Beside the peach grove, a sense of solemnity suddenly arises, just like the warmth of spring giving way to the chill of autumn.
The wind blows, the forest moves, and sobs are everywhere, like a sad song or a sigh.
Chu Ji clenched his fists nervously, and the two people in front of him looked solemn, obviously having murderous intentions. He deliberately wanted to dissuade him, but was stopped by the looks of the two men.
Things between men have their own way of settling things. No matter who lives or dies today, there is no blame for others.
With a snap, Wu Gen took off the broken knife from his waist and threw it to the ground.
He raised his eyebrows and said, "Well, what do you mean?"
"Use your fists more sharply and hit your stinky face to relieve the hatred." Wu Gen moved his hands and feet and looked at the opponent provocatively.
The knife is sharp, but it is also easier to kill.
Xiangqi's heart felt warm, "Okay, I've already felt uncomfortable seeing your white lotus-like face."
The two of them were more than ten steps apart, nodded to each other, and suddenly jumped up at the same time, shooting towards each other like arrows. Wu Gen used his own Beng Fist. This move did not use all his strength, and it was not as powerful as before.
For a moment when their bodies were in contact with each other, their eyes met, with some bitterness in their eyes. Suddenly, a mocking look appeared in Xiang Qi's eyes, and the fist that originally hit Wu Gen was raised a little higher.
As a result, the door opened wide before he stood up, and there was no longer any defense. Wu Gen's fist dug into it like a heavy hammer.
Xiang Qi's move was completely beyond Wu Gen's expectations. He was shocked and anxious to withdraw his fist. But by this time, the boxing style had become old, and even with all his efforts, he could only avoid the key points.
With a muffled sound, the upward movement of the body stopped abruptly, and it continued to roll backwards like a piece of paper, and hit the peach tree hard. After knocking down three or four trees one after another, he fell heavily to the ground.
He looked up at the sky, blood continued to flow from his mouth and nose, and his chest rose and fell rapidly.
Taking three steps and two steps at a time, Wu Gen ran to Xiang Qi's side, lifted his upper body up and leaned on his knees, "Why don't you block him, you idiot."
"Block your ass, ahem, you have won honor for the martial artist. If I were to stop you, would you still have the dignity to meet a bunch of brothers when you go back? Although I am not a big person, I can still write the word "righteousness". Xiang Qi said with a sad smile, his face full of self-deprecation.
In fact, I already knew that you were going to Zhujuan Country. When you were in Xingluo Plain, you had inquired about the route to Zhujuan Country. The prince has sent someone to intercept you. I am a guard. Failure to comply would be disloyal. You are a role model for warriors like us. It would be unjust to not let go, and it is difficult to do so.
But if I am injured and let the thief escape, I can only blame my inferior skills. Haha, Wu Gen, your punch was so hard. "
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Just show it off."
"You think that the people in the palace are all fools and can't see the injury. Don't make yourself self-defeating."
"I'll take you to the hospital. Your ribs should be injured. If you don't handle it properly, your life may be in danger." Wu Gen was a little confused and wanted to help Xiang Qi up.
"No, just let me lie here. Forget about mother-in-law and mother-in-law, let's go quickly. The brothers behind are also coming. Don't make it difficult for everyone by seeing each other." Seeing that Wu Gen was still busy, Xiang Qi became a little anxious. , "Walk faster, you won't die, with soft fists, that is, scratch the itch, go by land, and be afraid of being blocked by water.".
Wu Gen hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "Then I'm leaving. Today's business..."
"You bitches, get out of here." Xiang Qi waved his hand impatiently.
In desperation, Wu Gen stood up and prepared to leave. Behind him, Xiangqi sucked in the cold air and said, "Don't tell me, it really hurts. Wu Gen, just knock me out. Damn it, why can't I faint?"
Seeing Xiangqi grinning, Wu Gen shook his head, slashed the back of his neck with a palm, Xiangqi rolled his eyes, and finally passed out.
After leading Chu Ji for more than ten steps, Wu Gen turned his head to look at Xiang Qi who was lying on the ground, and gave a solemn salute.
Brother is gone, brother, take care.
After leaving Taolin, Wu Gen went to the boat to find his luggage. Without saying goodbye to anyone, he hurried along the river bank and headed straight for Zhujuan Kingdom. We are already far away from Dongjie City. Compared with traveling along the waterway, the land route is much more difficult.
Along the way, Wu Gen was cautious, walking through mountains and ridges, only looking for small roads. Encountered something that really can’t be passed
, and cut a way out with a knife.
Finally, Wu Gen set foot on the land of Zhujuan Kingdom. Feeling the heavy feeling under his feet, Wu Gen still didn't believe that he had actually passed through Zhao State and came to such a far place for the first time.
Looking back to the west, Wu Gen secretly swore that he would eventually go back.
Now that he has arrived in the Zhujuan Kingdom, there is no need to be so worried. After inquiring along the way, Wu Gen returned to the Tuosui River. It was more comfortable to take a boat. After all, Chu Ji was still young and could not run around in the wild by himself all day long.
The boat went downstream, and Wu Gen and Chu Ji fell asleep in the cabin. When I woke up, I had already arrived at a ferry. Not wanting another incident to happen, Wu Gen and Chu Ji did not disembark. In this way, after walking for three days, we finally arrived at a big city.
The ship was going to dock here for a few days, and Wu Gen took the opportunity to inquire about the whereabouts of Shui Congyue. Originally I only heard that his home was in Huanjiang City, Kaiyang County, but I didn't know how to get there, so I took the opportunity to ask.
At this time, we have gone deep into the Zhujuan Kingdom. No matter how long King Jinchun's hand is, he can't reach here.
When he arrived at the city gate, Wu Gen took out Chu Ji's noble jade plate, which was more useful than the ultimatum for customs clearance. No matter where or in what country you go, a noble person cannot be underestimated, so Wu Gen and the others entered the city smoothly.
When entering the city, Wu Gen discovered that in addition to the soldiers guarding the city, there was actually a man in a robe, sitting arrogantly in the middle, pointing in the distance. Many officers accompanied him on both sides, serving this man with flattering faces.
Wu Gen was a little curious and didn't know which gentleman this was for a private visit, so he asked the soldiers at the gate of the city. Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but be a little surprised. This man in robes was not a military lieutenant general or a court official, but just a practicing sect called Xianxiamen here.
Judging from his posture, he didn't take these soldiers defending the city seriously at all, as if he was in a superior position.
It's strange how a spiritual sect can interfere in worldly affairs so much. Although he had doubts, in order to avoid causing trouble, Wu Gen had to leave with Chu Ji. After asking about the location of Huanjiang City along the way, I learned that we had to walk along the Tuoshui River for more than a hundred miles and then go ashore, then turn overland and head southeast.
In desperation, Wu Gen had no choice but to take Chu Ji back to the boat. After sitting there for two days, he went ashore again and headed towards Huanjiang City.
After arriving on land and walking through several places, Wu Gencai was surprised to find that it was not uncommon to see practitioners meddling in worldly affairs last time. No matter in the countryside or in the city, one can feel the influence of cultivators. Some sects have even become superior to the government.
Whether it is city defense and civil affairs, or cultural and educational farming, there is a shadow of a spiritual sect. Even the taxes, which are the pillars of the country, are divided into two, one is paid according to the line of the court, and the other is paid as tribute to some local big names. sect.
In particular, minerals, rare treasures and other items have been occupied by sects and become their private property. It is like a state within a state. The most important thing is that both the court and the people are accustomed to this and don't think there is anything wrong with it. It seems to be a matter of course.
Wu Gen was very puzzled by this. Could it be that the Zhujuan royal family could tolerate such a division of power. After careful inquiry, it suddenly dawned on me that this royal family was the largest spiritual sect. The current emperor Zhou Feng was also a Qi practitioner, and his cultivation was quite good.
These large and small sects are all under the control of the royal family and need to be canonized by the emperor. They also have to pay specific taxes every year, which of course are mainly for cultivation. Moreover, some sects were simply established by the royal family to supervise local areas on their behalf.
In this way, the Zhujuan Kingdom formed two unique lines, but both the secular and the spiritual world were all subjects of the royal family. The emperor just took advantage of these sects to continuously collect various things needed for practice.
As for whether there is any sect that resists, let’s forget it. When it comes to which sect is stronger, the Zhou royal family ranks first.
With a sigh, Wu Gen finally understood why Shui Congyue was so disgusted with Qi training and turned to martial arts. How can these mortals live comfortably when they are double squeezed by the government and sects?
Along the way, some hungry people could be seen everywhere who were displaced and had to rely on the sect, either working in the mines to mine spiritual jade, planting various exotic herbs for them, or simply selling themselves as a furnace or something.
All kinds of tragic situations can be said to be everywhere. Shui Congyue is most worried about
, the matter of strangers being superior to ordinary people, and living in harmony with each other, has gradually become a reality.
With many worries on his mind, Wu Gen hurried on his way. Such a general situation in the world could not change overnight. It would be extremely difficult to change this situation. Shui Congyue's great wish to compete with the spiritual sect with force is honestly very difficult to realize.
On this day, they arrived at a place called Danshui. Wu Gen and Chu Ji rested in a small tea shop on the roadside. It's said to be a tea shop, but it's just a shed set up on the roadside.
There were not many people drinking tea in the shop. The tea seller was an old man and his granddaughter. The old man has a head full of white hair and wrinkles. The granddaughter looked only fifteen or sixteen. Although her clothes were shabby, she could not hide her beauty.
During the rest and chat, Wu Gen started chatting with the old man and asked his granddaughter where her parents were and why they were exposed to the sun and rain here.
The old man sighed, took a puff of his pipe, and explained the reason.
It turned out that the granddaughter's father died in the mine while digging for a local spiritual sect. After his mother learned the news, she fell ill and even gave up and returned to the west.
Only the grandfather and grandson were left to depend on each other. Since they were too old to do heavy work, they had to open this tea shop to make a living. It's just that business is not very good, and life has always been difficult.
Hao Gen couldn't help but sigh after hearing this. He was always stingy but today he was willing to take out a tael of silver to pay for tea. This pot of tea cost only five cents, but it frightened the old man and he didn't dare to ask for it.
While they were pulling, two wild horses came up the road outside. The people on the horses were all wearing black robes with bright plum blossom patterns on their cuffs.
Seeing these two people, the old man was frightened and hurriedly greeted them, "You two immortals want to drink tea."
One of the men with a scab on his face waved his hand and handed the reins to the old man, and ordered: "Tie the horse up and serve you the best tea. The immortal is thirsty." As he said this, he turned to the other man with a satisfied smile. The pockmarked man said, "Let's take a rest here for now. After running for such a long way, my throat is on fire."
The two of them went into the shed by themselves, and the old man quickly asked his granddaughter to make tea and serve it to them.
After a few sips, the two started chatting. Wu Gen learned from their conversation that these two people were members of the Plum Blossom Sect, and they were here to demand tax payment.
After drinking a pot of tea, the two of them took the time to look around. It happened that the old man's granddaughter came over to refill the water. The man with the wrinkles on his face glanced at them casually, and his eyes lit up. This girl looks ordinary at first, but when you take a closer look, she is full of youthful beauty. If she dresses up, she is actually a beauty.
"Hey, little girl, don't leave. Let Master Xian take a look at your bones to see if you have the talent to practice Qi." He said and grabbed the girl's wrist without politeness.
The girl panicked and tried to break away quickly, but with her strength, she couldn't beat the person in front of her.
The old man was feeding the horse water. When he saw this, he ran over quickly, trying to stop the other party. The man with the scab suddenly lit up, "I was just talking nonsense, but I didn't expect that this little girl really has the talent to practice qi. What a coincidence."
Another person also looked happy, "Before I went out, Hall Master Xu asked me to help him find a cauldron. I searched all the way, but I didn't expect to meet him here. Haha, this tea is worth it."
