Li Yan looked down the hillside, which was a dense forest at the foot of the mountain. The trees were getting bigger and thicker, and the ground was covered with bushes, which had long submerged the traces left by the battle.
Li Yan couldn't even find the tree he was leaning on before he fell unconscious, but his eyes seemed to see Ji Junshi in a pool of blood again.
There was a deep, fuzzy bloody hole in his throat. His body was twitching, and his eyes were staring up at him, filled with unwillingness and anger...
Li Yan had many thoughts. Gradually, he no longer had any hatred for Master Ji. If it hadn't been for him, he would never have entered the path of immortality.
Whether the path to immortality that Master Ji took him on was good or bad, it was hard for Li Yan himself to tell clearly now.
Losing the filial piety of his parents during their lifetime allowed him to see a more exciting side of the world. Although it was extremely dangerous, Li Yan felt that this was exactly what he wanted.
He has had a rebellious streak in his bones since he was a child. He often escaped from private school and secretly carried his family on his back and followed the adults into the mountains to hunt wild animals.
Even though he knew that if he joined the army and ate food, he would die at any time in the war, he still followed Uncle Guo Xin into the city.
It was difficult for Li Yan to describe the good or bad of Ji Junshi at the time. Maybe he and Ji Junshi would meet again in the future, or even have a chat with each other as Taoist friends.
After standing there for a long time, when the moon rose high, Li Yan's figure flew towards the center of the full moon in the night sky...
Seven years later, outside a city on the coast, people were coming and going. They were either riding horses or driving horses, their wheels rolling, dragging out long plumes of smoke.
"Jade Sea City" is a seaside city of the dynasty. It is an important business and trade place for the dynasty. Merchants gather here, and ships come and go like clouds every day.
On this day, a young man in black clothes came walking from the west gate of "Jade Sea City".
The young man has an ordinary appearance and short hair. Although he is a little different from the others around him, "Jade Sea City" is well connected by sea, and it is not uncommon to see people who are not from the imperial dynasty here.
There is even a red-haired and blue-eyed Jixi Rakshasa Yeren here, so although the young man's attire is a little different from that of the Imperial Dynasty, it is not very special.
This person is Li Yan, who has just recovered his true colors. Since he left Daqingshan, he has hidden his aura and completely entered the crowd of mortals.
This is a method that Pingtu told him, to experience the various flavors of the world, to taste the bitter, spicy, sour and sweet, and to carefully appreciate what you see and gain in the ups and downs of your mood.
In the past few years, he has joined the army as a soldier, worked as a bodyguard to protect merchants, and also farmed barefoot in the village. Every time he changed his appearance, he lived a different life...
His state of mind will vary depending on his identity, and he will have various insights, but it still hasn't been able to give him the sudden epiphany that completely transformed him.
After Li Yan took out a guide, he followed the crowd into "Jade Sea City" amid the impatient urging of the gatekeepers.
After Li Yan entered the city, his ears were covered by all kinds of cries that hit him like a heat wave. There were many flags and banners on both sides of the street. Martial arts schools, medical clinics, inns, restaurants, brothels, etc. were everywhere.
Some waiters and turtle men stood on the street and enthusiastically pulled in all kinds of customers, half-inviting and half-inviting them. It was hard to refuse, and only those who were short of money had to run away.
Li Yan walked casually in the city. Now he no longer had the aloof feeling of a cultivator. He slowly integrated himself into the market and felt the changes in people's hearts.
At noon, Li Yan entered a wine shop, ordered two dishes and a pot of wine, then sat at the table and drank alone.
In half a day, he walked through most of "Jade Sea City". This city was indeed an important place for merchants of the dynasty.
When he was still in Qingshan Pass, he had heard Chen An and the others talk about the prosperity of this city. When he saw it today, it was indeed extremely lively.
Not only are there many merchants here, but also many literati and talented people gather here, reciting poems and poems, splashing ink after drinking, and being dissolute.
The imperial dynasty has ruled this part of the world for more than five hundred years, and it can be considered that the country is prosperous and the people are safe.
Although in
During the period, there were many battles with neighboring countries, resulting in numerous casualties among the people on the border, but they had little impact on some important cities in the interior.
People always feel that the country is peaceful and the people are safe, and there are very few people who start an uprising and slaughter dogs. It can be seen that the monarch of the dynasty also has extremely powerful methods.
Li Yan looked at the people coming and going outside the window, thinking about the next step in his heart.
A few days ago, after he handed over a house in a mountain village and some of his own farmland to the family of "Brother Feng" who took good care of him, he left the remote mountain village where he had stayed for three years.
"I still have no clue after all these years, so I have to try another way, alas!"
Li Yan frowned and thought carefully. He kept thinking about what to do next.
"Yuhai City" is still a good place. All walks of life can be found here, and Li can have a lot of choices.
While Li Yan was thinking, he glanced out the window inadvertently and saw several turtle men running around across from him downstairs.
Behind them stood an attic named "Fan Chunsi". There were many girls in red and green on the second floor above. They were covering their red lips with silk handkerchiefs, shaking their fans and giggling. Look at the pedestrians below.
Glancing at Mr. Turtle in a green hat below, Li Yan couldn't help but have a few black lines on his forehead.
"Bah, bah, bah... How can one achieve a mental breakthrough in this line of work? How come some illnesses require urgent medical treatment!"
At this moment, Li Yan's ears twitched slightly, and he heard the conversation of several people among the noise in the restaurant.
Li Yan didn't look back. His consciousness reflected the three people behind him who were four tables away from him and were chatting with interest.
Although the voices of several people were quite loud, it was difficult for others to notice them in such a noisy hall.
Among the three men, two big men were dressed in powerful attire. One had a sword across his waist, and the other had a short spear stuck diagonally on his back.
There was another person who looked like a scribe in blue shirt, with a sword hanging from his waist. All three of them had bright eyes and bulging temples. They looked like masters in the green forest.
"Brother Jiang, you said that the Cui Gongfu who is looking for the guardian instructor is the "Zhen Guo Gong" Cui Guo Gong who retired from the court a few years ago? "
asked a man in black, short and stocky like an ox.
Two short spears were criss-crossed on his back. They looked like chain hooks. Those who used these weapons were particularly good at long-range attacks and ground-lying skills. They were generally very difficult to deal with.
He put the wine bowl in his hand on the table, wiped the remaining wine stains from the corner of his mouth, and smiled.
"Exactly, after Cui Guogong resigned from the court, he returned to his ancestral home "Yuhai City".
It is said that he only recruited the instructor of the nursing home because he refused the escort of Ouchi experts sent by the palace and returned here with only a few close followers. "
Opposite the short, stocky man in black, who looked like a scribe in green, he put a mouthful of food into his mouth and spoke softly.
He had quite some friendship with the two people across from him. They were brothers from the same sect. They worked as escorts and protectors for many years, and occasionally engaged in murder and smuggling.
After several people met in the city today, these two people insisted on inviting him to drink. After drinking for three rounds, the two sides inevitably talked more.
After hearing this, the short and strong man in black looked at another big man in purple, and he still asked.
"Those close associates of Cui Guogong are all top masters in the world. I heard that among them are "Flying Ape Reaching for the Stars" Bao Feiyu and "Ghost-headed Axe" Song Duan.
Although they have not reached the realm of transformation, they are still first-class masters, not to mention that they are still in "Jade Sea City" not far from the capital.
The city has always been very peaceful, so why do we need guards with at least first-class cultivation? This is completely different from ordinary guards. "
"Brother Jiang, are you mistaken? It is said that Duke Cui is a master of transformation. Is there any need to hire someone else?"
The big man in purple who had not spoken yet also asked in confusion.
Upon hearing this, the green-shirted scribe suddenly showed an unhappy look on his face.
"What? Do you two brothers think I'm talking nonsense? That is to say, you have just arrived here. In fact, as long as you
If you ask more, you will know whether Brother Yu has deceived you two with lies. "
The two short and muscular men in black suddenly stiffened when they heard this. They knew that they were a little reckless, and their words had already made the other party feel dissatisfied.
"Hehehe...Brother Jiang has misunderstood. It's just that there are a few people in this dynasty who don't know Cui Guogong. Before he joined the army, he was a top-notch internal expert in my green forest.
All of his cronies are also good at martial arts, so they need nursing instructors. Without knowing it, they will naturally become suspicious. But my two brothers are reckless, come on, come on, we brothers are drinking, drinking..."
The green-shirted scribe's face softened when he saw the other party apologizing.
"I know some other rumors about this matter, but it's because of Cui Guogong..."
After looking around, he saw that no one was paying attention to them, so he immediately lowered his voice. Maybe he still felt it was inappropriate, and then switched to the method of transmitting sounds into the secret.
"Teacher of the nursing home? This is quite interesting!"
Li Yan put down the wine glass in his hand, his eyes flickered a few times, he quickly stood up, paid for the drink, went downstairs and left!
If we want to talk about who is the most famous in this "Jade Sea City", five years ago, there were a lot of famous people here.
There are first- and second-grade officials in the court, as well as various wealthy merchants who are as wealthy as anyone in the country.
But since Cui Guogong retired from the court and returned here, the officials and wealthy businessmen in "Jade Sea City" have become much more restrained.
Strictly control your children and grandchildren not to act arrogantly and cause trouble in the city as before. This Duke Cui has always been known for his harsh methods and ruthlessness.
Although he loved soldiers as much as his sons when he was in the army, military discipline was always the first priority. Anyone who disobeyed orders would be punished lightly, but beheaded in public in the school field.
When he was in Imperial Kyoto, he even personally taught several of the princes of the current imperial dynasty.
It was heard that the third prince, who had always been the most domineering, had forcibly occupied a trading firm in the city, and the family filed a lawsuit against him. Not only did it fail, but the owner was accused of falsely accusing the royal family and was imprisoned.
The wife of the family was originally going to resubmit the petition to redress her grievances, but someone pointed out that Cui Guogong was upright and not afraid of the emperor's relatives, and listed some of Cui Guogong's deeds.
The lady was so determined that she bypassed Dali Temple and complained directly to Cui Guogong's mansion.
After Cui Guogong verified the situation, he took out the jade-gifted golden mace and blocked the third prince outside the palace who was about to go out. He beat the third prince until he could not get out of bed for more than a full month.
Afterwards, the emperor of the current dynasty also placed the third prince into confinement and did not convict Cui Guogong.
With these rumors, every official and wealthy businessman in "Jade Sea City" no longer has the arrogant appearance of the past. This has actually made "Jade Sea City" become a harmonious place in recent years.
In an area southeast of "Jade Sea City", it has been the place that people have paid the most attention to in the city in recent years.
This place was not originally an important location in the city. On the contrary, the mansions of officials and wealthy businessmen were gathered in the center of the city. Only those who could buy a home there were a symbol of their wealth.
But since five years ago, "Tianfeng Lane" in the southeast of the city has become a place that many people pay most attention to.
Because there is a man there who will make the whole "Jade Sea City" fearful as long as he stamps his feet---Cui Guogong.
