Gan Baobao suddenly chased Zhong Ling into the wing and beat the girl.
This senseless thing really made her feel aggrieved for a while.
But Gan Baobao patted her twice, then hugged her and cried a lot.
This made Zhong Ling even more confused and could only ask subconsciously.
"Mom, why are you crying?"
Gan Baobao wiped his tears and felt uncomfortable mentioning Mu Wanqing.
Zhong Ling saw that she was silent and said.
"Are the Young Master and Sister Mu of the Duan family still in the valley?"
"What does their matter have to do with you? From now on, I will not allow you to go to Duan Yu again!"
Speaking of where he was angry, Gan Baobao glared at Zhong Ling again.
Although Zhong Ling was only twenty-eight years old and not familiar with worldly affairs, he could still tell that Gan Baobao was distressed.
Although she admired Duan Yu's handsomeness, she still didn't dare to disobey Gan Baobao's wishes at the moment, so she could only nod her head and agree.
When Gan Baobao saw that this girl was so considerate to her, he couldn't help feeling sad and held her for a long time.
When Zhong Ling was about to doze off, Gan Baobao got up and left.
She opened the door and was about to go out.
When I looked up, I saw a man leaning on the railing outside the door, looking at the flowers and plants in the yard.
Gan Baobao's newly calmed state of mind suddenly became chaotic, and he really didn't know whether to hide or go out.
"Is that girl asleep?"
Hearing Chen Xuan's fluttering words, Gan Baobao secretly gritted his teeth and thought of his threat, and could only say with hatred.
"Why did you come out?"
When she saw Chen Xuan standing outside the door, she wondered if his conscience had discovered it, and finally did not attack Mu Wanqing.
If this is the case, there is still some room between her and senior sister Qin Hongmian.
But Chen Xuan said quietly.
"It's been over a long time ago. She's no better than Madam, so she won't be able to deal with it for long."
Upon hearing this, Gan Baobao gritted his teeth and wished he could slap him hard in the back.
But looking at Chen Xuan's back as tall as a mountain, she didn't dare to fall out with him after all, so she could only say coldly.
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Of course I'll spend the middle of the night with my wife."
"you!!!"
Gan Baobao was so angry that he was speechless for a moment. Even scolding him felt like he had lost all his energy.
Chen Xuan didn't take it seriously. Now he has realized a little bit the benefits beyond the disputes in the martial arts world.
As long as you have the ability, the world is indeed a wonderful place.
"What? Madam, you want me to spend the night in Zhong Ling's wing tonight?"
"..."
Gan Baobao secretly gritted his teeth, and finally could only say dejectedly.
"You evil person is really disgusting. Why do you have to let me bear so many injustices?"
"Ma'am, relax."
Chen Xuan said casually and led Gan Baobao back.
Gan Baobao thought he had restrained his temper, but he didn't expect him to say something quietly.
"I'll get used to it when I see you more in the future. Maybe Wanqing can call you sister in the future."
"Bah! I'm not as shameless as you."
"That's not necessarily the case."
Chen Xuan said quietly, Gan Baobao was naturally very dissatisfied.
The other side.
Duan Zhengming visited the "Nianhua Temple" at night and asked the yellow-browed monk for help.
After returning to the palace, he ordered the eunuch Xuan Basikong to come and inform him about the abolition of the salt tax.
Batianshi bowed to thank him and said.
"The Emperor's great kindness is truly a blessing to the common people."
Having said that, cutting the salt tax is no small matter.
Duan Zhengming threw this problem to him.
"All expenses in the palace should be reduced as much as possible. Go and discuss with Hua Situ and Fan Sima to see if there is anything that can be saved."
Batianshi bowed his hands respectfully.
Leave the palace.
Ba Tianshi immediately made an appointment with Situ Huahegen, who was also one of the three princes of Dali, and together they came to Sima Fanhua's house to inform him about the abolition of the salt tax.
Although the three of them are listed as the Three Dukes and hold official positions in the court, in fact the Dali Kingdom relies on military force to establish the country, and the abilities of the three of them are not weak.
In particular, Batianshi had competed with Yun Zhonghe in Qinggong and Shenfa before, and was three points better than Yun Zhonghe.
Now the three of them are together.
Fan Hua muttered.
"Now that the Crown Prince of Zhennan is trapped in the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities, His Majesty has issued an order to exempt the salt tax, presumably because he wants the Crown Prince to return as soon as possible. As ministers, we cannot share the worries of our king and father, so how can we have the dignity to stand in the court?"
Batianshi nodded and sighed.
"That's it. I wonder if Brother Fan has any good ideas?"
Fan Hua said.
"Since the opponent is the Prince of Yanqing, Your Majesty is afraid that he would not want to be a direct enemy. I have a plan, but I have to trouble Brother Hua." Hua Hegen said hurriedly.
"What's the trouble? I'm just sharing your Majesty's worries, Brother Fan said so."
Fan Hua said.
"Prince Yanqing's martial arts skills are half as good as His Majesty's. Let's go head-to-head to save people, but the chances are slim. But Brother Hua's skills back then can be put to good use."
Hua Hegen felt slightly embarrassed when he heard this.
"Brother Fan is here to make fun of me again. My craftsmanship is really beyond the realm of elegance."
Although Hua Hegen is now Situ, one of the three princes of Dali.
In fact, he was born into a poor family in his early years, and before he became successful, he only engaged in tomb robbing and excavation.
His best skill is stealing the tombs of princes and wealthy businessmen.
There must be rare treasures buried in these large tombs.
He dug tunnels from far away, led into the tombs, and then stole the treasures.
Once, he dug into a mysterious ancient tomb and found a martial arts secret for burial in the coffin. He practiced according to the law and developed an outstanding outer martial arts, and then gave up his low-level career.
Later, he assisted Duan Zhengming, made many extraordinary achievements, and was finally promoted to the position of Situ.
Apart from Fan Hua and Batianshi, two close friends of life and death, very few people knew about his old background.
Fan Hua saw that he had misunderstood and said.
"How dare I make fun of my elder brother? I thought we could dig a tunnel into the stone chamber of Prince Zhennan, and then rescue him without anyone noticing."
As soon as this statement came out.
The other two people were suddenly enlightened and couldn't help being overjoyed, feeling that this idea was indeed feasible.
Now Hua Hegen said.
"It won't be too late, let's get started."
He and Ba Tianshi drew the map of the Valley of Ten Thousand Tribulations, and Hua Hegen drew up the entrance route of the tunnel. As for how to avoid people's eyes and ears, how to transport the soil dug in the tunnel, etc., these were all his special skills.
And in the Valley of Ten Thousand Tribulations.
Duan Yu stayed in the stone chamber, because of the harmony of yin and yang, it was really uncomfortable every time he scratched his heart and liver.
However, Chen Xuan came over a few days ago and snatched Mu Wanqing away, leaving him alone to suffer but unable to do anything.
At noon the next day, Duan Yu felt restless in the stone room.
Suddenly I heard an old voice outside the stone house saying.
"The chess game has nineteen vertical and horizontal lines in its circumference, and it is difficult for sages of ancient and modern times to understand its nature. Can a layman have some fun and talk about a game with an old monk?"
When Duan Yu heard this, he subconsciously went to the small window where the food was brought in and looked out.
I saw an old monk with a wrinkled face and brown eyebrows. He was holding an ironwood fish the size of a rice bowl in his left hand. He raised a wooden fish mallet in his right hand and tapped the ironwood fish several times.
The sound it made was deep and deep, and the wooden fish mallet seemed to be made of iron and stone.
The yellow-browed old monk chanted the Buddha's name, leaned over and struck the wooden fish hammer against a large bluestone in front of the stone house.
There was only a heartbreaking sound of scratching the glass.
The stone powder flew into the air and formed a straight line.
The strength of the old monk's hand was extremely strong. He scratched it casually, leaving deep marks on the stone, just like a stonemason slowly striking out with a chisel and hammer.
Moreover, the lines are straight to the end, and the strength is even and steady, which is rare in the world.
Sure enough, I saw the old monk showing this move.
In the courtyard, a dull voice said.
"Vajra Finger Power? It's really good!"
A quick glance revealed that it was indeed the old man in green robe who was guarding the door, Duan Yanqing, the former Prince Yanqing.
He seemed to have expected the old monk's appearance.
Jianghu people and Jianghu affairs.
Duan Zhengming prides himself on morality, so it is impossible to invite the masters of the Duan family from Tianlong Temple to come. He can only find some Sanjia who are like idle clouds and wild cranes.
Duan Yanqing stretched out the iron staff in his right hand and drew a horizontal line on the bluestone, which exactly intersected with the straight line carved by the yellow-browed monk.
It goes deep into the stone surface without any distortion.
The yellow-browed monk smiled.
"It is excellent if the donor is willing to teach you."
After that, he used a wooden fish mallet to carve a straight line on the bluestone.
Duan Yanqing also carved a horizontal line.
In this way, you carve a line and I carve a line. It looks like drawing a line, but in fact it is a competition between the power of the Yang finger and the Vajra finger.
The two of them concentrated their skills and stroked the hammer and staff slowly and slowly, and the lines they carved were almost the same.
Unknowingly, a chessboard with nineteen vertical and horizontal lines has been neatly carved out.
The yellow-browed monk thought secretly.
"This Prince Yanqing's internal strength is truly remarkable."
Duan Yanqing didn't know that the yellow-browed monk had come prepared, and he was even more surprised.
"Where did Zhengming find such a powerful old monk?"
As he thought, he became more alert and ready to take action.
The yellow-browed monk said.
"Donor Duan has great skills, and the old monk admires him. I think his chess skills will be ten times better than the old monk's. The old monk also asked the benefactor to give up the four stones."
Duan Yanqing was startled. Seeing that the old monk had extraordinary attainments with his diamond finger, he was naturally unwilling to give in.
"Master, why should you be too modest? If you want to decide victory or defeat, it is natural to win or lose."
The yellow-browed monk said.
"The old monk's chess skills are not as good as those of the benefactor, so he must give up his fourth son."
Duan Yanqing said calmly.
"Since the master admits that his chess skills are inferior, there is no need to compete."
The yellow-browed monk gave way.
"Then let the third son go?"
Duan Yanqing said.
"I can't even give up my son."
When the yellow-browed monk heard this, he changed the subject and smiled.
"In that case, how about I let you have the third son?"
Duan Yanqing said indifferently.
"That's okay, we can just play fair."
The smile on the yellow-browed monk's face faded a bit, and he became more vigilant, secretly thinking.
"This Prince Yanqing is worthy of being a member of the royal family. He is neither arrogant nor impetuous. No matter how I provoke him, he is as stable as Mount Tai."
In fact, the yellow-browed monk's chess skills are not very advanced, otherwise he would not ask the opponent to give up four pieces.
In fact, Duan Zhengming asked him to come out on the pretext of reducing the salt tax, and his diamond finger might not be a match for Duan Yanqing, so he relied on his chess skills to determine the outcome.
Unexpectedly, this period of Yanqing was unsmiling and rigorous.
He neither weakens moral principles nor abides by his own victory or defeat.
The yellow-browed monk saw the fourth son, but the third son refused to give way, so he said so.
"Okay, you are the host and I am the guest. I will get off first."
Seeing that he was about to take the initiative, Duan Yanqing stopped him.
"Since the master invites you to play, naturally you are the host and I am the guest. I should play first in this game."
The yellow-browed monk saw the dispute and said with a smile.
"In that case, let's make a bet. Can the donor guess that when the old monk reaches seventy years old, will the number of toes on his two feet be odd or even? If he guesses right, you will bet first. If he guesses wrong, the monk will bet first.
.”
This guess is very strange.
Most people have ten toes, of course even numbers.
But the Yellow-browed Monk deliberately stated that after reaching the age of seventy, could there be something else going on?
Duan Yanqing was undecided, but he had been familiar with military literature since he was a child.
The Art of War says: Use what is real and what is imaginary, and what is imaginary, make what is real.
This old monk had an impromptu idea, but he probably wouldn't be able to fake it.
Immediately.
"It's an even number."
The yellow-browed monk smiled.
"The donor is wrong, it's an odd number."
After that, the yellow-browed monk showed his feet. Both feet had five toes, so how could they be incomplete?
Duan Yanqing felt strange.
I saw the yellow-browed monk lift the wooden fish mallet, wave it briefly, and with a "click" sound, he actually cut off the little toe of his right foot!
The yellow-browed monk's expression did not change, he just smiled.
"The old monk is sixty-nine years old this year. When he turns seventy, my toes will be odd."
Seeing this, Duan Yanqing could only nod his head.
"That's right. The chess master will play first."
He calls himself "the most evil person in the world". He has never seen anything cruel and cruel, but he just cut off a little toe. How can he take it seriously?
But thinking that this old monk did not hesitate to use such a decisive method just to compete for one of his sons, I couldn't help but admire him for a moment.
The other side.
The three men of Dali, Situ Huahegen, Sima Fanhua, and Sikong Batianshi, led their men into the forest behind the Valley of Ten Thousand Tribulations, selected the terrain, and dug tunnels.
After digging for a long time, it was estimated that the ground was no more than a foot away. Hua Hegen gently pushed aside the soil and finally came across a flat wooden board. He was overjoyed.
"I didn't expect that the floor of the stone dungeon was covered with wooden boards. This is more convenient."
With this thought in mind, he focused his fingers and slowly drew a two-foot-square square under the floor, then directly took off the entire board, revealing a hole that could accommodate one person.
He looked over and heard a sudden "ah" sound, as if a girl was screaming for help.
He glanced around and saw that this was a stone dungeon.
But seeing that there were all the seats and jewelry, it was clearly a guest room.
A beautiful girl with a face full of panic shrank in the corner, as if she had been frightened.
As soon as Hua Hegen saw this posture, he knew that his calculations were wrong and he dug in the wrong place.
It turns out that Hua Hegen dug up Zhong Ling's room.
That girl is none other than Gan Baobao's precious daughter Zhong Ling.
In broad daylight, a man suddenly emerged from the ground and taught her how not to panic?
Hua Hegen was also thinking about what to do when he saw Ba Tianshi coming out. He looked up and immediately recognized Zhong Ling.
"Isn't this Zhong Wanchou's daughter?"
"She is Zhong Wanchou's daughter?"
"Yes, the prince is trapped in the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities. We might as well take this girl as a hostage."
When Ba Tianshi said this, Hua Hegen's mind changed. Seeing that he was going to catch Zhong Ling, he hurriedly stopped him.
"I have a better idea. Now the Crown Prince Yanqing actually makes the decision in the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities. It's probably useless to capture this girl alone. I think it would be better to send her to the stone chamber where the Crown Prince is detained. Then