopkeeper's smile remained unchanged, but his narrow eyes keenly looked at the two customers in front of the counter.Seeing that the two of them didn't have much luggage, and that they were more dressed like performers than peddlers, he said hesitantly: "Some, some... My inn is very suitable, and the rent for this room is only 80 yuan a day... If it is convenient for the guest officer, you can store a little..."
Jing Li straightened the cloak on his body, lifted the hem intentionally or unintentionally, revealing the handle of the single-handed goose feather on his belt.
The shopkeeper's eyes widened.
"What did you just say?" Jing Li tilted his ears. "I can't hear very well."
"Master!" The shopkeeper's smile was even more exaggerated than before. "I just asked my uncle...your name..."
Jing Li deliberately did not answer him, but acted impatiently, scratching his ears with his fingers.
The shopkeeper hastily changed his words: "The room has already been prepared, please!" He called the shop waiter and took Jing Li and Yan Heng to the room next to the back yard.
Yan Heng approached Jing Li in the corridor, and asked softly, "Brother Jing, we don't have the money to live here... Don't you want to..."
"Didn't I agree before entering the city?" Jing Li frowned. "In the city, everything is up to me. Don't say a word. As I said, there is a way."
Yan Heng was puzzled, but didn't say anything more.
After entering the room, Jing Li took out the twenty or so copper coins on his body, and stuffed them all into the second-hand shop that led the way.The waiter in the shop got so many rewards, he laughed so hard that he saw his teeth but couldn't see his eyes.
Yan Heng watched their remaining property disappear into the pocket of the waiter, and looked anxiously at Jing Li.
Jing Li pulled the waiter who was about to leave, and asked:
"Which one is the biggest and most prestigious gambling house in your city?"
Ye Chenyuan put down the pen, glanced at the letter paper, folded it and put it in a paper seal, then picked up the red candle beside the table, and sealed it with a drop of wax.Finally, he took out a small Taiji Liangyi copper seal from the skirt, and pressed it on the wax seal. Hou Yingzhi has been half-kneeling beside Ye Chenyuan's chair, staring at the ground without saying a word.He had long since discarded the dirty and torn Taoist robe of the Qingcheng sect, and changed into a set of clean clothes. "Yingzhi." Ye Chenyuan passed the letter between two fingers.Hou Yingzhi took it with both hands respectfully. "You are not qualified to accompany us on this expedition. Now I give you this letter, and there are still some travel expenses. You go back to Wudang Mountain today. You can hand this letter to Master Yao or Shi Xinghao. I have already described it in it. Ming, I accept you as a disciple. How much you learn after you go up the mountain depends on yourself." Hou Yingzhi carefully put the letter into his shirt. "The deputy head is so kind, the disciple will never forget it." Ye Chenyuan waved again.A disciple in the room stepped forward.Ye Chenyuan untied the Wudang long sword from the disciple's waist, and handed it to Hou Yingzhi. "I'll give this to you on the way. With your martial arts, you're not qualified to wear a sword. I'm giving you special permission. Remember to return it to the teacher after you go up the mountain." Hou Yingzhi held the Wudang sword for the first time.There was a strange excitement at the touch. ——This sword is the key to the "strongest" way. Ye Chenyuan's big palm held Hou Yingzhi's hand again. "Although you haven't even learned one Wudang skill, you are already a Wudang disciple." Ye Chenyuan's cold and arrogant eyes with two lines of tattoos looked straight at Hou Yingzhi. "No matter what you encounter on the road, don't lose the reputation of the sect. The honor of Wudang must be defended with blood when necessary." Ye Chenyuan stood up, stroked Hou Yingzhi's hair, and said, "Let's go now." Hou Yingzhi knelt down, slapped Ye Chenyuan heavily, and then walked out of the room without a word. Ye Chenyuan didn't watch him off, and walked to the window of the room with his hands behind his back. This room on the third floor can overlook the entire street houses in the east of Chengdu.The thoroughfare below is bustling with cars and horses, which is the busiest time at noon. The Wudang Sichuan Expeditionary Army arrived in Chengdu five days ago, but they did not set off for Mount Emei immediately. Instead, they booked the entire third floor of the "Fenglai Hotel" and stayed in the room for several days. There is no action in it. They are waiting. "Emei hasn't replied yet?" Ye Chenyuan asked the disciple behind him. "Not yet." The black-clothed disciple of "Soldier Crow Way" replied. "Has my letter really been delivered?" "Two days ago, the disciple personally accompanied the messenger up the mountain. And saw him enter the mountain gate with his own eyes." Ye Chenyuan nodded. Four days ago, they hired people to put up notices in three or four places in the city stating that the Qingcheng faction had been wiped out. The news had already spread throughout Chengdu.The people on Mount Emei must have known it at this moment.Coupled with Ye Chenyuan's challenge, the Emei faction now knows very well what choices they have in front of them. Surrender, or perish. Just give them some time to think about it. ——Or, there will be another He Zisheng on Mount Emei? Thinking of this, Ye Chenyuan's palms were sweaty and itchy, and he really wanted to hold "Kanli Water Fire Sword"... "Deputy head." A soft voice called from outside the door. The doorkeeper disciple knew it was senior brother Jiang Yunlan as soon as he heard it.But he still waited for Ye Chenyuan's consent before opening the door, which shows the strict discipline of Wudang sect. Jiang Yunlan, who was covered with old scars, had just returned from going out.He didn't wear the long sword and iron claws, and he was wearing the clothes and shoes of ordinary people. "he came." As Jiang Yunlan said, he led a middle-aged man inside. The man was tall and thin, with a strange appearance, a pair of big black eyes, bright and bright, and a pair of round ears for driving, which gave people a very keen feeling.His steps into the room were light and soundless. The man knelt down towards Ye Chenyuan. "Zou Tai, a disciple of 'Shou Snake Dao', pays homage to Deputy Head Ye." Ye Chenyuan signaled him to get up: "It's hard work for you to come here quickly. If it weren't for the seriousness of the matter, I wouldn't use you. Are you familiar with this area of Chengdu?" Zou Tai nodded: "I lived there for a year and a half." "How many disciples of the 'First Snake Way' did you come with?" "There are two fellow disciples." Ye Chenyuan looked at Jiang Yunlan, and then at the jar in the room containing Xi Zhaoping's ashes. "This time we must get that guy out." Jiang Yunlan said coldly. "Use his head, Junior Brother Jixi and the other four are from the same sect." Zou Tai's big eyes flickered. "Don't worry, the other two disciples of the same sect are already looking for them." Zou Tai smiled. "The disciple guarantees with the honor of 'The Way of the First Snake': unless that person did not come to Chengdu with him, he must be found before the deputy head climbs Emei."
All the local men in Chengdu know that the largest and most prestigious gambling house in the city is naturally the "Mantonghao" located in Daozi Lane. Gambling is prohibited by the government, so of course businesses like gambling houses cannot just be opened on the street.Although the alley is small, the gambling house is not small.In the tall two-story building, there are a pair of stone-carved Pixiu beasts as tall as human heads squatting in front of the door.Before entering the door, I could already hear the voices of people inside. Yan Heng had never heard of the word "gambling workshop", let alone what kind of place it was.He followed Jing Liyi into the "Mantong", but felt a burst of hot air mixed with the smell of sweat rushing towards his face.Among them was the familiar smell from the human body due to nervousness, which temporarily aroused the memory of practicing sword competitions with fellow students. The basement floor of "Mantonghao" alone is magnificent. There are a total of twenty gaming tables, large and small, packed with two to three hundred people.Upstairs there is also a wing room for high rollers, and each bet is more than a hundred taels of silver. Jing Li entered the "Mantong Account", as if entering a house.Hearing the heroic scolding of those red-faced gamblers, he felt that the blood in his body was also active.He was still wearing the cloak, only the hat was pulled off his head. Seeing Yan Heng's uncomfortable appearance, Jing Li smiled and asked, "Do you think this place is scary?" Yan Heng looked around.Pairs of greedy eyes.Money on the table shifts quickly.There was a sudden burst of cajoling like a wave. He nodded. "Actually, our martial arts practitioners are not very different from them. What they bet on is silver taels..." Jing Li said, his fists beating lightly on his chest. "We are betting on this body and life." The two "guests", Jing Li and Yan Heng, were dressed strangely, and Yan Heng was wearing long things, which had long attracted the attention of the gatekeepers of the gambling house. What's the difference. The two have the keen sense of warriors, how could they not be aware of being surrounded?Jing Li didn't care. The two squeezed to a Sic Bo table.The guests around were addicted to gambling, so naturally they didn't pay attention to them.The croupier in charge of the table was watching the two weirdos while shouting and urging the guests to place bets. Jing Li reached under the cloak, untied the rope around his waist, took out the Yanling waist saber with its scabbard, and placed it heavily on the gaming table. "In this round, I'll bet one." Jing Li slowly pushed the waist knife to the table, on the pattern of three one-point dice. "kill!" There was a sudden silence around the table.Yan Heng heard the sound of his Adam's apple swallowing. The four thugs lined up the gamblers and walked to Jing Lie's side.One of them stretched out his hand and pressed down on the waist knife on the gaming table. "Brother," said another thug. "I heard that your accent is from a foreign country. I probably don't know who opened the 'Mantong Account'. You put this thing away, go out like this, and don't come back. Let's just pretend that this never happened." Jing Li grinned, as if he really hit the bet—no matter what kind of character the opponent is, as long as there is a conflict and confrontation, he always feels inexplicably excited. "Let's find someone who can make the decision." He yawned pretentiously. "I'm a little tired today, and I don't want to talk too much nonsense." Those thugs carefully looked at Jing Li's appearance.A string of strange braids was exposed under the turban, and the hair style was uncivilized, like a foreigner. Jing Li is by no means the tallest person who has ever entered the "Mantong account" to make trouble.The shape of the waist knife on the gaming table is also very ordinary, not a treasured knife.But the thugs in the gambling shop, after all, are in the rivers and lakes, and they see hundreds of men in the gambling shop every day.They directly felt the dangerous aura emanating from this strange man. The entire gambling hall was silent at the moment.Everyone was watching what was happening in front of the Sic Bo table. A stout man with a mustache, at this moment, led three of his subordinates down the stairs on the second floor.As soon as he heard the hall downstairs fell silent, he didn't need to communicate to know something was wrong. The fat man's complexion is dark, and his hair is slightly curly. It is obvious that he has alien blood.This is not uncommon in Sichuan. Three men led the way for him.The fat man stood in front of Jing Li and looked at him carefully.He only took a few glances at the young Yan Heng and didn't pay much attention to it. "I'm the manager here, Shan Nantong." The fat man stroked the big beard on his chin. "Brother, this is a place for business. Did you see that our customers have stopped playing? Do you know how much our 'Mantonghao' has lost just by missing one or two rounds?" Jing Li didn't seem to hear Shan Nantong's words at all, and still asked with a smile: "I bet this knife, if it hits, how much money will you pay?" "Even if you are a foreigner, you have probably heard of the Minjiang Gang when you come to Sichuan, right?" Shan Nantong pronounced the name of the "Minjiang Gang" particularly loudly. "If you have heard of it and know that the 'Mantong Account' is run by the Minjiang Gang, you should know that you have come to the wrong place." "Okay, so you are only allowed to bet on silver taels here, not on things." Jing Li pointed to the waist knife on the table. "The gambling house can always borrow money, right? I owe some travel expenses to this little brother, and I want to borrow it from you. This knife is the collateral." "The Minjiang Gang does have a loan business. But brother, we don't accept this kind of borrowing." Shanantong waved to the gate. "Please." "Is it okay to pledge a knife? Well, I'll bet on another thing." Jing Lie leaned closer to Shan Nantong, and said in a low voice, "I'll just bet on three words: Qingcheng faction." He waved his hand to Yan Heng: "My Brother Yan is a 'Taoist Disciple' of the Qingcheng School. Let him ask you to borrow some travel expenses, okay?" Yan Heng was astonished.Jing Li spoke in a low voice, but the dozen or so people at the gambling table heard it all, and all turned their eyes to Yan Heng.Suddenly becoming the focus of everyone, Yan Heng's face was sweaty. It was Shan Nantong who was sweating more than Yan Heng.His black face suddenly turned pale, and he looked at this unremarkable boy in surprise. Qingcheng faction. "Bashu Wushuang". Shan Nantong looked at Jing Li again.How could the swordsman of the Qingcheng faction mix with such a strange wild man?He was dubious.But when he thought about the consequences of insulting Qingcheng Swordsman if he made a mistake, ten Shan Nantongs couldn't afford it, so he didn't dare to say a word of suspicion. "So it's... Shaoxia Yan." Shan Nantong cupped his hands, and his subordinates followed suit.Before clarifying the facts, Shan Nantong did not dare to mention the word "Qingcheng faction", but said vaguely: "There is a long way to go! The travel expenses are naturally covered by Sha... this... "He looked at Jing Li. "My surname is Jing." "This Uncle Jing... I offended you just now! There are so many people here that it's hard to talk, why don't you respectfully invite the two of you to the head office of our gang, and let our gang set up a banquet to welcome Shaoxia Yan and Uncle Jing, what do you think? " The thug who was holding down the waist knife on the table had already held the knife in both hands and handed it to Jing Li respectfully. Jing Li took the knife and put it back on his waist. "Alright, I'm hungry." "Come here! Prepare the sedan chair immediately!" Shan Nantong shouted. At the same time, the croupiers in the casino shouted to the guests: "It's okay! It's just a customer! Continue to gamble!" Seeing Jing and Yan go out surrounded by his subordinates, Shan Nantong took advantage of this moment to tell his subordinates: "By the way... Zhang Sanping just came back to Chengdu from Guan County's work? Tell him to come to see me, I will I have something to ask... Also, the sedan chair, you should go as slowly as possible. It is best for me to clarify this matter before they get to the main hall." Outside the door of the "Mantong", two sedan chairs are already waiting. Yan Heng had never been in a sedan chair in his life, and when he saw Jing Li take off his waist knife and step into the sedan chair, he knew how to draw a gourd in the same way, took off the "dragon thorn" wrapped in cloth on his back, and boarded the sedan chair. A few members of the Minjiang Gang cleared the way for the two sedan chairs on the street.The procession walked slowly according to Shan Nantong's instructions. Of course, Jing Li guessed what they were planning, so he didn't say anything. He sat leisurely in the sedan chair and watched the street scene of Chengdu's busy city outside the window. Shan Nantong followed on foot, looking around anxiously to see if his subordinate Zhang Sanping had arrived. While Shan Nantong was walking, many thoughts kept turning in his mind: ——Although the whole of Chengdu knows about the Qingcheng faction being wiped out by Wudang, it is not certain whether it is true; if the Qingcheng faction is still there, it would be a terrible mistake to slow down their disciples... ——But this kid surnamed Yan is so young, is he really a "Taoist disciple" of the Qingcheng School? ...Could it be a liar who used the news of Qingcheng's destruction to make a living? ...Even if it is a real Qingcheng swordsman, it is really strange that he came to Chengdu to make trouble for no reason... Shan Nantong only hoped that Zhang Sanping would appear soon. He should have heard the recent news from Guan County and Qingcheng Mountain, and he might be able to figure out why a swordsman from Qingcheng came to Chengdu and directly chose the Minjiang Gang ... "Stop!" After walking for a while, Jing Li suddenly shouted. The bearer stopped immediately.The gang members who opened the way also looked back in confusion. Jing Li raised the bamboo curtain of the window of the sedan chair a little, and looked at the long street on the left. He stared at the two figures in the bustling crowd. - That's right. Jing Li stepped out of the sedan chair with the Yanling saber in hand, stood in the middle of the street, with the scabbard resting on his shoulder, watching the two from a distance. Those two people also noticed it immediately, and stopped at the same time, looking at Jing Li from a distance through the crowd. The two of them, a man and a woman, were all dressed in traveling clothes. The man was a man in his thirties, his tall and strong figure was very conspicuous, but his shoulders slanted down, and a pair of ape arms hung down and overlapped in front of his lower abdomen.He was blind in one left eye, and he pulled down the light flower cloth scarf on his head to cover the hole, and his appearance was very strong. The woman next to him has a bun and her clothes are very ordinary, but her standing posture is stronger than many men on the street. She has a round face with thick lips and dark skin. Although she is not delicate, she has a healthy look. attraction.Judging by her demeanor, she seemed to be the wife of the one-eyed man. The two were mixed among the crowd on the busy street, and their appearance was special but not very special.The most conspicuous thing is that behind the two of them, they both carry a long strip wrapped in a cloth bag.The man's back is more than eight feet long, taller than his body; the woman's back is slightly shorter and thinner, but it is also equal to her height. Jing Li was able to spot these two people in the crowd, not only because of the "things" behind them, but also because of their walking posture: the movements are like a fish swimming in water, each step is slightly lighter and less laborious than others.This kind of subtle difference cannot be detected by the eyes of ordinary people; but high-strength warriors, no matter how busy the streets are, can recognize each other at a glance. At this time, the two of them have already judged that Jing Li is the same as themselves. "Uncle Jing..." Shan Nantong rushed up and asked, "What's the matter?" He also followed Jing Li's gaze, but he couldn't see who among the crowd attracted Jing Li's attention. Jing Li grinned at the two of them from afar.He stared at the man, his head tilted slightly to one side. — Signaling "Let's find a place". The one-eyed man nodded slightly. Jing Li patted Yan Heng's sedan chair: "I have something to do. You go to eat and get money first. I'll come to you." After speaking, without waiting for Yan Heng to agree, he walked into that street.Yan Heng opened his mouth to ask, but it was too late, and his heart was full of doubts. "Uncle Jing!" Shan Nantong shouted: "Our main number is at the other end of Tiger Lane, go from here—" Jing Li raised his hands impatiently, without turning his head, he said: "You Minjiang Gang, all the people in Chengdu know about it, right? I can ask people if I can?" He continued to walk into the long street. Jing Li and the couple disappeared among the crowd.Shan Nantong had no choice but to order the sedan chair to continue to the main hall. After walking for a while, a young man appeared out of breath from the side street and caught up with the sedan chair team.Shan Nantong had seen it a long time ago and stepped forward to grab him. "Sanping, you've been staying in Guan County for a long time, and I have something to ask you." Shan Nantong put his arm around Zhang Sanping's shoulder and lowered his voice as much as possible.While continuing to follow the sedan chair, he asked, "Have you ever heard that there is a swordsman in the Qingcheng sect named Yan?" Zhang Sanping was still exhaling, but when he heard this, his face tightened, and his breathing stopped for a while. "Boss, you mean...the one whose surname is Yan?...Did you hear me right?" "I've only heard it once, but I shouldn't be mistaken. Either the surname is Yan or the surname is Yan. At most, the surname is Yin... What's wrong, your face..." "It happened seven or eight days ago. I heard about it on the way back..." Zhang Sanping said in a low voice, "You know that Mr. Zhuang in Guanxian County? …I don’t know the details, but I only heard people say that during that fight, a swordsman from the Qingcheng faction came down the mountain to mediate. The person surnamed Yan... the person who confronted him couldn't die, it was a blessing accumulated by eighteen generations of ancestors. Do you know who this person is?" "Don't play charades, speak quickly!" "Isn't that 'Ghost Saber Thirty'!" "Ghost knife Chen?" Shan Nantong stared until his eyes seemed to fall. "That Ghost Saber Chen? Just one sword?" Zhang Sanping nodded sharply. "I heard that the swordsman is still a beardless boy... Chief, why are you asking this?..." But Shan Nantong didn't pay attention to him anymore, he just stared at Yan Heng's sedan chair. Yan sat horizontally in the sedan chair, feeling uncomfortable.He has only been walking on his legs since he was a child. The sedan chair swayed him left and right, but he couldn't control it. He was very uncomfortable. For the first time in his life, he felt that sitting was more uncomfortable than walking, and he had no intention of admiring the street scene outside the window . So he couldn't see: Hou Yingzhi, holding a cloth-wrapped sword in his hand, was on the same street, leading his horse past the sedan chair, and walking towards the south gate. These two teenagers who were once best friends passed by with less than a step away. In their hands, at the same time, each of them held tightly the sabers wrapped in cloth that had just arrived. They went further and further away after that.
Ye Chenyuan put down the pen, glanced at the letter paper, folded it and put it in a paper seal, then picked up the red candle beside the table, and sealed it with a drop of wax.Finally, he took out a small Taiji Liangyi copper seal from the skirt, and pressed it on the wax seal. Hou Yingzhi has been half-kneeling beside Ye Chenyuan's chair, staring at the ground without saying a word.He had long since discarded the dirty and torn Taoist robe of the Qingcheng sect, and changed into a set of clean clothes. "Yingzhi." Ye Chenyuan passed the letter between two fingers.Hou Yingzhi took it with both hands respectfully. "You are not qualified to accompany us on this expedition. Now I give you this letter, and there are still some travel expenses. You go back to Wudang Mountain today. You can hand this letter to Master Yao or Shi Xinghao. I have already described it in it. Ming, I accept you as a disciple. How much you learn after you go up the mountain depends on yourself." Hou Yingzhi carefully put the letter into his shirt. "The deputy head is so kind, the disciple will never forget it." Ye Chenyuan waved again.A disciple in the room stepped forward.Ye Chenyuan untied the Wudang long sword from the disciple's waist, and handed it to Hou Yingzhi. "I'll give this to you on the way. With your martial arts, you're not qualified to wear a sword. I'm giving you special permission. Remember to return it to the teacher after you go up the mountain." Hou Yingzhi held the Wudang sword for the first time.There was a strange excitement at the touch. ——This sword is the key to the "strongest" way. Ye Chenyuan's big palm held Hou Yingzhi's hand again. "Although you haven't even learned one Wudang skill, you are already a Wudang disciple." Ye Chenyuan's cold and arrogant eyes with two lines of tattoos looked straight at Hou Yingzhi. "No matter what you encounter on the road, don't lose the reputation of the sect. The honor of Wudang must be defended with blood when necessary." Ye Chenyuan stood up, stroked Hou Yingzhi's hair, and said, "Let's go now." Hou Yingzhi knelt down, slapped Ye Chenyuan heavily, and then walked out of the room without a word. Ye Chenyuan didn't watch him off, and walked to the window of the room with his hands behind his back. This room on the third floor can overlook the entire street houses in the east of Chengdu.The thoroughfare below is bustling with cars and horses, which is the busiest time at noon. The Wudang Sichuan Expeditionary Army arrived in Chengdu five days ago, but they did not set off for Mount Emei immediately. Instead, they booked the entire third floor of the "Fenglai Hotel" and stayed in the room for several days. There is no action in it. They are waiting. "Emei hasn't replied yet?" Ye Chenyuan asked the disciple behind him. "Not yet." The black-clothed disciple of "Soldier Crow Way" replied. "Has my letter really been delivered?" "Two days ago, the disciple personally accompanied the messenger up the mountain. And saw him enter the mountain gate with his own eyes." Ye Chenyuan nodded. Four days ago, they hired people to put up notices in three or four places in the city stating that the Qingcheng faction had been wiped out. The news had already spread throughout Chengdu.The people on Mount Emei must have known it at this moment.Coupled with Ye Chenyuan's challenge, the Emei faction now knows very well what choices they have in front of them. Surrender, or perish. Just give them some time to think about it. ——Or, there will be another He Zisheng on Mount Emei? Thinking of this, Ye Chenyuan's palms were sweaty and itchy, and he really wanted to hold "Kanli Water Fire Sword"... "Deputy head." A soft voice called from outside the door. The doorkeeper disciple knew it was senior brother Jiang Yunlan as soon as he heard it.But he still waited for Ye Chenyuan's consent before opening the door, which shows the strict discipline of Wudang sect. Jiang Yunlan, who was covered with old scars, had just returned from going out.He didn't wear the long sword and iron claws, and he was wearing the clothes and shoes of ordinary people. "he came." As Jiang Yunlan said, he led a middle-aged man inside. The man was tall and thin, with a strange appearance, a pair of big black eyes, bright and bright, and a pair of round ears for driving, which gave people a very keen feeling.His steps into the room were light and soundless. The man knelt down towards Ye Chenyuan. "Zou Tai, a disciple of 'Shou Snake Dao', pays homage to Deputy Head Ye." Ye Chenyuan signaled him to get up: "It's hard work for you to come here quickly. If it weren't for the seriousness of the matter, I wouldn't use you. Are you familiar with this area of Chengdu?" Zou Tai nodded: "I lived there for a year and a half." "How many disciples of the 'First Snake Way' did you come with?" "There are two fellow disciples." Ye Chenyuan looked at Jiang Yunlan, and then at the jar in the room containing Xi Zhaoping's ashes. "This time we must get that guy out." Jiang Yunlan said coldly. "Use his head, Junior Brother Jixi and the other four are from the same sect." Zou Tai's big eyes flickered. "Don't worry, the other two disciples of the same sect are already looking for them." Zou Tai smiled. "The disciple guarantees with the honor of 'The Way of the First Snake': unless that person did not come to Chengdu with him, he must be found before the deputy head climbs Emei."
All the local men in Chengdu know that the largest and most prestigious gambling house in the city is naturally the "Mantonghao" located in Daozi Lane. Gambling is prohibited by the government, so of course businesses like gambling houses cannot just be opened on the street.Although the alley is small, the gambling house is not small.In the tall two-story building, there are a pair of stone-carved Pixiu beasts as tall as human heads squatting in front of the door.Before entering the door, I could already hear the voices of people inside. Yan Heng had never heard of the word "gambling workshop", let alone what kind of place it was.He followed Jing Liyi into the "Mantong", but felt a burst of hot air mixed with the smell of sweat rushing towards his face.Among them was the familiar smell from the human body due to nervousness, which temporarily aroused the memory of practicing sword competitions with fellow students. The basement floor of "Mantonghao" alone is magnificent. There are a total of twenty gaming tables, large and small, packed with two to three hundred people.Upstairs there is also a wing room for high rollers, and each bet is more than a hundred taels of silver. Jing Li entered the "Mantong Account", as if entering a house.Hearing the heroic scolding of those red-faced gamblers, he felt that the blood in his body was also active.He was still wearing the cloak, only the hat was pulled off his head. Seeing Yan Heng's uncomfortable appearance, Jing Li smiled and asked, "Do you think this place is scary?" Yan Heng looked around.Pairs of greedy eyes.Money on the table shifts quickly.There was a sudden burst of cajoling like a wave. He nodded. "Actually, our martial arts practitioners are not very different from them. What they bet on is silver taels..." Jing Li said, his fists beating lightly on his chest. "We are betting on this body and life." The two "guests", Jing Li and Yan Heng, were dressed strangely, and Yan Heng was wearing long things, which had long attracted the attention of the gatekeepers of the gambling house. What's the difference. The two have the keen sense of warriors, how could they not be aware of being surrounded?Jing Li didn't care. The two squeezed to a Sic Bo table.The guests around were addicted to gambling, so naturally they didn't pay attention to them.The croupier in charge of the table was watching the two weirdos while shouting and urging the guests to place bets. Jing Li reached under the cloak, untied the rope around his waist, took out the Yanling waist saber with its scabbard, and placed it heavily on the gaming table. "In this round, I'll bet one." Jing Li slowly pushed the waist knife to the table, on the pattern of three one-point dice. "kill!" There was a sudden silence around the table.Yan Heng heard the sound of his Adam's apple swallowing. The four thugs lined up the gamblers and walked to Jing Lie's side.One of them stretched out his hand and pressed down on the waist knife on the gaming table. "Brother," said another thug. "I heard that your accent is from a foreign country. I probably don't know who opened the 'Mantong Account'. You put this thing away, go out like this, and don't come back. Let's just pretend that this never happened." Jing Li grinned, as if he really hit the bet—no matter what kind of character the opponent is, as long as there is a conflict and confrontation, he always feels inexplicably excited. "Let's find someone who can make the decision." He yawned pretentiously. "I'm a little tired today, and I don't want to talk too much nonsense." Those thugs carefully looked at Jing Li's appearance.A string of strange braids was exposed under the turban, and the hair style was uncivilized, like a foreigner. Jing Li is by no means the tallest person who has ever entered the "Mantong account" to make trouble.The shape of the waist knife on the gaming table is also very ordinary, not a treasured knife.But the thugs in the gambling shop, after all, are in the rivers and lakes, and they see hundreds of men in the gambling shop every day.They directly felt the dangerous aura emanating from this strange man. The entire gambling hall was silent at the moment.Everyone was watching what was happening in front of the Sic Bo table. A stout man with a mustache, at this moment, led three of his subordinates down the stairs on the second floor.As soon as he heard the hall downstairs fell silent, he didn't need to communicate to know something was wrong. The fat man's complexion is dark, and his hair is slightly curly. It is obvious that he has alien blood.This is not uncommon in Sichuan. Three men led the way for him.The fat man stood in front of Jing Li and looked at him carefully.He only took a few glances at the young Yan Heng and didn't pay much attention to it. "I'm the manager here, Shan Nantong." The fat man stroked the big beard on his chin. "Brother, this is a place for business. Did you see that our customers have stopped playing? Do you know how much our 'Mantonghao' has lost just by missing one or two rounds?" Jing Li didn't seem to hear Shan Nantong's words at all, and still asked with a smile: "I bet this knife, if it hits, how much money will you pay?" "Even if you are a foreigner, you have probably heard of the Minjiang Gang when you come to Sichuan, right?" Shan Nantong pronounced the name of the "Minjiang Gang" particularly loudly. "If you have heard of it and know that the 'Mantong Account' is run by the Minjiang Gang, you should know that you have come to the wrong place." "Okay, so you are only allowed to bet on silver taels here, not on things." Jing Li pointed to the waist knife on the table. "The gambling house can always borrow money, right? I owe some travel expenses to this little brother, and I want to borrow it from you. This knife is the collateral." "The Minjiang Gang does have a loan business. But brother, we don't accept this kind of borrowing." Shanantong waved to the gate. "Please." "Is it okay to pledge a knife? Well, I'll bet on another thing." Jing Lie leaned closer to Shan Nantong, and said in a low voice, "I'll just bet on three words: Qingcheng faction." He waved his hand to Yan Heng: "My Brother Yan is a 'Taoist Disciple' of the Qingcheng School. Let him ask you to borrow some travel expenses, okay?" Yan Heng was astonished.Jing Li spoke in a low voice, but the dozen or so people at the gambling table heard it all, and all turned their eyes to Yan Heng.Suddenly becoming the focus of everyone, Yan Heng's face was sweaty. It was Shan Nantong who was sweating more than Yan Heng.His black face suddenly turned pale, and he looked at this unremarkable boy in surprise. Qingcheng faction. "Bashu Wushuang". Shan Nantong looked at Jing Li again.How could the swordsman of the Qingcheng faction mix with such a strange wild man?He was dubious.But when he thought about the consequences of insulting Qingcheng Swordsman if he made a mistake, ten Shan Nantongs couldn't afford it, so he didn't dare to say a word of suspicion. "So it's... Shaoxia Yan." Shan Nantong cupped his hands, and his subordinates followed suit.Before clarifying the facts, Shan Nantong did not dare to mention the word "Qingcheng faction", but said vaguely: "There is a long way to go! The travel expenses are naturally covered by Sha... this... "He looked at Jing Li. "My surname is Jing." "This Uncle Jing... I offended you just now! There are so many people here that it's hard to talk, why don't you respectfully invite the two of you to the head office of our gang, and let our gang set up a banquet to welcome Shaoxia Yan and Uncle Jing, what do you think? " The thug who was holding down the waist knife on the table had already held the knife in both hands and handed it to Jing Li respectfully. Jing Li took the knife and put it back on his waist. "Alright, I'm hungry." "Come here! Prepare the sedan chair immediately!" Shan Nantong shouted. At the same time, the croupiers in the casino shouted to the guests: "It's okay! It's just a customer! Continue to gamble!" Seeing Jing and Yan go out surrounded by his subordinates, Shan Nantong took advantage of this moment to tell his subordinates: "By the way... Zhang Sanping just came back to Chengdu from Guan County's work? Tell him to come to see me, I will I have something to ask... Also, the sedan chair, you should go as slowly as possible. It is best for me to clarify this matter before they get to the main hall." Outside the door of the "Mantong", two sedan chairs are already waiting. Yan Heng had never been in a sedan chair in his life, and when he saw Jing Li take off his waist knife and step into the sedan chair, he knew how to draw a gourd in the same way, took off the "dragon thorn" wrapped in cloth on his back, and boarded the sedan chair. A few members of the Minjiang Gang cleared the way for the two sedan chairs on the street.The procession walked slowly according to Shan Nantong's instructions. Of course, Jing Li guessed what they were planning, so he didn't say anything. He sat leisurely in the sedan chair and watched the street scene of Chengdu's busy city outside the window. Shan Nantong followed on foot, looking around anxiously to see if his subordinate Zhang Sanping had arrived. While Shan Nantong was walking, many thoughts kept turning in his mind: ——Although the whole of Chengdu knows about the Qingcheng faction being wiped out by Wudang, it is not certain whether it is true; if the Qingcheng faction is still there, it would be a terrible mistake to slow down their disciples... ——But this kid surnamed Yan is so young, is he really a "Taoist disciple" of the Qingcheng School? ...Could it be a liar who used the news of Qingcheng's destruction to make a living? ...Even if it is a real Qingcheng swordsman, it is really strange that he came to Chengdu to make trouble for no reason... Shan Nantong only hoped that Zhang Sanping would appear soon. He should have heard the recent news from Guan County and Qingcheng Mountain, and he might be able to figure out why a swordsman from Qingcheng came to Chengdu and directly chose the Minjiang Gang ... "Stop!" After walking for a while, Jing Li suddenly shouted. The bearer stopped immediately.The gang members who opened the way also looked back in confusion. Jing Li raised the bamboo curtain of the window of the sedan chair a little, and looked at the long street on the left. He stared at the two figures in the bustling crowd. - That's right. Jing Li stepped out of the sedan chair with the Yanling saber in hand, stood in the middle of the street, with the scabbard resting on his shoulder, watching the two from a distance. Those two people also noticed it immediately, and stopped at the same time, looking at Jing Li from a distance through the crowd. The two of them, a man and a woman, were all dressed in traveling clothes. The man was a man in his thirties, his tall and strong figure was very conspicuous, but his shoulders slanted down, and a pair of ape arms hung down and overlapped in front of his lower abdomen.He was blind in one left eye, and he pulled down the light flower cloth scarf on his head to cover the hole, and his appearance was very strong. The woman next to him has a bun and her clothes are very ordinary, but her standing posture is stronger than many men on the street. She has a round face with thick lips and dark skin. Although she is not delicate, she has a healthy look. attraction.Judging by her demeanor, she seemed to be the wife of the one-eyed man. The two were mixed among the crowd on the busy street, and their appearance was special but not very special.The most conspicuous thing is that behind the two of them, they both carry a long strip wrapped in a cloth bag.The man's back is more than eight feet long, taller than his body; the woman's back is slightly shorter and thinner, but it is also equal to her height. Jing Li was able to spot these two people in the crowd, not only because of the "things" behind them, but also because of their walking posture: the movements are like a fish swimming in water, each step is slightly lighter and less laborious than others.This kind of subtle difference cannot be detected by the eyes of ordinary people; but high-strength warriors, no matter how busy the streets are, can recognize each other at a glance. At this time, the two of them have already judged that Jing Li is the same as themselves. "Uncle Jing..." Shan Nantong rushed up and asked, "What's the matter?" He also followed Jing Li's gaze, but he couldn't see who among the crowd attracted Jing Li's attention. Jing Li grinned at the two of them from afar.He stared at the man, his head tilted slightly to one side. — Signaling "Let's find a place". The one-eyed man nodded slightly. Jing Li patted Yan Heng's sedan chair: "I have something to do. You go to eat and get money first. I'll come to you." After speaking, without waiting for Yan Heng to agree, he walked into that street.Yan Heng opened his mouth to ask, but it was too late, and his heart was full of doubts. "Uncle Jing!" Shan Nantong shouted: "Our main number is at the other end of Tiger Lane, go from here—" Jing Li raised his hands impatiently, without turning his head, he said: "You Minjiang Gang, all the people in Chengdu know about it, right? I can ask people if I can?" He continued to walk into the long street. Jing Li and the couple disappeared among the crowd.Shan Nantong had no choice but to order the sedan chair to continue to the main hall. After walking for a while, a young man appeared out of breath from the side street and caught up with the sedan chair team.Shan Nantong had seen it a long time ago and stepped forward to grab him. "Sanping, you've been staying in Guan County for a long time, and I have something to ask you." Shan Nantong put his arm around Zhang Sanping's shoulder and lowered his voice as much as possible.While continuing to follow the sedan chair, he asked, "Have you ever heard that there is a swordsman in the Qingcheng sect named Yan?" Zhang Sanping was still exhaling, but when he heard this, his face tightened, and his breathing stopped for a while. "Boss, you mean...the one whose surname is Yan?...Did you hear me right?" "I've only heard it once, but I shouldn't be mistaken. Either the surname is Yan or the surname is Yan. At most, the surname is Yin... What's wrong, your face..." "It happened seven or eight days ago. I heard about it on the way back..." Zhang Sanping said in a low voice, "You know that Mr. Zhuang in Guanxian County? …I don’t know the details, but I only heard people say that during that fight, a swordsman from the Qingcheng faction came down the mountain to mediate. The person surnamed Yan... the person who confronted him couldn't die, it was a blessing accumulated by eighteen generations of ancestors. Do you know who this person is?" "Don't play charades, speak quickly!" "Isn't that 'Ghost Saber Thirty'!" "Ghost knife Chen?" Shan Nantong stared until his eyes seemed to fall. "That Ghost Saber Chen? Just one sword?" Zhang Sanping nodded sharply. "I heard that the swordsman is still a beardless boy... Chief, why are you asking this?..." But Shan Nantong didn't pay attention to him anymore, he just stared at Yan Heng's sedan chair. Yan sat horizontally in the sedan chair, feeling uncomfortable.He has only been walking on his legs since he was a child. The sedan chair swayed him left and right, but he couldn't control it. He was very uncomfortable. For the first time in his life, he felt that sitting was more uncomfortable than walking, and he had no intention of admiring the street scene outside the window . So he couldn't see: Hou Yingzhi, holding a cloth-wrapped sword in his hand, was on the same street, leading his horse past the sedan chair, and walking towards the south gate. These two teenagers who were once best friends passed by with less than a step away. In their hands, at the same time, each of them held tightly the sabers wrapped in cloth that had just arrived. They went further and further away after that.