There were footsteps at the door of Song Jixin's house. Liu Xianyang was about to jump off the wall, but he didn't see him. He heard his voice first, and someone asked with a warm smile: "Is your boy the old man Yao from Baoxi Kiln?"
His apprentice? His surname is Liu?"
It was the kiln supervisor in white clothes with a jade belt around his waist. He strode out of the threshold and looked towards the wall with a smiling face.
Liu Xianyang then stiffened and found that he had no strength to jump off the wall. He laughed heartily and said: "Sir, it's me. When you went to our Long Kiln to open the kiln, the master asked me to demonstrate several tasks to you.
"
The man nodded, looked at the tall young man, and asked straight to the point: "Young man, do you want to go outside and have a look? For example, join the army and fight in the battle. I guarantee that as long as you survive ten years, you can become a high official.
How about I personally serve you a drink in the capital to celebrate your victory?"
Song Jixin, who was standing behind the man, had a gloomy face and held tightly the Laolong Buyu jade pendant presented by Fu Nanhua.
This scholar, who has been known as "illegitimate son" and "bastard" for many years, now knows the true identity of the man around him, so the young man understands the weight of the man's words even more. The four words "serve the wine personally" will
It will be the most powerful life-saving talisman of Da Li, and the longest Qingyun Ladder in the officialdom.
Liu Xianyang racked his brains to come up with some sour words, and stammered: "Thank you, Mr. Supervisor, for your kindness, but I am very frightened... It's just that I have promised to be an apprentice in Master Ruan's blacksmith shop, and it's really hard to go back on my words, so why not?"
I hope you don't want to...don't care..."
What the tall boy wanted to say suddenly got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't remember whether he was alive or dead, and his face turned red with anxiety.
Song Jixin reminded him in a seemingly considerate way: "It's the adults who don't remember the faults of the villains."
The man in white robe laughed it off and said, "It doesn't matter. When you have the opportunity to leave the town one day, you can go to the nearest Danyang Pass and find a warrior named Liu Linxi. He said that Song Changjing from the capital recommended you to join the army here. If he doesn't believe it,
Just tell him about the man named Song Changjing, and you, Liu Linxi, still owe him 30,000 heads of Sui Bianqi."
Liu Xianyang nodded stupidly and said: "Okay."
The man left with a smile. Song Jixin wanted to stop when he reached the gate of the hospital. The man seemed to have forgotten his thoughts and said directly without turning around: "Follow me to the Supervisory Office, and I will take you to see someone."
Song Jixin's feet were rooted to the ground like nails, and he said with a dark face: "I won't go!"
That place, which has a very high threshold for the people in the small town, is like a dragon's pit and a tiger's den, and a heart that cannot be overcome for the young people who have grown up listening to rumors every year.
The man who always acted vigorously and resolutely outside was not as ignorant as the angry young man, nor did he stop, but he slowed down a lot: "According to the records of the spy informant in the government office, you have already met the Sui Dynasty prince named Gao, right?
?Do you know that the Gao family of the Sui Dynasty and our Da Li Song family have been enemies for thousands of years with sworn hatred? They are both princes. He dares to come to this small town located in the hinterland of the enemy country, Song Ji
, he is also a prince, but he dare not go to a small official residence on the territory of his own family?"
Song Jixin did not immediately ponder the profound meaning of these words. Instead, he immediately turned to look at Liu Xianyang and saw the tall young man sitting on the wall rubbing his hands and knocking his legs. It seemed that he had not heard the man's words at all.
The white-robed king of Dali who was walking in the Mud Bottle Alley raised the corners of his mouth. The man received a little unexpected joy.
He is worthy of being a descendant of our old Song family.
However, when he thought that the boy was still that woman's son, the powerful vassal king, who was the first martial arts master in Da Li, also felt a little upset and troubled.
Song Jixin gritted his teeth, turned around and said to Zhigui who was standing at the door of the house: "I'll be right back when I go, don't worry about me for lunch."
As soon as Song Jixin walked out of the courtyard, he turned around and said with a smile: "Take the pocket of money on my bedside and go to Du's shop to buy the pair of dragon and phoenix perfumes. Anyway, we don't have to save money in the future."
Zhigui nodded and made a careful mute gesture.
Song Jixin smiled happily and left gracefully.
When Song Jixin walked away, Liu Xianyang, who was sitting on the wall, asked cautiously: "Zhigui, what is the relationship between Song Jixin and the supervisor?"
Zhigui looked at the tall boy with pity.
Liu Xianyang couldn't bear the sight of her, "What are you doing? It's just to meet an official who is in charge of porcelain making. Isn't that amazing?"
Zhigui twitched his lips, went back to the house to get food, and began to feed the old hen and the group of fluffy chicks.
Liu Xianyang felt discouraged for no reason. He jumped off the wall and shouted into the house: "Chen, let's go to the blacksmith shop! Don't be so cowardly."
The girl turned her back to the neighbor's yard across the wall and said with a smile: "Buddhas compete for a stick of incense, and people compete for a breath. It's a pity that a coward only has a belly of cowardice."
Liu Xianyang's blood surged, and even his ears turned red. He walked to the yellow mud wall and punched the wall hard, "Wang Zhu! If you can, say it again!"
The maid threw away all the corn and vegetable leaves, clapped her hands, turned around and said with a smile: "Who do you think you are, just tell me?"
Liu Xianyang looked at the girl who was drawing a strip, and her figure became more and more beautiful. He was speechless, and his heart felt empty, like a porcelain bowl in his heart that fell to the ground.
In fact, Chen Ping'an was already standing at the threshold. After seeing this scene, he quickly walked to the yard and said softly: "Let's go."
Two teenagers were walking side by side in the alley. The tall boy suddenly asked: "Chen Pingan, am I hopeless?"
Chen Pingan thought for a while and said seriously: "The neighbors in the alley say that my mother is very good, and they say that my father is famous for being boring, so I think whether I like someone or not has nothing to do with whether I am promising or not.
So big."
Liu Xianyang cried sadly, "Then I will be even worse off. Even if I build a dragon kiln by myself in the future, or learn all Master Ruan's craftsmanship, won't she still dislike me?"
Chen Pingan wisely kept his mouth shut to avoid adding fuel to the fire.
Chen Ping'an was walking in a familiar alley when he suddenly remembered a scene. In his early years, he followed Old Man Yao into the mountains along the stream and saw a young elk drinking water by the water. It was not afraid to see him. After it drank the water, it lowered its head.
I looked at the stream and didn't leave for a long time. In addition to the reflection of the elk on the surface of the stream, there was also a fish lingering in the water.
Before leaving the ancestral home, Miss Ning suggested that since he had a locust leaf, he should leave the town as soon as possible. With the invisible protection of the ancestral locust leaf, there would be no big accidents. It was best not to stay in the town for too long.
For a long time, because she didn't know whether Liu Xianyang's matter would affect Chen Ping'an.
However, Chen Ping'an insisted on seeing Liu Xianyang accepted as a disciple by Master Ruan before he could leave with peace of mind.
Because without Liu Xianyang back then, he would have starved to death long ago.
Of course, Chen Ping'an also hoped in his heart that Miss Ning could heal her injury at his home, but the young man did not dare to say it out loud at that time for fear of being considered frivolous by her.
Chen Ping'an suddenly asked: "Will the treasured armor your grandfather left you never be sold to outsiders?"
Liu Xianyang said with a matter-of-fact expression: "Nonsense, of course I won't sell it even if I die!"
He punched the young man next to him on the shoulder and joked: "I'm not a money addict like you."
The tall young man held the back of his head with both hands, "Some things are not available for the time being and can be earned with money, but if some things are gone, they are really gone in this life."
Chen Pingan said to himself: "I understand."
When he was about to reach the entrance of Mubo Alley, Liu Xianyang cursed, and Chen Ping'an put away his thoughts and looked up, suddenly feeling heavy.
It was Lu Zhengchun, the eldest son of the Lu family from Fulu Street. It was this man who led a group of gangsters to block Liu Xianyang in this alley and almost beat him to death. If Chen Ping'an hadn't gone to shout those words, the family would have been destroyed.
Liu Xianyang, who has no elder relatives, is probably going to be thrown into a mass grave.
Song Jixin was squatting on the wall watching the excitement, and kept fanning the flames. Later, he told Chen Ping'an, who was still worried, that the behavior of Lu Zhengchun and others was called "resigning oneself to one's anger" outside the town.
Lu Zhengchun blocked Liu Xianyang's way, squeezed out a smile and said: "Don't be nervous, I'm not here to settle old scores with you today, but..."
Liu Xianyang interrupted Mr. Lu's words, "Are you coming? A good dog won't block the way, so I can get out of the way!"
Lu Zhengchun looked embarrassed, and said with a forced smile: "Liu Xianyang, I really have something to discuss with you this time. Last time, you ran away without waiting for us to finish talking. This is not good. You should listen to me."
Listen to the conditions I have given here, right? To put it bluntly, we two buddies have never known each other before, so there is no need to be so tense. Those guests and I are very sincere!"
Liu Xianyang tilted his head and said sarcastically: "Why, you are addicted to matchmaking, aren't you? I'm surprised. You said that you, Lu Zhengchun, are the grandson of the most wealthy family in our town, why do you like to do so?
Are outsiders being treated as thugs?”
Lu Zhengchun's face was livid, but he still had to maintain the smile on his face. He looked very funny and almost begged: "Liu Xianyang, as long as you ask, no matter what you want, they will try their best to satisfy you, such as copper coins? Otherwise you
How about giving me an amount? For example...one hundred and fifty guan? Even...two hundred guan, I can help you make a counter-offer. Two hundred guan, you can buy it on our Fulu Street.
It’s half a house.”
Liu Xianyang stared at the eyes and face of the man in front of him, and said disdainfully: "You're sending two hundred guan to a beggar? Are you sincere? I advise you not to be vain here with me. I still have to be busy with business. You
go away!"
At the corner outside Mud Bottle Lane, a little girl carved in pink and jade is riding on the shoulders of a burly old man. A boy wearing a big red robe is being held by a woman. He should be innocent and innocent, but his face already has a look that does not match his age.
With a sinister look on his face, he said in the language of his hometown: "Is this Lu family too stupid? What's the use of..."
The woman shook her head and laughed softly: "When giving favors to others, you must know how to compare favors with others, and negotiate business. If you want to make the most profit, you should do what Lu Zhengchun did, and first test the bottom line of the other party's psychological price."
The child wondered: "Doing business with these natives and untouchables requires so much trouble?"
The woman smiled and said: "Human nature is complicated and people's hearts are dark. People in small places are not all fools, even if they are short-sighted. If you think this way, you will suffer a loss sooner or later."
"
The child said oh, "Mom knows people's hearts well, why don't you come and talk directly?"
The woman explained patiently: "Look at what we are wearing. No matter which store you go to buy something, as long as you are a slightly shrewd seller, you can't help but rip off customers."
The child sighed, "It's just that we are so coy and uncomfortable."
The woman knelt down, held the child's cheek with both hands, looked at the face that resembled his father's, and said seriously: "Remember, cultivating the mind is also one of the practices. Cultivation of strength in good times and cultivation of mind in adversity are indispensable.
"
The child shook his head, broke away from the woman's hands, and said angrily: "It's so annoying to have this empty theory again."
The woman was a little helpless, but she did not continue to teach the truth with earnest words. She only felt that her child was very talented and had good foundation, and he had a family background with two surnames as a backer, so there was still a long way to go in the future. Although his temperament was a little paranoid and gloomy, he still had a long way to go.
It can be simmered slowly and slowly. The biggest mistake is to force the seedlings to grow.
Listening to the boring conversation in the alley, the girl was a little worried, "Grandpa Baiyuan, if that man is unwilling to sell anything, what should we do?"
The old man with his hands up to his knees like an ape smiled and said, "Then let him die. The old slave came here to deal with this worst situation, otherwise the money would be wasted.
There wasn’t even a sound. However, the safety of the young lady will be a bit troublesome at that time, so I guess I have to leave it to the Song family or the Li family."
Apart from anything else, if he kills someone, although the old man will be expelled by the saint, compared with floating in the water silently, it is like throwing a stone into the water, and at least there will be some splashes.
It's just that the old man would never make such a move unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, no matter how significant the Sword Sutra was, and no matter how much Zhengyang Mountain regarded it as a treasure, it would still be far inferior to the road to immortality of the young lady on his shoulders.
At least for the elderly, that's what they think.
There are four surnames and ten tribes in the town, headed by the Lu family.
But if you put it outside, on the contrary, the Lu family is actually at the bottom. It originated from a dynasty dominated by the Lu family. After it was overthrown by the two major frontier armies of Dali, the Lu family's status in the East Aquarius Continent was
It's already in danger.
Over there in the alley, Liu Xianyang listened to Lu Zhengchun talking about being a high-ranking official, rich in wealth, and beautiful women. It was like he was talking to a Song Ji salary who had dropped his bookcase. He was particularly annoyed. He took a step forward and pointed at Lu Zhengchun's nose.
: "That armor is the ancestral heritage of my Liu family, and it has nothing to do with money! Even if you let me move to your house today, from now on, Lu Zhengchun will call me grandpa every day, and I won't bother to care about you! Listen, surnamed Lu.
Is it clear?!"
Lu Zhengchun stood alone at the entrance of Mubo Alley, staring hard at the gangster in front of him. He showed that he was not afraid of wearing shoes if he was barefoot, and the eldest son of the Lu family was ready to bump into him and die here.
I used to work as a lobbyist at the covered bridge, blocking Liu Xianyang's way to the blacksmith shop, but he got off to a bad start. Returning to the house on Fulu Street, my grandfather entertained those high-ranking guests and quietly called him to the secret room.
, did not say any harsh words, nor did he say any big words about the great family business, he just pointed at the body under the white cloth, "Zhengchun, grandpa has no other request, I just hope that your brother will not die in peace. I hope that by the first seven days, you will have walked out."
In the small town, just take a look at the outside scenery for him."
Lu Zhengchun's eyes suddenly became wet, and he choked and trembled: "Liu Xianyang, let me beg you, okay?"
Liu Xianyang was stunned.
This well-dressed young man became increasingly fragile and helpless, his lips trembled, and he burst into tears and said, "Okay? I'll kneel down to you, and I'll admit my mistake to you, okay?"
With a plop.
Lu Zhengchun knelt firmly on the mud floor of Mud Ping Alley and began to kowtow.
There is gold under the man's knees.
The young man kowtowed loudly and loudly.
At the foot of the outer wall of Mud Bottle Lane, the little girl gently kicked the old man's chest with her feet, thinking about the mountains that caught her eye along the way, and which one to choose to move back to her hometown.
The boy was a little gloating about his misfortune and asked casually: "Mom, is this guy named Lu crazy? Are we really going to leave the town with a madman in the future? How embarrassing would that be?"
The woman had a complicated look on her face. She thought of many strange people and strange things she had witnessed with her own eyes. She hesitated to speak, and finally shook her head and said, "No."
Liu Xianyang was a little at a loss.
The tall young man could not have imagined that Lu Zhengchun would do such a thing. The eldest grandson of the richest family in the town would just kneel at his feet and kowtow?
Liu Xianyang's face was tangled. At this moment, the straw-shoe boy who had been observing Liu Xianyang and Lu Zhengchun suddenly pulled his sleeve and shook his head gently.
Liu Xianyang couldn't bear it and said: "This is too outrageous..."
Chen Pingan's eyes are firm and determined, which is self-evident.
The tall, carefree young man already showed signs of soft-heartedness.
But in the eyes of the girl in black, the straw-shoe boy was a bad guy, but now he seemed extremely hard-hearted.
Chen Pingan's intuition told him that if Liu Xianyang agreed to the deal before Lu Zhengchun knelt down, he might suffer some hardship at most, but his life would be safe. But now Liu Xianyang has fallen into the same predicament he encountered before. If not for Qi Qi at that time,
If the gentleman intervenes, his fate is to kill Fu Nanhua and then be killed, either by people from Yunxia Mountain or Laolongcheng.
And what's even more fatal is that according to the "rules" Miss Ning told him, if Lu Zhengchun himself is from a small town, Mr. Qi will most likely be unable to control him or the Lu family if they want to kill Liu Xianyang.
Chen Ping'an's mind changed. While Lu Zhengchun was still kowtowing desperately, he lowered his voice and said to Liu Xianyang: "If it doesn't work out, just pretend to agree to him. Let's meet Master Ruan first and wait until you are accepted as a disciple."
Liu Xianyang nodded and said to Lu Zhengchun: "Brother, you'd better get up first and talk! What the hell do you think it's like being so mean!"
Lu Zhengchun did not stand up, but raised his head, his red and swollen forehead covered with mud.
Liu Xianyang said helplessly: "But you need to go back first, make a thorough calculation with them, and negotiate a fair price. Don't fool me anymore. I'm not a fool. Two hundred copper coins, let alone whether I will lose money."
When you go to grandma’s house, don’t you think the price will drop if you just tell those noble people?”
Lu Zhengchun stood up slowly and said with a smile: "That's the truth! As long as you are willing to let go, Liu Xianyang, I, Lu Zhengchun, will be your brother from now on! It doesn't matter whether you recognize me or not, I recognize you anyway!"
Liu Xianyang walked over, put his arms around Lu Zhengchun, and walked towards the alley together, comforting him: "Lao Lu, I will take my brothers to enjoy the happiness together in the future. When the deal is finalized, I should treat you to a drink anyway.
Good wine.”
Lu Zhengchun wiped his forehead and said with a cheerful smile: "Drinking is not easy. What's so difficult about it? Besides, I'm here to treat you. It won't cost you anything. That's it. Otherwise, I'll be angry, brother."
Liu Xianyang laughed and said: "I know that you are a kind person, Lao Lu, so I will definitely mix with you in the future!"
Chen Pingan followed the two of them, leaning slightly to the side of the alley wall, keeping an eye on the movement at the entrance of the alley.
————
The man in white robe took the young man Song Jixin to the back hall of the Supervisory Office in the old steward's box.
The steward said that after waiting here for half an hour, Mr. Li from the academy, who had come all the way, said he wanted to leave for the academy to visit an elder from the Confucian sect.
Song Changjing didn't say a word about this, and just asked: "The assassin who died in the alley, have you found out which force's pawn he is?"
The steward was a little hesitant.
Song Changjing frowned and said, "Huh?"
The old man quickly bent down and said in fear: "It's the Song family from Fulu Street."
Song Changjing sneered: "I don't know how to give this king a little surprise!"
The old steward was sweating profusely.
Song Jixin remained silent, his eyes blazing.
Inside the school, Qi Jingchun gently put down her book and turned around to look. There was a handsome young man standing over the door, wearing a high hat and a Confucian shirt, smiling and saying nothing.
Qi Jingchun's face was calm and unsmiling.
In the small town, a bald man wearing strange clothes walked barefoot and looked haggard. He came to the iron lock well, looked into the deep well, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and whispered softly: "Buddha sees a bowl of water, and there are a hundred and eight thousand people."
insect."
Outside the town, on the top of a mountain, there was a person standing on the thick branch of a towering ancient tree, looking at the outline of the town, with a tiger charm hanging on his waist and a long sword on his back.
This place is outside the world.
On a long road that slopes upward, as if it reaches the sky, it is surrounded by clouds and mist, and no scenery can be seen.
There is a young Taoist nun Huang Guan, riding a white deer, slowly climbing up.
Next to her was a Taoist priest with a face like a crown of jade. His steps were as nimble as flowing clouds and flowing water. Two big fish with long whiskers, one red and one green, were swimming around him.
Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and the three religions are about to gather in the small town.
In the blacksmith shop by the stream in the south of the town, a father and his daughter were forging iron, sparks flying like a brilliant rain of fire.
The man held a sword in his hand and said to the girl with a ponytail who was swinging a hammer: "Don't go to the town during this period."
The strength in the girl's hand immediately weakened a lot, and she felt that all the strength in her body had slipped away along with the snacks in the town.
The man laughed angrily and said, "Come on!"
The girl turned her grief and anger into strength and hit the red sword with a heavy hammer.
Under the bright sparks, the girl came to the world like a fire god.