Fu Nanhua, the young city lord of Old Dragon City, was sitting opposite the boy named Song. He carefully held the small mandrill pot with both hands. He was carefully looking at the inscriptions on the bottom, as if he were admiring the graceful body of a beautiful lady.
Fu Nanhua has been looking at it endlessly, looking at it, caressing it, and exhaling. Fu Nanhua has been tossing and turning over it for half an hour, and he can't put it down. There are always some people or things that make people fall in love at first sight and feel happy. For Fu Nanhua, who is picky, this treasure
The heart pot is exactly like this. Although there is only a thin line between picking out leaks and making holes, Fu Nanhua firmly believes that he is the former this time, and the leak he picked up is not small. The old dragon city where he is located is among the many in the south of Dongbaopingzhou.
Among the sects, Fu Nanhua is among the best, so Fu Nanhua is a descendant of the Xian family who has truly experienced great wealth. This is also the reason why Cai Jinjian showed weakness in everything before.
Song Jixin yawned, huddled in his chair, changed to a more comfortable position, and asked lazily: "Brother Fu, now that the authenticity of the item has been confirmed, shouldn't we discuss the price?"
Fu Nanhua, who was rarely called a brother, suppressed the slight discomfort in his heart, put down the mandrill pot reluctantly, and said with a smile: "Brother Song must know how sincere I am, otherwise I will never be honest and tell the truth directly when we meet.
The true value of this pot, let alone such delay, clearly shows that I am determined to get this pot, in order to avoid both parties asking for high prices and having to pay back the money, wasting time, and hurting the brotherhood. Brother Song, I am Fu
Nanhua has regarded you as a confidant on the road to spiritual practice in the future. You can do business with confidence now. Whether we can depend on you for good or bad luck in the future, or even for life and death, depends on whether our first step today is practical or not."
Song Jixin stretched out a finger, tapped the sincere-looking young man with a high crown, and said with a smile: "Brother Fu, I am a very vulgar person, and I smell like copper. Of course, my friends will recognize it. But when we sit down,
When we come down to discuss business, if someone talks to me about brotherly love, I will inevitably ask myself in my heart, will such a person be actually making a small calculation in his mind when he needs to talk about brotherly love in the future?
"
Fu Nanhua's face turned cold, he leaned back and leaned on the back of his chair, tapping the table with one finger gently and silently.
Song Jixin seemed completely unaware of Fu Nanhua's change of attitude, "I call you Brother Fu and show you this pot. That's my sincerity. Since everyone wants to make a deal, let's do it neatly."
Click, Brother Fu, if you give me a bid, I will nod or shake my head. I will give you two chances to bid. After two bids, it will be like leaving this village without this store. You can promise me gold, mountains and silver seas. I'm sorry.
Brother, I won’t sell it anymore.”
"The jade pendant I gave you as a greeting gift is called 'Laolong Buyu'. It is not a powerful fairy magic weapon. It can only be used to escape the heat, purify the mind and avoid filth. It is especially helpful for meditation and forgetfulness. If you have
If you use the secret formulas passed down by the Taoist sect as a supplement, you can get twice the result with half the effort."
Fu Nanhua smiled sincerely, and there was no arrogant look on his face. He placed an embroidered bag on the table, pushed it towards Song Jixin with the palm of his hand, and said solemnly: "My bag of copper coins is called support money.
It is one of the many incense coins in the world. It is generally enshrined on the statue of the City God Temple or the Wenchang Pavilion. It can be held in the mouth, hidden in the stomach, or held in the palm of the hand, and each has its own merits and functions. But these
None of them are the most important. The real key point is that these coins, which look like gold, are 'gold essence' that is far more valuable than gold. The immortal once said, 'The water may be mined if it is green, but the gold essence is secret.'
That is to say, this thing. The money for this bag of gold essence is not enough to buy a pot. It is a fair price after all. If you add that old dragon pendant, I, Fu Nanhua, dare to say that you will definitely make a profit, Brother Song.
."
After saying these "heartfelt words", Fu Nan Hua Jing waited for a reply.
Song Jixin was silent for a moment, blinked, and asked, "Is it over?"
Fu Nanhua smiled bitterly and said, "That's it."
The young man suddenly turned his face and slapped the table, "Fu, get out of here! Are you a three-year-old kid who is easy to fool? Before you enter the town, there will be three bags of copper coins. Excluding one bag for road money, after that
Every time you get a treasure, no matter how big or small, you should give away a bag. A bag of copper coins can range from thirty to twenty coins. But does your shriveled money bag contain twelve coins?! Do it?
You don't even have this bit of integrity when it comes to business, and you dare to change the opportunity in my hands?"
Fu Nanhua, tap his fingers on the table top again and again with increasing force, from slow to fast.
Song Jixin's heart trembled, and he found it difficult to breathe for no apparent reason. His face turned red, and his eyes were bleeding. The young man quickly reached out a hand and pressed on his heart. His heart beat violently like a drum, thump, thump, thump, as if he was about to hit.
Broken chest.
Fu Nanhua gradually slowed down the speed of tapping with his fingers, and the young man's expression improved. Fu Nanhua asked with a smile: "Since the first time I made an offer, we didn't reach an agreement, then I'll make another offer. I'll give you twenty-four gold essences to support you."
Do you want to sell this mandrill pot?"
Song Jixin, who was sweating profusely, was hesitant. He saw the other party making a move. The young man was about to say something to ease the situation. The old Dragon City Young City Master, who was used to being praised by the stars, had already accelerated the beating speed again, like a sudden attack.
summer showers.
Song Jixin pressed his chest with both hands, his handsome face already distorted, with a hint of cruel smile in his ferocious look.
Fu Nanhua almost couldn't help but beat the wolf cub to death, but at the last moment, the great temptation of reaching the sky step by step and realizing immortality still outweighed his personal likes and dislikes, so he stopped his finger movements and
The young man was spared.
Song Jixin gasped for air, his eyes were hot, and he smiled hoarsely.
Fu Nanhua was puzzled by this. There didn't seem to be any hatred in the young man's eyes. Fu Nanhua didn't think this was something worthy of horror. On the way to practice, there were all kinds of strange things, including many weirdos and strange people. He just asked in confusion: "
what are you laughing at?"
Song Jixin's breathing became more and more steady, he leaned back in the chair, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said with shining eyes: "When I think about the near future, I will be able to have the ability like you, killing people with the snap of my fingers, I feel extremely happy.
"
Fu Nanhua laughed it off, and he was worthy of being a fellow-minded person whom he felt sympathy for.
This kind of person is the best to deal with, as long as you are in a better position than him, but it may also be the hardest to deal with, once he climbs to the top.
However, the young city lord of Old Dragon City does not think that after successfully intercepting the opportunity here, he will be inferior to a boy who was never taken away from the town before he was nine years old.
Song Jixin glanced at the small pot and half a bag of copper coins on the table, raised his head and said: "Fu Nanhua, I have two conditions. As long as you agree, in addition to selling you a mandrill pot, I will also take out
An old thing that’s as good as it gets.”
Fu Nanhua suppressed the joy in his heart and tried to speak as calmly as possible: "Let's talk about it."
Song Jixin didn't try to beat around the bush, and kept saying, "First, I want you to give me three bags of gold coins, not two bags!"
Fu Nanhua said without hesitation: "Okay!"
Song Jixin stared into the other person's eyes.
Fu Nanhua smiled and said: "Believe it or not. At the same time, before I go out today, you must take out that thing worth two bags of gold essence and let me see it in person."
Song Jixin also nodded and said: "Of course!"
Fu Nanhua asked: "Then what is the second condition?"
Song Jixin said slowly: "Kill someone for me."
Fu Nanhua shook his head and said: "Since you even know how many coins are in a bag, you should also know that we 'outsiders' are not allowed to kill people here at will, otherwise we will be expelled from the town immediately, and even some
Maybe some of the bones were cut off, and then the saint used immortal methods to strip away the relevant opportunities. It was terrible, and it also caused the family to lose all the opportunities here."
Song Jixin's lips curled up, "Don't refuse in a hurry, you can just wait and see what happens, okay?"
Fu Nanhua smiled and asked, "I'm curious, who do you want to kill?"
Song Jixin half-truthfully said, "I'm thinking about it too."
Fu Nanhua picked up the small pot again, felt the delicate texture of the pot body, and said casually: "Then I'll wait and see."
Across the table, the young man subconsciously rubbed his neck, his face looking very different.
————
Zhigui had sent Cai Jinjian to the gate of the Gu Family Courtyard before. At that time, Song Jixin's maid went shopping by herself. After Cai Jinjian pushed the door open and entered, as if struck by lightning, she stood there and did not dare to move, looking at the man sitting on the bench.
The old man on the bed asked in a trembling voice: "Senior, is this the Master Jiejiang who is cultivating in Shujian Lake?"
The old man asked: "How do you recognize me?"
Cai Jinjian said respectfully: "Cai Jinjian, a junior from Yunxiashan, followed my father to Shujian Lake ten years ago to watch the wonder of the old turtle carrying a monument out of the water. I was fortunate enough to see the grace of my senior from a distance. I still remember it and will never forget it."
The old man nodded and said, "I understand."
Cai Jinjian felt a little heavy, "Zhenjun, this junior wants to..."
The "storyteller" known as "Zhenjun Jiejiang" glanced at her and said calmly: "For the sake of Ancestor Songxia, I will not care about your uninvited visit and will not do it again. When you leave the yard, remember
close the door."
Cai Jinjian was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Junior, please leave first."
She really left just like that, and she didn't forget to close the door obediently, gently and without leaking.
In the courtyard, the woman looked towards the courtyard door and asked worriedly: "Chief Immortal, she doesn't seem to be willing to give up. Is there any trouble?"
The old man with the title of "True King" sneered: "If you enter a small town and fart with your breath, you may get into trouble. Don't you need opportunities for this?"
The woman was speechless.
The old man smiled and said, "Let me ask you, Mrs. Gu, if you had a choice, would you rather let Gu Can go to Yunxia Mountain to practice, or follow me to Shujian Lake?"
"Don't rush to answer."
The old man waved his hand, telling the woman not to rush to express her position, and said slowly: "Yunxia Mountain is the second-ranked mountain gate of Dongbaopingzhou. However, if you think that Yunxia Mountain is not worth mentioning, you are totally wrong.
The Yungen stone produced in Yunxia Mountain is a real treasure of heaven and earth. Not to mention Dongbaopingzhou, there is only one in the whole world. Therefore, Yunxia Mountain has a transcendent status and everyone is willing to respect it, especially
The sect Taoist Temple of the Taoist Danding Sect has a deep relationship with Yunxia Mountain, where the incense has lasted for thousands of years. And I am just one of the monks in Shujian Lake. I only occupy an island in the middle of the lake, with only a handful of disciples and slaves.
Less than a hundred people.”
The woman, Mrs. Gu, smiled sweetly. She was still a mature woman, but her charm was still there. "The difference between me and that Yunxia Mountain woman is the difference between her and you, the immortal. How could I let Gu Can leave the Cave Heaven Paradise instead of living there and follow me?"
Is that woman going to dig for food in the fields?"
The old man smiled heartily, suddenly remembered something, and said in a deep voice: "How is that young man's life experience? Mrs. Gu, please tell me in detail, just in case."
The woman was stunned for a moment, smoothed her hair on her temples, and then said softly: "That poor kid's name is Chen Ping'an. His parents both grew up in the town. His mother has a very good relationship with me, and she looks average.
She has a really good temper. I don't think I've ever seen her blushing with anyone. Her looks as a man are off the charts, and she's really not good enough for her. But she's good at making porcelain. If she hadn't died early, she might have survived.
In twenty years, you can be the kiln head of the Dalong Kiln. As for how you died, some say it was that rainy night. I was afraid that the kiln fire would be cut off. I was in a hurry and accidentally fell into the stream. Some said it was because I was going to the river.
He cut firewood and burned charcoal for petty gain. He broke into a mountain that was banned by the imperial court and was carried into the deep mountains and forests by wild beasts. In short, the body was not found. That man had a boring gourd temper that could not be beaten with a few sticks, but he treated his own children very badly.
Well, every time I go back to town, I have to bring some small gifts, such as small drums, sugar Buddhas, and old broken porcelain. Generally speaking, the family of three was quite stable before the man died."
"After Chen Ping'an's father died, his mother probably had a heart problem. Her energy quickly became unbearable, and her body, which was not strong to begin with, began to collapse. Within a year, she fell ill.
She was so skinny and skinny that we old neighbors were all panicked when we saw her. We couldn't recognize her as the handsome and charming woman back then. At that time, it was Chen Ping'an who took care of her. For such a big child, she had to buy medicine.
She made medicine, cooked rice and stir-fried vegetables, and did everything. The child was too short at the time, so she had to step on the bench to cook. In addition, in order to save money to buy medicine for her mother, some easily seen medicinal materials were searched all over the mountains and plains.
, if there is too much, sell it to the drug store."
"I guess I ate the wrong herbs one time and when I was returning to Mud Bottle Lane with a basket on my back, the child suddenly fell to the ground, foamed at the mouth and rolled all over the ground. We were so frightened that we thought this family of three was just like this.
No more. My mother-in-law was still alive at that time, so she said that it would be best if all the family left, so that no one left would have to endure hardship. They all left, and the whole family could still be reunited in the underworld. Later, the child somehow got better on his own.
I survived the illness, but the child still couldn't survive the winter. Oh, by the way, Master Xian, Chen Ping'an's child was born on the fifth day of May. The older generation of neighbors in our alley said that this
It is considered the most unlucky day of the year. It can easily attract dirty things and harm your family.
So after the child’s parents left, there was not a single copper coin left in the house, and even the small items his father gave him were almost all found elsewhere in the town to be exchanged for food with those of the same age..."
When the woman said this, the old man finally spoke, "The fifth day of May? It's interesting. Let me do the math."
Five-finger kneading technique, the sleeves hold everything.
Seeing the woman in a daze, the old man smiled and said, "Just keep talking."
The woman said, "Because of the friendship between neighbors over the years, those of us who live on Mud Bottle Lane don't dare to take Chen Ping'an to our homes, but we can help him from time to time and send him a few bowls of food.
, this little thing can still be done. People’s hearts are fleshy. To be honest, if it wasn’t the child’s birthday, it would be really scary, otherwise no one would not feel sorry for this sensible child. Of course, there is a saying
First, there are some unkind people in the neighborhood. Some guys don't want to see good things in others, and they like to deliberately abuse the child, so that he finally had to become a kiln worker's apprentice. You must know that his mother was dying, but she asked the child to promise her,
Even if you become a beggar in the future, you will never be allowed to work in a dragon kiln. It is definitely not an ordinary thing for such a filial and obedient child to be allowed to break his oath."
The old man asked: "Do you know the names and birthdays of the boy's parents?"
The woman only said she knew her name, but no one knew her date of birth. The old man said it didn't matter. After a moment, he sneered and said: "It's a small trick, but a trick!"
The woman was confused.
The old man explained: "The man died unexpectedly. He probably knew the secrets of the town unintentionally. Unfortunately, his luck was not as good as yours, and his ancestors were not as abundant as yours. In the end, the man secretly broke the bird for the safety of his son.
The life porcelain bottle, in this way, naturally cost a certain sect outside the town. This is a huge investment. If a small kiln worker can't afford the compensation, he has to pay for it with his life. If one life is not enough, he will pay for it.
In addition to his wife's death, it is ridiculous to say that the death of the kiln worker was probably too easy for some people, and they were too lazy to expend extra energy, so the concealment technique used to conceal the truth was so crudely used.
It’s too serious.”
The woman's face turned gloomy.
The old man penetrated the woman's thoughts at a glance and asked with a smile: "Why, are you feeling guilty and regretting it?"
The woman smiled miserably, "I do feel guilty. After all, it's the child I watched grow up. I definitely feel guilty, but when it comes to going back on my word, I definitely don't!"
The old man nodded and said, "I see."
The woman said to herself: "If it were Chen Pingan's mother who was in my current position, I believe she would do the same thing."
The old man shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily true."
The woman shouted loudly for no reason: "She will definitely do it!"
The old man was not angry at her rudeness, but sighed with emotion: "What a pity for the parents in the world."
————
The straw-shoe boy sat on the threshold, "Miss Ning, can I ask you something?"
The girl in black leaned against the wall, sitting cross-legged, with the narrow green sheath knife lying across her knees, "Of course. But if it involves confidentiality and privacy, I won't answer."
Chen Pingan asked: "How long do you usually stay here before leaving?"
The girl frowned and said, "Not necessarily. Some people are lucky and may come and go on the same day. Some people are unlucky and have to stay here for the rest of their lives. If I must give an inference, that's okay, but it may not be accurate. You
You can figure it out, for example, our group of eight people, two of them belong to big families, and they are stupid and have a lot of money. They don't look like they can come and go in a hurry. They should stay in a small town for a few days.
That young man wearing a high crown and a jade pendant will probably go more smoothly. There is a stupid guy who is focused on dealing with the well. Whether he can succeed depends on whether God will reward him with this bowl of rice."
Chen Pingan asked: "Is there anyone else?"
"who?"
"She's the tall, young woman."
"you like her?"
Chen Pingan at the door smiled and didn't take it seriously at all.
The girl in black probably felt that she had told a joke that was not funny, and her expression became serious, "I actually heard you chatting with Director Lu. You have a grudge against her, so you want to... take revenge?"
She sighed and said, "I would like to advise you, people like you on the mountainside, in the eyes of those at the top of the mountain, are actually no different from the people at the bottom of the mountain. It is not just that they are higher than those at the top, but that they are indeed qualified to look down on them.
When you arrive at this 'Land of the End of Dharma', not to mention the woman from Yunxia Mountain, or even that kid in the big red robe, he can punch you in the chest and make you vomit a bowl of blood.
Punch him, I dare not say scratch it, but at most it will make him feel stuffy for a while, and it will definitely not hurt his internal organs. As for the reason, it is difficult to explain clearly, mainly because I am not good at talking about it."
Chen Ping'an turned his back to the room, looked at the door, and said, "I want to know why she wanted to kill me. We have just met for the first time."
The girl pondered for a long time before she said: "She may not be the kind of person who kills innocent people indiscriminately. How can I put it? On the way to practice, she walks through mountains and rivers, some are wide and some are narrow, there are Yangguan roads and single-plank bridges. If she walks too fast, she will be accidentally trampled to death.
It's possible to catch ants, catch a few fish from the river when you're hungry, have some small skills in Taoism, and use them at will to accidentally kill birds, snakes, and rats. I don't speak very well, but you understand what I mean.
Bar?"
Chen Ping'an hummed and said, "I roughly understand."
Then the young man felt a little dull and looked at the entrance of the courtyard again.
In fact, he didn't understand at all, why those people could be so indifferent to other people's lives.
After a long time, Chen Pingan turned around and said with a smile: "If the girl doesn't dislike it, just live here. If you need anything, just tell me."
"how about you?"
"I know a person, and I will be staying with him in the next two days. Don't worry, his name is Liu Xianyang, he is my... friend. Good friend!"
The girl looked at the thin figure on the threshold and smiled: "Thank you!"
The young man grinned, scratched his head, and said no polite words. He hesitated for a moment, and finally plucked up the courage to turn around again and said: "Miss Ning, if one day I can't come back, you can hand over my bag of golden copper coins.
Give it to Liu Xianyang and ask him to take care of this house for me in the future. There is no need to clean it. He can repair it occasionally and add some new tiles to prevent it from leaking. Also, don’t let the walls collapse and the courtyard door be too broken. If you can
It would be best to put up door gods and Spring Festival couplets on New Year's Eve! If you think this is too troublesome, it doesn't matter if you don't do it."
When the girl saw Chen Pingan talking about the door god and the Spring Festival couplets, the boy's eyes shone with a strange light.
It is obvious that this orphan in Mubo Alley has been dreaming about having a door god on his door during the Chinese New Year and the word "spring" on his door lintel for many, many years.
I thought about how many years it had been since my parents died.
So when the young man, who had no worries and no worries, breathed out a sigh of relief, patted his knees, and slowly stood up.
The flying sword in the sheath that was placed on the table in the room suddenly screamed.