Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Visiting and applying

"Bang bang bang—" Wu Zixu pulled the door knocker and knocked on the door of Hongye Building.At this time, he transformed into a white-clothed scribe, holding a big burden, glued on five long beards, no longer stooped, his skin became tender and white, the scars on his body disappeared, and his head was tied with a cloth headband. The snake catcher he played before is really quite different, free and easy, elegant, personable, and indescribably elegant.On the surface, his current age is at least ten years older than his real age, but this change has made it impossible to associate him with the appearance when he was selling snake gall.In the art of disguise, he recognized the second, and no one dared to recognize the first.The most important thing is the change in temperament, posture, expression and voice. In the final analysis, it is a completely different person.

After waiting for a while, the door "clicked", revealing a small window. A man looked out of the window, looked him up and down, and said impatiently: "Can't you see that the door is closed? What time is it now?" , come back after dark.” Wu Zixu made a strange sound of "tsk tsk", and said with a sneer, "Is this considered human language? I, the 'painting fairy' Lang Gengxu, came from the capital to your small prefecture. You gatekeepers are not qualified at all. Greet me, call your boss quickly, and make sure he will greet me backwards." Without even thinking about it, the gatekeeper yelled: "I'm going to your old lady's painting fairy, I think you are a painting beggar, and I have you to look at if you get angry."

Seeing that he wouldn't fall, Wu Zixu quickly changed his strategy, saluted with fists and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It turns out that this elder brother is a man of great affection. I respect the straight man like the elder brother the most. Please pass it on to the elder brother." Said that Lang Geng, the first wonderful pen of the capital, is here, and I guarantee that your boss will not be disappointed." Then he lowered his voice and said, "After I earn taels of silver, I will give you a few dozen taels for your elder brother to use. It has nothing to do with you, brother, this is a profitable business, how do you respect it?"

The gatekeeper had never seen such a man with no waist, his face changed so quickly, even he, who was used to rolling around in the brothel, was ashamed of himself, and he froze for a moment, not knowing what attitude to take treat him. Wu Zixu saw that he was moving, so he moved closer and said, "At first I wasn't interested in applying for a job as a painter, but because I saw those useless guys being blasted out one by one, throwing out the face of our industry, in order to revive our industry Prestige, so that your building will not mistakenly think that there is no one in our industry, so come to knock on the door. Hey! In order to show my sincerity and respect to you, brother, I will offer you two taels of silver first, and please accept it with a smile." Then, his right hand took out the silver from his pocket and stuffed it into the small window.

The goalkeeper took it without thinking. Wu Zi humbly made up his mind.He applied for the job at this inappropriate time, because the sooner he hid in the Red Leaf Building, the safer he would be.He knows the mentality of the people in the brothel best, only money can move them. The gatekeeper immediately changed his attitude and said: "Don't blame me for not reminding you in advance, even if you pass the boss's first pass, you may not pass the Baichun Miss's pass. In addition, you must never tell anyone that I accepted you as the second passer." Two silver." After speaking, close the small window.

Wuzi was secretly proud of himself humbly.This is the inevitable result. No one will refuse to make a steady profit of two taels of silver. I thought I had to wait for a long time, but unexpectedly, with a "squeak", the gate was opened a little, and the gatekeeper poked his head out, looked him up and down, and shouted, "Come in!" Wu Zixu was overjoyed and squeezed in quickly. Ji Nieti took the lead and led his men to gallop at full speed.They changed horses twice, and from here to Yunmengze, he set up two temporary official post stations, ready to reach Yunmengze in the fastest way at any time.

He was almost certain that Xue Tinghao would not be able to escape his net, but he didn't feel the slightest excitement.When he took on this task, he had a heated argument with Eunuch Feng, but of course he couldn't hold back Eunuch Feng in the end.But until now, Ji Nieti still thinks he is right, and Eunuch Feng is putting the weight upside down.Compared with the Dahemeng, the Chu Box is just an insignificant thing.The biggest threat to the imperial court now is the Dahe League.It is a waste of manpower and material resources to find the Chu box.No matter what things are hidden in the Chu box, they are only belongings outside the body, and any treasures are worthless in the end, because if the Dahe League successfully changes the dynasty, he and Eunuch Feng will die without a place to bury them.What use are treasures to the dead?Except as funeral objects.

Jneti didn't believe in the existence of an ancient city at all.But he also couldn't have a reasonable explanation for what happened that year. This is the third time for him to go to Yunmengze.After more than an hour, they will arrive at Xiangjundu, the ferry of Xiangshui River, and then cross the river by raft. He really hoped that he could capture Xue Tinghao alive and ask him what happened that year.He really wanted to know the truth, because he knew that Fu Meng was by no means the kind of person Feng Gong recognized.He and Fu Meng used to be best friends. Yanniang half-lyed on the recliner, enjoying her most comfortable time every day.At this moment, she had just woken up, full of energy, and went to the VIP room of Hongye Building after freshening up to meet the deacon-level personnel of Hongye Building, listen to the situation of the day, and issue instructions so that everything can run smoothly after Hongye Building opens for business.

Two stout maidservants are massaging her to promote blood circulation and Qi.Only at this time did she feel that everything was in her hands. When Tan De, who was guarding the door, came in and told her that another painter came to see her, her first reaction was to ask Tan De to drive him away, but when Tan De said that the painter seemed different from others, he was a famous teacher from the capital, and she finally Reluctantly agreed to see him. The whole plan was conceived by Baichun, that is, to hire a skilled painter to draw portraits of the eight most popular girls, and hang them on both sides of the Hongye Hall during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Hongyelou, allowing guests to write inscriptions beside the paintings Compose poems.According to Baichun's idea, as long as one of the poems can be recited all over the world, Hongye Tower can be elevated to the same status as Yueyang Tower, just like "Yueyang Tower" is to Yueyang Tower.

It's a pity that none of the painters can pass the test of Fatty Zhou, let alone Baichun who is more demanding. There are less than ten days before the celebration, and the whole matter is imminent. If the artist doesn't live up to it, he has no choice but to give up the plan. Tan De led the painter into the hall, Yanniang glanced at it, and immediately cursed inwardly. Her way of looking at men is very simple. There are only four types of people, namely rich and poor, good-looking or bad-looking.And based on the rich experience she has accumulated over the years, there is nothing wrong with her classification.No matter what kind of person they are, no matter whether they look impatient or sanctimonious, they all have the same bad nature, otherwise they wouldn't come to the brothel to spend money.

The painter in front of me can be classified as good-looking, but he must be poor, so he came all the way from the capital.And the reason why she couldn't help cursing secretly in her heart was because she saw that this guy was a lecher and a veteran of flowers.The moment those treacherous eyes saw her, they patrolled up and down, first looking at her legs and waist with all their eyesight, and finally at her face. Yanniang deliberately pretended not to see him, and was still examining the large stack of bills she was holding for ordering food and drinks. The painter bowed and saluted, and said respectfully: "Lang Geng, the painter of the capital, is here to say hello to the housekeeper." Yanniang thought to herself: This guy's movements are quite chic and beautiful, and he speaks with a beautiful Beijing accent, but it's a pity that he is just a poor painter who pretends to be romantic.Still not looking at him, he frowned and said: "What kind of painting fairy and painting sage, are you putting gold on your face, or are you taking other people's compliments to be true?" Lang Geng was not ashamed, he stared at her plump breasts and said bemusedly: "Whether I am a painting fairy or a silver-like pewter gun head, the housekeeper will know the truth once I try it. I guarantee that it is genuine and fair." Yanniang almost couldn't help laughing, forced a straight face, and scolded: "Whoever you are, you dare to tease my old lady, do you want me to sweep you out?" Lang Geng hurriedly said: "The chief steward, please calm down. I hate the most beautiful woman, chief steward, please forgive me." Then he grinned and showed two rows of white and neat teeth, turning into a bright smile, said: "But the chief steward can Don't worry, this person is the one who distinguishes between public and private, his work belongs to his work, and he knows how to abide by the rules. I came back to apply for a painter this time because I want to raise my eyebrows for those of us who make a living by painting, so as not to be looked down upon by others." Yan Niang said angrily: "In the past three months, I have met no less than 30 people in your company, and none of them said that they were invincible, but their paintings were shady things. Stop talking to me." In fact, she has grown fond of this perverted painter, and he made a detour to praise himself for being beautiful, which was just right. Not only did Lang Geng not care about her ridicule, but he also seemed to be very pleased with it, and said with a playful smile: "I can't fool the butler with how good my painting skills are, as long as the butler teaches someone to find paper, pen, ink and clear water, let me do it for you." If the butler draws a picture of a beautiful woman lying down, the big butler will know what she's up to." Yanniang finally looked at him, glared at him and said, "Don't play tricks. The boss asked for a painting of beauties, how can you paint without paint? Are you here to mess around?" After holding his hands together, Lang Geng took the time to say: "As long as the big boss of your building knows how to paint, you can see your hard work from the ink and color paintings!" Yanniang saw that he had been pestering him for a long time, and she was no longer interested in listening, so she cut him off and said, "Get out of the door and wait for me." Wushuangnv took Hei'er by the hand and left the bamboo forest with heavy steps. The uncle's body she was carrying on her back was wrapped tightly in her outer robe. In the afterglow of the setting sun, she stepped on the post road through the ancient forest to the swamp, feeling empty in her heart.She came with hope, and now all hope has come to naught.In the past, she had always believed that things could be brought to light and the truth could be clarified, but only now did she realize that it was just wishful thinking. She had imagined countless possibilities, but she never thought that what she found after arriving at the destination was her uncle who had been poisoned to death.Her father was already in a bad situation, and her uncle, who might be her last relative, left her again.Why is God so unsympathetic to me?Have you forged inextricable grievances in your previous life, so that you have to bear it alone in this life? Since her uncle entrusted her to Gu Anjie, she has worked hard to study and practice day and night, from tumbling Kung Fu, ventriloquist, swing, Hu Xuan, sword dance, pole, rope walking, stepping on ladder, trampoline, juggling to pyrotechnic illusion and light illusion , her achievements in every item make An Jie, who is known as the "King of Juggling", fall behind.Her talent in this area is unquestionable.But the murder of her uncle gave her a sense of frustration and resentment that all her efforts had been wasted and all her efforts were in vain. The only thing she can do now is to kill the murderer who poisoned her uncle.It must be the imperial eagle dog who followed her from Dajiang to Yunmengze, because she found his footprints outside the Lady's Temple.No matter where he hides in the ends of the earth, she wants him to pay the blood debt with his life. Wushuang stopped abruptly, her eyes flickered and she stared forward. A burly man with an epee on his back, wearing sackcloth and bare feet, with a simple appearance, about forty years old, stopped in front of him.His appearance was very sudden.A blur in front of his eyes has already blocked his way.This person is full of a kind of evil spirit, calm and calm as if he has no human feelings, his eyes are cold, anyone who is stared at by him will feel chills in his heart. Wushuang said coldly: "Go away! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude." It was Gemo who stood in the way.He is an expert in tracking, following the footprints of Gu Yueming, Wushuangnv and Hei'er all the way here, he thought to himself: If the dead body on horseback is Gu Yueming, it would be more ideal.Gemo heard the words and said: "As long as the girl shows me who is lying on the horseback, I will turn around and leave. There will be no trouble." Wu Shuang's female hand seemed to be straightening her hair, brushed her hair, and said in a low voice, "I said get out." Gomo gave a sinister smile. Wu Shuangnv waved her hand forward, a black light flashed, and shot towards Ge Mo's face. Ge Mo didn't move, and moved his hand up, pinching the black light between his thumb and forefinger, and then moved to the end of his nose to inspect. It turned out to be a black iron needle, originally inserted in Wushuang's hair, for her to remove. To be used as a hidden weapon. Wushuangnv's needle-throwing technique is certainly extremely fierce, but Ge Mo's technique of catching the hidden weapon is even more miraculous and unbelievable. Wushuangnv's complexion changed slightly, but Ge Molu's hand made her feel ashamed.Of course she wasn't afraid, she was fighting for victory, and in the end, she had to see the truth. Gemo threw the needle to his head and asked, "Where's Gu Yueming?" Wushuang said in a deep voice, "I don't know what you're talking about." The needle landed again between Gomo's fingers, and immediately became a dangerous murderous weapon again.Ge Mo felt strange, he didn't ask this question casually, if the corpse on horseback was Gu Yueming, Wushuang girl's attention would be shifted to the back, this is a natural reaction, with Ge Mo's exquisite way of observing people You can see the clues from the subtle expression changes of the other party, but Wu Shuang Nu is completely unmoved and still concentrates on him. Ge Mo sneered: "Don't lie to me that you don't know Gu Yueming, you and him are in the same group, otherwise how could you cross the river together by boat?" Wu Shuang's heart was shocked, she finally knew the name of the enemy who killed her uncle, and she thought that this terrifying master in front of her was the one who attacked Gu Yueming from the bottom of the water with poisoned crossbow arrows, so she misunderstood this.Because this person was in the river at that time, from that angle, he could see her appearance, and now he is not afraid of revealing his identity, obviously made the decision to kill himself, so he is not afraid to speak out.While thinking about it, Wushuangnv sneered and said, "So you are that despicable person who wants to stab someone in the back. Didn't you meet him? He should be around here." Ge Mo sneered and said, "Young lady can fool anyone, but she can't fool me. He went to Yueyang, right?" Wushuang knew that he was about to strike, she pursed her lips and made whistling sounds of different lengths, gestured with her left hand, and at the same time, with a wave of her right hand, a ball of intense white light exploded between her and Ge Mo, dazzling the eyes, and with Ge Mo's power Yes, I can't really see it for a while. Ge Mo shouted violently, and responded to Wushuangnv with the iron needle in his hand, but he knew that he had lost the opportunity, and Wushuangnv's series of actions was to deal with the iron needle in his hand. It's no wonder that Ge Mo, another expert at the same level as Gu Yueming, also suffers from being dumb at the hands of the magic weapon and cunning Wushuang girl. Now Wushuang girl knows that she can't beat him, so she runs away with all her strength Of course it's a disadvantage.Hei'er carried Xue Tinghao's body on his back, first retreated more than ten feet, and then rushed into the ancient forest.The stunts that Wushuangnv learned from An Jie, including horse training and horse skills, came in handy at this time. The Wushuang women turned over in threes and two, turned into the woods like a windmill, and left the post road, three black smoke bombs exploded one after another, and the area with a radius of four to five feet was immediately plunged into black smoke. Ge Mo's heart groaned, lightning flew into the smoke, he grasped Wushuang's position purely by hearing, and struck away with his sword. The sound of breaking wind came from bottom to top, Ge Mo pierced the air with his sword, his heart screamed, and there was a whistling sound in the back of his head, Ge Mo threw himself forward, and something scratched his back, causing burning pain.When Ge Mo realized that the opponent was using a long weapon like a soft whip, there was the sound of the wind ripping through the coat, and the opponent didn't even need to fall, and just fled like a swing. Ge Mo jumped up, thinking that if you want to compete with me in endurance, you must be asking for trouble.Just as she was about to chase after her, suddenly there was a shrill wolf howling from the direction Wushuangnv was fleeing. Ge Mo was taken aback, and hurriedly backed away, out of the range of the black smoke, and returned to the post road. The smoke changed from thick to thin, and Wushuang Nu and Ma'er had long since disappeared in the ancient forest. What puzzled Gemo the most was that half of the wolves had pounced out. Could it be this woman pretending to be a wolf howling? This is the first time he has met a woman who is so quick in response, full of extraordinary skills, and is first-class in terms of intelligence and martial arts. Wu Zixu followed the maidservant, along the corridor built around the hanging ladle pool, and entered the central garden.Behind him are two sturdy men who are obviously in charge of monitoring him. Maybe Yanniang sees through him as a pervert, or is afraid that he is a lunatic. To be honest, he didn't understand himself.Every time he set foot in the Fragrance Kingdom of brothels, he would indulge in it, desperately chasing after flowers, as if he wanted to use this to fill a certain lack and insufficiency in his life, although he would be disappointed every time. It seems that the beautiful maid in front of me, although not as charming as Baichun, is still beautiful and pleasant, with a healthy body and a pair of big black and bright eyes. She is a charming little beauty. Next, just put on a frosty look, making it difficult to approach.Wu Zixu is willing to give half of his current wealth in exchange for a sweet smile from her.In the brothel, he has this temperament, throwing money at every blow. The scale of the Red Leaf Building was completely beyond Wu Zixu's imagination, like another world in Yueyang City, which gave him an unprecedented shock, made his blood boil with excitement, his mind was full of daydreams, and he almost forgot that he came here for another purpose.It's true that flowers are not charming and people are fascinated.Going to brothels has always been the greatest pleasure in his adventurous life, and here he will become another person, full of happy feelings, carefree, at least he has such a happy mood before he wakes up from the romantic dream. Looking at the pretty maid's graceful back, Wuzi felt itchy humbly, couldn't help speeding up his pace, approached her and said, "I don't know what to call this eldest sister?" The maidservant stood still abruptly, causing Wu Zixu to walk away, so she had no choice but to turn around and look at her in amazement, not understanding why she reacted like this.The two big men in the rear didn't think it was strange at all, and stopped as if they knew the consequences, with an air of watching the fire from the other side and gloating. The pretty maid stared at him with a cold face, showing disdain, and said coldly: "What is my name, it has nothing to do with you, I am just in charge of taking you to the Fengzhu Pavilion, you paint your paintings, and an hour later I will Come back and show Yanniang your painting, if the painting is not good, you will get out, understand?" A big man behind snorted coldly and issued a warning. Wu Zixu was very interested, and a fresh and hot taste surged in his heart.In the past, he set foot in the brothel as a high-flyer, bought a smiling face and respect with money, and made the brothel staff wait on him with fear from top to bottom.Now he turned around and earned money from the brothel, and what he got was no longer hypocrisy, but a face-to-face reprimand. Wu Zixu hurriedly said: "Understood! Ha! Is Miss Baichun here to be the object of the painting?" The two big men behind laughed at the same time. The maidservant said angrily: "Don't try to get it wrong, not only will the eldest lady not come, but no one will come, and everyone will cover their ears when they hear the word "painter". You should come up with something to paint yourself! Remember only one hour is given to you, you have to do it yourself." Wu Zixu scratched his head and said, "Didn't the chief steward tell them that I am Lang Geng, a painting fairy from the capital?" The two big men in the back couldn't hold it back and laughed wildly. Qiu Jiushi and Ruan Xiuzhen went back to the Bazhen Garden where they lived sojourn, and exchanged news in the small pavilion in the garden. The environment here is quiet, and their conversation was not expected to be overheard. The sun had just set, and stars appeared in the darkening sky. Ruan Xiuzhen asked, "Is everything going well?" Qiu Jiushi happily said: "Qian Shichen is very cooperative. He agrees with us. If the five escaped robbers still dare to stay in Yueyang City, they must have other goals, not the idea of ​​attacking his jade sword, because it must be courting death. He said that although there are many wealthy households in Yueyang, there are only ten or eight people who have treasures that can be shown to others. He will thoroughly investigate everyone in one night. If he finds any suspicious person, he will immediately notify us and tell us to wait for him here. good news." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Very good. I have met Ma Gongcheng, the leader of the local Yueyang Gang. He guarantees that as long as there is a person with a physique like Wudun Bandit and a strange face, no matter if he pretends to be a heavenly king, Lao Tzu or a mountain spirit monster. Report immediately." Master Qiu Jiu stretched his waist and said with a smile: "After catching Wu Dun, we will leave this ghost place immediately. I hope that everything will return to normal from now on, and we won't have to be suspicious all day long and sleep restlessly." Ruan Xiuzhen said indifferently: "Aren't you going to say goodbye to Baichun?" Qiu Jiushi said bitterly, "You're laughing at me again." Ruan Xiuzhen refused to let him go, and asked, "Have you made any promises to Baichun?" Qiu Jiushi frowned and said, "Didn't I tell you everything I said to her in the restaurant?" Ruan Xiuzhen persevered and asked: "I want to know when you sent her to the carriage, did you say something like you will apologize to her later." Qiu Jiushi surrendered and said: "Let me tell you! I promised to visit her in the Hongye Tower after I finished the matter in hand. There will never be any vows of eternal love. This is the minimum demeanor. To Yueyang's chief talented woman, I will always keep Be polite. What's more, the problem of the five thieves has been solved at that time, so there is no scruple." Ruan Xiuzhen said indifferently: "Can't solve it?" Qiu Jiushi asked in astonishment, "Is it possible?" Ruan Xiuzhen pondered: "If I wake up tomorrow and there is still no news of the five escaped thieves, my worry will become a reality." Qiu Jiushi said: "I can only think that the five escaped bandits have really slipped away." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "I still firmly believe that he stays in the city, and the only chance for us to catch him is in Yueyang City. Baichun and Wudun Pirates have a more or less delicate relationship, otherwise those invisible hands would not be able to catch him." I will arrange for you to get entangled with Baichun." Qiu Jiushi disagreed and said: "What relationship can Baichun have with him? Everyone knows that Baichun is from the capital, and is the junior sister of Mrs. Huameng, a famous prostitute in the capital. It will definitely not be the accomplice of the Five Dungeons, not to mention that the Five Dunrobbers have always been alone and have no partners." Ruan Xiuzhen wondered, "Who told you? I asked Ma Gongcheng, but he didn't know anything about Baichun's background." Qiu Jiushi was a little embarrassed and said, "It was Qian Shichen who said it." Ruan Xiuzhen didn't take the opportunity to laugh at him, but said: "I'm not being suspicious, but I'm judging from facts. Compared with our invisible opponent, we are in a very disadvantaged position. Its biggest advantage is that besides being able to influence our hearts, The most powerful thing is the ability to have a bird's-eye view of the overall situation. A seemingly unrelated matter to us may play a key role in its overall plan. Using the analogy of the battlefield you are familiar with, we Trapped in the fog with only a hundred paces of vision, it can see the changes in the entire battlefield. Tell me, brother, how difficult it is to fight such a battle." Qiu Jiushi was in a daze for a while, then sighed: "Understood!" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "If you don't go to see Baichun, Baichun can come to see you. There is no difference in the matter, and everything is under its control. What does it think about us? No one knows. What is its ultimate purpose , only it and God know. But we must accompany, because if we can't catch the five escaped robbers, everything will be over." Qiu Jiushi smiled wryly and said, "That's true." Ruan Xiuzhen said happily: "This is a unique confrontation, ordinary courage and wisdom are useless, so don't blame me for being suspicious, and only being suspicious, we may have a chance of victory." Qiu Jiushi said: "What should we do now?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Don't think about anything, just rest well. As I expected, Qian Shichen will get nothing tonight, and we can lock the surveillance target on Baichun, or even the entire Hongye Tower. Its means It can only be realized through living people, as long as it is related to people, we will be able to find clues." Qiu Jiushi said in amazement: "Then do I have to continue to entangle with Baichun?" Ruan Xiuzhen sighed, "So we are at a disadvantage, and we are led by the nose, do you understand?"