Sword of Coming

Hongzhu Town is surrounded by a high wall. Chen Pingan and his party need to enter the town from the north gate. An accident soon occurs. There are armored and armed garrison soldiers at the wall gate. They need to submit a household certificate before they can enter. This made Chen Pingan stunned on the spot. He didn't even know anything about the household ultimatum.

Ah Liang, who got a gold ingot early, smiled and took out a crumpled official document from his arms. After passing the inspection, this guy didn't even want the donkey, and swaggered into the city alone. When he got to the wall gate, there was no Forgetting to wave goodbye to everyone who was looking at each other, Li Huai cursed and threatened to kill the white donkey, and A Liang laughed and left.

Zhu He was also at a loss. Before leaving the town, his ancestors did not specifically explain this matter. In fact, apart from his age, Zhu He knew nothing about the outside world. He was no better than Chen Pingan. As for traveling through mountains and rivers, eating and sleeping in the open air, he was far worse. A poor boy who was born as a kiln worker. Zhu He had an idea, thinking that money can make all the difference, and it must be universally applicable, so he secretly stuffed money into a garrison soldier, but the young soldier directly put the spearhead to his chest. He scolded harshly, even though Zhu He was good-tempered, he was also a little angry. If a martial artist from the Five Realms joined the army, he would not even do it for a middle-level general with thousands of elites. However, when Zhu He was about to argue with the man, Zhu Lu gently He took his arm and reminded him softly: "Dad, our Dali military law has clear rewards and punishments, and it has a characteristic, either extremely light or extremely severe, so don't conflict with these soldiers. We ordinary people can't take advantage." of."

Zhu He frowned and snorted coldly. After all, he still chose the people not to fight against the officials.

Zhu Lu comforted him in a low voice: "Dad, let our ancestors help you find an official status in the future. With the amulet and your skills, I believe you will be able to stand out soon. Why do you need to be so angry?"

Zhu He strode away, nodded, glanced back at the gatekeeper, and sneered: "It is true to the old saying, the king of hell is easy to meet, but the kid is difficult to deal with."

Everyone subconsciously looked at Chen Pingan.

Chen Pingan thought for a while and said slowly: "There is really no other way but to go around Red Candle Town. We are sleeping outside tonight. We can hire someone to help us buy everything we need. The real big trouble is that we can't go there. For the water transport terminal in the town, the planned itinerary will need to be modified. The original waterway of more than 200 miles and taking a boat south along the Xiuhua River will be much easier than walking, and there is no need to detour."

At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing a blue official uniform walked out of the city gate quickly, looked at Chen Ping'an and his party carefully, and finally looked at Zhu He, clasped his fists and asked: "I am Cheng Sheng, now I am a red candle." The Yi Cheng of Zhenzhui Station, may I ask, is Mr. Zhu Hezhu from Longquan County?"

Zhu He remained silent and looked wary.

The man who called himself Yi Cheng smiled heartily and said: "Your family master once sent a letter directly to our county magistrate. He roughly stated your itinerary and asked us, the county magistrate, to fulfill his duties as a landlord. In addition, , you all have letters home. You have arrived at our Pillow Inn. I made a special trip for you ten days ago. I can only say that it is quite clean and tidy. I can’t say how good it is. I hope you will bear with me. I have to file a complaint with the county magistrate, otherwise the county magistrate will be unhappy and I may lose my job tomorrow."

The head of the Pillow Post suddenly remembered something, "If Mr. Zhu doesn't believe it, I can go to the post immediately and call someone. This person is from Fulu Street in Longquan County. He said that he is also an old government official who supervises the construction of government offices. Among them was a letter from Dali Capital, which he personally brought to the superior of the government office, saying that he wanted to hand it over to a young master named Lin Shouyi."

Lin Shouyi took a few steps forward, his face filled with the arrogance of a member of a noble family, and asked: "I am Lin Shouyi of Longquan County. May I ask Cheng Yicheng, what is that man's name?"

The maid Zhu Lu was in a daze. Lin Shouyi at this time was different from the taciturn and cold young man in his impression.

Li Baoping and Li Huai's eyes met for a moment, and each nodded slightly.

Cheng Sheng, the Yi Cheng, spoke without any hesitation, "If I remember correctly, his name should be Tang Shutou. He is about forty years old. Our Dali official speaking is not very smooth. Well, this person especially likes drinking, that is, wine." …”

Lin Shou nodded and asked casually: "Yi Cheng has been waiting for us at the north gate these days?"

The man smiled and said: "Although I really want to nod my head, I really don't have the shame. In fact, the Pillow Inn is in the north of Hongzhu Town, not far from here. Secondly, there is a beacon on the top of the mountain near the town. Sui and I I have a good relationship with him, so I asked him to help me keep an eye on the road down the mountain in the north. As soon as I see the figure of Master Lin Mr. Zhu, I will have his beacon men enter the city to notify me."

Lin Shou suddenly realized and stopped talking. He turned to look at Chen Pingan, who nodded.

Zhu He smiled and thanked: "Master Cheng, thank you for your trouble."

The Yi Cheng quickly waved his hands and said: "I can't be called an adult. I'm just a little person who works in front of the donkey and behind the horse. He does the work of serving noble people all day long. It's really hard to be a gentleman. Let's not talk about it for now. I'll go talk to him. Let the garrison soldiers know, and I believe they will be able to enter our town soon."

Yi Cheng belonged to the Great Li court, but he could not be called a court official. Such subordinate officials were not in the mainstream and were not classified as high-grade officials. There was a huge gap between the high-ranking officials and the dirty officials.

Soon the Yi Cheng led them to the doorway of the city wall. Although the city guards let them go, their faces still didn't look good.

Yi Cheng took the lead to walk through the particularly shady city wall door, turned to Zhu He and explained in a low voice: "They are all old people who retired from the border battlefield. They are not very capable, but their temper is stubborn. Sometimes even our county magistrate There is nothing you can do against them, Mr. Zhu, don’t be like them."

Zhu He had no experience in martial arts, but he still understood the simple and profound truths, so he didn't answer.

They passed by a cold shop, with young and strong men constantly coming in and out, and a white light lit up from time to time in the shop.

Li Huai couldn't move his feet. Zhu He couldn't help but take a second look and soon lost interest.

Yi Cheng said: "That is a sword shop, and other weapons are also occasionally sold."

Lin Shouyi asked curiously: "Doesn't the government care? Aren't you afraid of civilians fighting with weapons?"

Yi Cheng smiled and said: "The government doesn't care much about these things, but if something goes wrong, it will be very strict. If the county government is short of manpower, the county magistrate can mobilize all the Jianghu sects within the jurisdiction to help resolve disputes."

Da Li was a martial artist, and there were many knights who traveled far and wide with swords and swords. They were both market scoundrels with high ambitions and low skills, as well as children of aristocratic families who were eager to be knights. Although the Da Li court banned the sale of all weapons, most common swords with mediocre casting techniques were not allowed to be sold. Turning a blind eye or turning a blind eye mainly depends on the attitude of the local officials. If you are a pure scholar, you will probably be strictly prohibited. If you are a warrior on the battlefield, nine times out of ten, you will be lenient. Of course, you will have strong bows, crossbows, and sophisticated armor. Such a valuable weapon of the country must not be sold anywhere.

Beacons, inns, markets, wine shops, brothels and bars, etc., Hongzhu Town has everything. It is very lively and full of people on the street. Compared with Chen Pingan and his hometown town, it is much more bustling and noisy. There are all kinds of shops on both sides of the street, which is dazzling. , shouts came and went.

After chatting all the way and burning incense, they arrived at the Pillow Post. Soon, the post's servants took away the white donkey and the horse. Sure enough, Cheng Sheng, the post's chief, arranged a post for them, with both grades A and B. He was not good at it. He advocated instead throwing the five posthouses to Zhu He and letting them arrange their own arrangements.

Under Chen Pingan's arrangement, Li Baoping and Zhu Lu lived in a first-class post house, Zhu He lived in a first-class post house, and he and Li Huailin Shouyi each lived in a second-class post house. If A Liang comes back, he can If he chooses a hotel to share at random, of course with Ah Liang's temper, he will definitely ask if he can choose Zhu Lu's room. It is estimated that Zhu Lu will definitely give him a look.

In the dusk, after everyone put away their luggage and packages, they gathered in the spacious first-class post house in Zhuhe. Postmaster Cheng Sheng quickly sent a stack of letters to his family. After sending them, he left with a smile, saying that if he had anything to do, just call him. Just one word is enough, and he also said that the night market in Hongzhu Town is famous in the south of Dali, and you must see it if you have the opportunity.

Lin Shouyi had one letter, Li Baoping had the most with three letters, and even Chen Ping'an had one letter. Li Huai was empty-handed, and finally found Zhu Lu, who was in a similar situation. The child smiled and said, "Fortunately, we are in the same boat."

Zhu Lu ignored it and walked to the window. The small pillow-shaped inn with its deep winding paths actually created a sense of a worldly garden with a deep courtyard. Viewed from here, it was a small lake that felt no more than the size of a palm. Raising bloated red and yellow koi fish.

Lin Shouyi's home letter was only a piece of letter paper with only a few words. The young man took a deep breath, put the so-called home letter back into the envelope, and left the post house with a gloomy face. He clenched the envelope tightly with his fingers, except for more than thirty handwritings. There was a sloppy and perfunctory handwriting, and inside the envelope was a banknote of 300 taels from the largest bank in Dali.

The young man strode back to the inn, closed the door gently, and put the envelope on the table. His face was ashen and his chest was heaving.

Chen Ping'an chose a secluded place to sit down. Li Baoping ran over and hesitated to speak. He smiled and said, "If there is a word I don't know, I will ask you."

Li Baoping then returned to the table and started to open the letters. There were three letters from home, one from his father, the eldest brother and the second brother.

Li Baoping opened a letter, and his father Li Hong said some greetings in the letter. As always, there was no air of being a strict father, and he just told some trivial things, such as wearing more clothes when it's cold, and saying goodbye when going out. I was afraid of spending money, and every time I passed by the inn, I had to send a letter home to my parents. I kept talking so much that five or six pieces of letter paper were just turned over. Li Baoping sighed, looked at Zhu He who was sitting across the table drinking tea, and said sadly: "When will my parents stop treating me like a child?"

Zhu He couldn't help laughing and drank tea.

Li Baoping browsed the second letter, which was written by her eldest brother, the eldest grandson of their Li family. He is currently studying scriptures at home and preparing to take the imperial examination next year. The content of the letter is concise and to the point, with regular regular characters, which seems to be full of the charm of a husband and a wife sitting upright. Every stroke reveals a strong sense of caution. The whole article is full of sages and great principles. Zhu He Zhu must not neglect her. Lu, father and daughter, should not be looked down upon by having children at home. She was asked to listen more to Chen Ping'an's words in Mu Ping Xiang, be able to endure hardships and stand hard work, and cause less trouble to others. But at the end of the letter, the eldest brother who has abided by etiquette and rules since childhood, He told her that he had learned a lesson about the crab she caught from the stream when she was a child, and asked her to just rest assured.

Li Baoping raised the letter in his hand and complained to Zhu He: "Brother cares about me the least."

Zhu He held back his smile and thought, Miss, just let it go. Everyone in the Li family knows that the eldest son is the one who loves you the most. Such a nerd, whose reasoning gave even his ancestors a headache, drank for the first time, and his sister secretly replaced the tea with home-brewed peach blossom spring roast. He was so frightened that he didn't dare to say anything. He only dared to follow his son who ran to find his sister to challenge him. He was afraid that this slightly pedantic son would get angry and teach Xiaobaoping a lesson.

He never thought that when he saw that girl, standing outside the courtyard gate, hands on hips, looking forward to death, he scolded her again because of his reluctance, and became so angry that he turned around and left, getting angry several times. The sky is stuffy. Later, he buried a jar of peach blossoms in his yard that year. When his sister asked about it, he said he wanted to marry her off. The little girl was so scared that she ran away from home secretly and wandered alone by Longxuxi River. Throughout the whole day, she almost hid in the mountains.

When the Li family realized that Li Baoping was missing, the ancestors were furious and sent everyone to look for this silly girl. In the end, the eldest son made up for it and found her sleeping on a long wooden bench in a small temple on the other side of the stream. The poor child carried her back home.

The little girl in the red cotton jacket suddenly laughed and said, "But I still like the eldest brother the most."

The last letter, a thick stack, was sent by the second son of the Li family to his sister. He told about his experience of going to the capital of Dali. They were all anecdotes that he had seen with his own eyes or heard from hearsay. The wording was as beautiful as prose. He is extremely talented and is like a master of poetry who was gifted from heaven. This second young master is far more popular than his eldest brother in the Li family on Fulu Street. He is handsome and elegant, but has a witty conversation. He likes to read military books. Since he was a child, he has liked to have the maids and servants of the house serve in formations to "fight". Compared with the old-fashioned and boring The eldest son, the people in the house prefer to deal with the cheerful second son. During festivals, the second son will casually throw out a small embroidered bag of reward money when he sees someone. It’s heavy. If someone’s auspicious words are good, he will I will give you an extra embroidery bag.

Li Baoping flipped through the pages quickly. When he saw the penultimate piece of paper, he looked up at Zhu Lu and said, "My second brother is talking about you. He told you about Da Li Feng Sui's Taiping Fire once. I stayed at the top of the mountain at night and saw with my own eyes the beacon signal from the border to report peace to the capital. From a distance, it looked like a long flaming dragon, which was very spectacular."

Zhu Lu quickly walked back to the table and sat down, asking, "Miss, what else did you say?"

Li Baoping simply handed all the pile of letters to Zhu Lu. Instead, the second brother was talking about the local customs, mountain ghosts and strange things, and there was nothing ulterior.

Zhu Lu took the letter and asked, "Can you take it back and read it slowly?"

Li Baoping nodded and said, "Just don't lose it."

Zhu Lu's face was full of joy and he left with a smile.

Yi Cheng Sheng knocked on the door and came in, bringing a basin of fresh fruits.

Behind him was a man in a bamboo hat.

Li Huai was furious and ran over to push this heartless bastard out of the house.

While A Liang was competing with Li Huai, he sat down on the stool beside the table and asked with a wicked smile: "What's the matter with Zhu Lu? His face is so charming and charming, he seems to be even more beautiful than usual."

Zhu He had a dark face and said nothing.

Lin Shouyi returned and sat near Chen Pingan. A Liang threw the small silver gourd to Lin Shouyi. The young man pulled out the wine cork and took a sip of wine.

A Liang turned to Yi Cheng and asked: "Is there a Shuishui Bay in Hongzhu Town? Is it not too far from the water transport terminal?"

Yi Cheng looked strange and nodded: "Yes."

Aliang clicked his tongue and said: "Pinjin Cave, Pinjin Cave."

There is a crescent-shaped river bend in Hongzhu Town. There is a kind of exquisite painted boat unique to Hongzhu Town. It is only two or three feet long. It is surrounded by precious purple bamboo or ordinary green bamboo. The degree of luxury decoration inside depends on the financial resources of the owner of the boat. There are usually two to three women in each painting boat. There are many beautiful women and young girls. They are proficient in at least one or two kinds of music, chess, calligraphy, tea and wine. In addition to the viewing seats, there is also a bedroom, whose functions are self-evident. Metaphor.

Those boat girls have been members of the Da Li family for generations. According to legend, they were survivors of the subjugation of the former Shenshui Kingdom. The Emperor of Da Li issued an edict that they would never be allowed to go ashore, and that their descendants would be forced to live like that without roots for the rest of their lives. Ping.

The people of Hongzhu Town passed down from generation to generation that the landowner of Qidun Mountain not far away was unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness. He secretly protected the ancestors of these surnames on their way to escape. This angered Emperor Long Yan of Dali and ordered him from the mountain god. He was demoted to the land and ordered the descendants of those surnames to smash the golden bodies with their own hands and sink them to the bottom of the river.

Yi Cheng carefully crafted his words and chose some innocuous small town allusions to tell these distinguished guests.

Hongzhu Town cannot be said to be the north-south hub of Dali, but it is also a busy water transport terminal with boats and ships, and products from all over the country are gathered together. It is the place where three rivers converge, namely the Chongdan River, the Xiuhua River and the Yuye River. However, there are only two river gods. There are river god temples and clay statues of the gods built on the riverside. They all died in the water battle. Dali's meritorious service as commander of the navy.

Only the Danjiang River has no river god and no temple. Later, a popular Temple of the Empress appeared to enshrine a small-town martyred girl who committed suicide by throwing herself into the river to prove her innocence. As a result, it was quickly designated as a temple for obscenity by the Dali court. , now there is only a pile of ruins, broken bricks, and only snakes and rats running around.

When he heard about the deeds of the Land Master of Qidun Mountain, Li Huai sighed softly: "I never thought that such a big bad guy would have such a good reputation in Hongzhu Town."

Lin Shouyi looked indifferent, "Every family has its own scriptures that are difficult to recite."

Chen Pingan put away the letter sent by Ruan Xiu.

The letter said that the Luolu Mountain he bought had successfully been granted the title of a new mountain god from Da Li to help gather spiritual energy at the top of the mountain. It was second only to Piyun Mountain, which was not involved in the sale, and the Deng Deng Mountain held by her father.