The first thing after returning to Huchao Pavilion, Yun Zhong unfolded the Four Treasures of the Study, lightly wrote a few lines on the rice paper, pondered for a long time, and finally did not write down the accounts of Lanxiu Pavilion. He dried the ink and picked up a bamboo hat. He walked out and went straight to the restaurant not far across the street.
The Lingzi Building is the largest restaurant in the suburbs of the capital. It has six floors of cornices, allowing you to overlook the scenery of the capital. Over the years, although the business is far less than that of the Jinguichu restaurant in the capital, it is still quite prosperous, with many Most of the visitors who come to Yizhang Imperial City from afar will choose to stay and drink here, so they can have a first look at the magnificent scenery of the capital. In addition, the surrounding mountains and rivers, surrounded by green trees, are quite suitable for leisure and relaxation, so there is an endless stream of people coming and going. At least compared to Yunzhong's Huchao Pavilion, which has been neglected for a long time, this towering restaurant with six floors is always bustling with people and many visitors.
The rain fell after noon, which made the Lingzi Building much cleaner. The old shopkeeper, who was busy in and out, now had two minutes of free time. He was carefully arranging flowers in the celadon basin in front of him, concentrating on it and not paying attention to the young man walking in. .
The old shopkeeper is quite strong. He looked like he was a martial artist when he was young. His palms are full of calluses, but he doesn't tremble at all when arranging flowers. His strength and technique are perfect. His feet are positioned forward and backward, clearly showing a martial posture. At this moment But he looked at the celadon basin in front of him, obviously fascinated.
Yun Zhong, apart from drinking, exercising, and practicing swordsmanship, he most likes to come to Lingzi Tower in the evening to enjoy the scenery. During this period, he will inevitably have to fight with the unknown old shopkeeper, which is just for entertainment. .
Seeing that the old man was fascinated, Yun Zhong didn't want to disturb him, so he chose a seat facing the wooden cabinet and sat down. The waiter came up and saw that he was a regular customer, so there was no need to ask. After a while, he greeted him with a smile and brought two bottles of good wine. , three plates of light side dishes, and immediately leaned against the threshold, looking at the countless thin lines scattered on the Milky Way outside, it was rare to feel comfortable.
This year is both long and short. The first time Yun Zhong entered Lingzilou, he had to drink two jugs of good wine. It has been seven or eight months since then. During this period, he drank all the jugs. There are some countless ones, and the years have passed by in a hurry.
But what I wanted to do didn’t happen after all.
Yun Zhong was thinking about it as he drank a glass of wine. He accidentally saw the old shopkeeper looking at the young man across the celadon basin in front of him. He compared it for a long time, then slightly moved a straight twig in the middle. He withdrew his hand with satisfaction and took two Among the sleeves, Lehe walked forward and grabbed a cup without any explanation.
"What you did just now was unintentional. Old Ling's eyesight is so dim that he can't tell whether the flower arrangement is straight?" Yun Zhong raised the corner of his mouth and finally seized the opportunity to stab the old man. He was not willing to let it go easily. After the words came out, the taste of the drink was gone. It seems much sweeter.
"That's not true, but who wants to arrange flowers and plants all crookedly? Look at this room full of guests, you are the one with the most righteous heart. Once you use it, it's like paying for a meal, don't dig it all day long. The search was so intense that I was so angry."
Such words caught Yun Zhong off guard, he raised his eyebrows, and soon put on a calm air, "That's right, we don't have much money, but the victory is that our hearts are right, let me compare my body shape to arrange flowers today, How about five days worth of drinks and two vinegared fish?"
The old man was so lucky that he said, "Just one meal, no negotiation."
"Two days, plus a plate of spring bamboo shoots and duck."
"Two meals at most, plus your plate of green beans."
The young man was satisfied and knocked his fingers on the edge of the table, "Then let's be sure, I won't bring any money when I come to the house today, so I'll give you a meal first."
The old shopkeeper was furious. He didn't even get any advantage, and even taught this kid to pay for a drink for nothing. Even though he was not angry at all, he just twitched his nose, and his old face, which was about to get angry, became kind again and smiled. He came forward with full intention.
"There seems to be something wrong with the taste of the wine today."
Yun Zhong didn't know why, but then he saw the old woodcutter sitting opposite him, he smiled maliciously and wrinkled his nose.
"The smell of the powder has almost surpassed the original taste of the wine. If you said that you just went to a brothel, I would believe it. After all, I was also drunk in such places in the early years. The powder applied by the woman has the same taste as the powder. Very. Last year, a pretty girl came to look for you. She must be your boy's sweetheart. If you tell the truth about this, you might as well guess what the result will be."
Ling Tengqi's words were really sinister, causing the young man to almost spit out a mouthful of wine and glare at the person in front of him with a blushing face. However, Ling Tengqi remained unmoved. He plucked his ears and the old man didn't take it seriously.
"Boy, you should be more polite to me. What is a handle? No matter how sharp your sword is, no matter how powerful your skills are, if you bring this matter up, you will never come back, and you will have to walk around without food. This can be used as an excuse." The old man was smiling happily. He had just paid for two drinks, and his sullen expression disappeared for a moment. He looked at the young man sitting across from him with ill intentions, "I will hide this matter for you and will never reveal it to anyone else. How about you learn Neijiaquan from me?"
Ever since Yun Zhong first came here, Ling Tengqi had been very enthusiastic and always wanted to pass on his internal martial arts to the young man. However, the young man always refused politely. In the end, he had to carry a wooden sword and fight with the old man. After dozens of exchanges, he walked back to Huchao Pavilion with a dark face.
The old man is just a three-legged cat kung fu. Although he is quite dexterous at his age, he is not an internal martial artist, and his skills in fist and palm skills are not as good as those of ordinary people in the market. It just happened that he only attacked but not defended. After being stabbed by the wooden sword more than ten times in succession, he was still stubborn and said that Yun Zhong's swordsmanship was too smooth. He was clearly in his proud years, but he wished he could master all the offensive and defensive skills. In the end, It was boring, and then he covered his red and swollen cheeks, bared his teeth and ran away.
But what has always puzzled Yun Zhong is that it is clear that the Lingzi Building is owned by the Boyu Gang, but he has never heard that anyone from the gang has ever checked the accounts of this building, and even the chief helmsman often comes to visit, even that Sitting in Tiezhongtang, he treated the old man with respect and did not dare to show any slightest indifference.
"Mr. Ling, why don't you let me go? Your wife's boxing skills are unparalleled. How could a junior like me be so blessed? I dare to imitate your skills at will. We will clear up all the money spent on the drinks today. Please choose another teacher." Man." Yun Zhong rubbed oil on the soles of his feet and was about to stand up and leave secretly when the old shopkeeper behind him laughed sinisterly.
"I know that your boy has a famous teacher to guide you. I don't need the name of the master. I will only try my best to pass on what I have learned to you. There is nothing satisfying about it."
"Come here in three days. If you delay, I will not hide the brothel incident for you. When the girl comes, I, an old man, especially like to add jealousy and gossip, may not end well."
Yun Zhong didn't say anything, but handed a letter to the waiter who ran errands for the gang. He was apparently a waiter who took care of the up and down of Lingzi Tower, but in fact he was a gang member of the Boyu Gang who specialized in informing people. , with nimble skills, he took the letter and put it in his arms, put on his raincoat and left quickly.
The young man also put on his bamboo hat and did not look at the old man behind him. He walked silently on the bluestone path. The rain did not splash high, and he liked to chase people's heels.
In the evening, in a gambling house in the north of the capital, the side door opened wide, and a young man with a relaxed expression was thrown out. His face and complexion looked a little shabby. He was thrown out by two or three big men. He still struggled to straighten his body and turned around. He curled his lips and said harshly, "With this little ability, after I get rich, sooner or later I will take over this gambling house and beat you and the others hard. It's obviously a gambling house, but it makes two pretty girls... In the town hall, I have no intention to display my skills, which is a bit unlucky."
A hundred taels of silver may be a rich sum if left elsewhere, but if it falls into a gambling house, even if it is increased several times, 80% of the money will be lost in the end. When you enter the gambling house, you will have a lot of money, but when you leave the gambling house, you will be empty-handed. In the capital, it is no longer a rare thing. It is not easy for this young man to support himself until now with a hundred taels of silver.
After leaving the gambling house and passing through the alley, the young man took out the folding fan from his waist and straightened his messy hair. Then he wandered into a brothel and peeked at the door of a brothel where women were touting for business. Touching the dry money bag again, I felt a little depressed again.
"Brother, I'm so elegant. This place is a pretty good brothel in the north of Boyu Bang city. The lady in it is very charming. This time, brother comes here, she must be good at it." A lean man walked up beside him for no reason. The man leaned close to the young man's ear and smiled, "But the price of this land is indeed quite high. I see that your brother is short of money, so why not listen to my advice? At least you can have a good time in this building for sixty-seven years." day."
The young man dressed as a scholar had a slight thought in his heart, and immediately he followed the lean man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks and walked into a dark alley to ask for advice sincerely.
But after just a few words, the young man looked panicked. Just as he was about to run out of the alley, he was hit in the ribs with an elbow and flew into the alley. The force was so strong that a dull sound could be heard even a hundred steps away. , vomiting out blood, and pretending to be about to faint.
The black-faced man who took action came forward, looked at the young man's face, and grinned, "Besides, this rotten guy is actually handsome with red lips, white teeth, and eyebrows. No wonder he showed mercy, but it's a pity that he fell into the hands of my Boyu Gang. , even if the appearance is good, it is of no use. After being tied up, send it directly to Huchao Pavilion and let my brother Yun make the decision."
The sinister-looking man on the side smiled and said, "Just like this, there is no need for Iron Helmsman to take action himself. A random member of the gang who has practiced both skills can capture this man. Iron Helmsman takes action, isn't it?" Kill a chicken with a bull’s knife.”
Tie Zhongtang shook his head, "Brother Yun knows my skills and has entrusted me with this matter. There is no reason to send others to do it. After all, if you want to keep this master, he will really look down on you just for money and drinks." .”
The man on the side seemed to understand.
"If you understand this thing about favors, based on this alone, it won't be too much to promote you to the position of leader and helmsman."
Tiezhongtang sighed softly, his expression becoming more and more sad.
