Three days later.
Wutong Lane.
A girl in a blue dress walked towards the gate of Zhong Mansion.
By chance, a woman in a yellow dress came out.
The girl in blue skirt stopped, waited for him to come forward, and solemnly bowed her hands in greeting: "Fellow Daoist Chen."
The woman in the yellow skirt glanced up and down, her eyes flickering, and she said with a smile: "It turns out to be Fellow Daoist Gu. Master Zhong is not here. Fellow Daoist, you might as well come back another day."
"That's really unfortunate. I happen to have other things to do. I'll see you later, Fellow Daoist Chen."
Gu Baiyu greeted with a smile, turned and left.
She is on the second level of Qi Refining and is considered to be at the bottom among casual cultivators in Qingyang City, so she is always cautious.
A quarter of an hour later.
She returned and entered the No. 9 Courtyard of the Zhong Mansion. "Excuse me, Gu Baiyu would like to see Senior Qingyao."
When the maid saw the stranger coming, she asked cautiously: "Is your honored guest an immortal master?"
Gu Baiyu smiled kindly and said, "Yes, thank you."
"Invite the Immortal Master!"
As he walked through the corridor and passed the courtyard, Gu Baiyu secretly observed it, sighing that the houses in the southern district were just different.
Enter the side hall.
Dong Cao came to greet him first and ordered the maid to make spiritual tea and serve spiritual fruit snacks.
"Master Gu Xian, sit down for a moment. Madam Yao will be here shortly."
"Thank you." Gu Baiyu was a little nervous even when facing a mortal.
Not a moment.
Gu Baiyu stood up in a hurry, bowed his head to the end, and said in fear, "Bai Yu has seen senior Qingyao! It is really a sin to disturb senior's practice!"
Yu Qingyao, who had just sent one person away and returned to the training room to prepare for training, was a little depressed at first, but seeing her like this, she felt better.
"Fellow Taoist Gu, there is no need to be polite. Please sit down."
Gu Baiyu's face showed embarrassment and said: "My little sister is in a tight situation and has never come to the door with gifts. I hope Sister Qingyao is not to blame."
Yu Qingyao smiled and said: "We are all monks in the same city, so we don't have to worry about these things."
Gu Baiyu said: "In order not to waste my sister's time, I will forgive my bluntness. Yesterday I learned that there were monsters in Changle Town. Bai Yu would like to ask my sister to make it easier for me and tell Master Zhong to let me go on a mission."
Yu Qingyao was surprised, "That's a fourth-level Qi Refining monster."
Gu Baiyu said sternly: "Don't worry, sister, I promise to complete it, and all the monsters I get will be dedicated to you."
Yu Qingyao pondered for a moment and said, "I can't make the decision on this matter. My husband should be returning to the city today. Let me ask."
Gu Baiyu stood up and held his hands, "Well, thank you very much, Sister Qingyao, and I won't bother you too much."
Yu Qingyao was startled for a moment, then stood up to see him off, "By the way, where does Fellow Taoist Gu live? I'll let you know if there's any news."
"My little sister is currently staying in the West District. If it's convenient, I'll come back tomorrow."
West District... Yu Qingyao nodded.
"Sister Qingyao, stay!"
Looking at the departing figure, Yu Qingyao was a little dazed for a moment, as if she saw her own shadow in the other person.
Many of the Keqing monks looked down upon the task of slaying demons. It was laborious and time-consuming and the returns were not high. And she had also taken the initiative to go to the city lord's mansion to ask for the task.
The difference is that she only picks simple tasks and weak monsters, while Gu Baiyu dares to even approach monsters that are two levels higher.
Dong Cao sent someone back, glanced at the undrinkable spirit tea on the table, blinked and said, "Sister Qingyao, this Gu Baiyu is a little different."
Unlike the two female cultivators who came yesterday, they chatted a lot and tried to make friends, which made Yu Qingyao a little impatient before she agreed to leave.
"Sister Qingyao, what kind of cultivation level does she have, why do she still live in such a chaotic place in the West District?"
"On the second floor of Qi Refining, I guess I don't have the spirit stone to rent a house in the southern district. With such a low cultivation level, I have no livelihood and no way for ordinary people to earn money."
"No wonder..."
Yu Qingyao thought for a while and said: "When she comes back tomorrow, give her some money, spiritual rice and monster meat. By the way, ask Xiaozhong to give me a copy of her information."
"good."
…
That afternoon.
Zhong Yan returned to the mansion, sat at the top of the main hall, and summoned a few people.
Zhong Xiaozhong said: "Master, the news about your encounter with bandits in Fuyang Town has been spread in the city. Wei Changfeng and Liu Zhengchun visited the Yang Mansion yesterday and did not come out again..."
Li Shangwen smiled and said: "Uncle, it is estimated that Uncle Yang will come to our door in the next two days to act as a peacemaker to resolve conflicts."
Zhong Yan nodded, "I won't fight them over a trivial matter, but the bandits in Shizhu Mountain are of some use."
"Yun Ning, they will treat it as the first training test in the war hall. After half a year, they will go up the mountain to suppress bandits and eliminate harm for the people. Remember, you cannot use talismans or crossbows. There is a limit of thirty people. Those who survive will enter the mansion. "
Zhou Yunning: "Yes, husband!"
Chatted for a while.
Zhong Yanping withdrew everyone, leaving Li Yang behind and asked: "How?"
"Reporting to uncle, all three hundred dead guards have been deployed, and no clues have been found in Qingyang or the eighteen surrounding market towns."
"But it is certain that the person left through the West Gate in March last year, and his specific whereabouts are unknown."
"Uncle, look, are you still looking for it?"
Zhong Yan pursed his lips and sighed in his heart. It was estimated that the spiritual root had completely left the Qingyang area that day, even the northwest boundary, and even the Yan Kingdom.
"Being not."
Zhong Yan shook his head and asked, "How many death guards are there in the city now?"
"About one hundred and sixty."
"Spread them all out in Fengshulin and Pingqi Village..."
After a detailed explanation, Li Yang nodded seriously and left in a hurry.
…
In the evening, Yu Qingyao mentioned Gu Baiyu's request for a mission.
"Gu Baiyu?" Zhong Yan had no impression of this second level of Qi training.
He probably knew that the female cultivators who came to his house as guests were either of shady origins or entangled with other male cultivators in the city, so he wouldn't want them.
"Qingyang, who was newly recruited at the end of last year, didn't come over twenty people when we were getting married without receiving the invitation, and she was one of them."
Zhong Yan nodded and said indifferently: "She can go if she wants. With a sergeant accompanying her, it's not difficult to kill a fourth-level Qi-refining monster. Do you think everyone is as afraid of death as you are?"
When he first entered the first level of Qi Refining, he only learned the Gravitation Technique and the Fireball Technique, and he dared to follow his fellow disciples to hunt down the monster beasts in the middle stage of Qi Refining.
Yu Qingyao rolled her eyes, pinched her husband's waist, and did not elaborate on Gu Baiyu's matter.
The next day.
As expected, Yang Yanqing came to visit, accompanied by Wei Changfeng and Liu Zhengchun.
After some pleasantries and many friendly words from both sides.
Yang Yanqing smiled and said: "The three of us don't know each other without fighting. Fortunately, we didn't cause any damage. Why don't we shake hands and make peace? After all, Daoyou Zhong and Daoyou Liu are from the same school!"
"oh?"
Zhong Yan was surprised and suddenly said: "How come I feel that Fellow Daoist Liu looks familiar? I can't remember where I have seen him before. When did Fellow Daoist come down the mountain?"
Liu Zhengchun's face was full of sighs: "I was three or four years older than my Taoist friends. I was wandering around and only recently arrived in Qingyang. It has been almost ten years since I left the sect, but I can't compare with my Taoist friends."
After a pause, he continued: "Fellow Daoist Zhong may not know that you and I still live together in the North Courtyard, but I usually stay in my room to practice and have never had any direct contact with him, but I have often heard of you."
Zhong Yanlian showed a hint of embarrassment and changed the subject with a haha.
The acting skills of the two are extremely superb.
True or false, after so many years, who can still tell the details? Outer disciples come and go every year, and there is no way to check them.
A banquet settled the differences.
Finally, Yang Yanqing said: "At the auction in Wangliufang City at the end of the month, many monks will gather. We are planning to set off in three days. Why don't Brother Zhong go with us?"
Yu Qingyao's heart moved and she looked at her husband. She wanted to see the world.
Zhong Yan said with a smile: "I won't join in the fun. When I go, I just watch other people bidding and drool."
It seemed to Yang Yanqing that his eyes were meaningful. Others didn't know it, but he knew that Zhong Yanguang got more than 10,000 spiritual stones for the money he earned from selling "Sword Condensation Technique".
Zhong Yan laughed angrily and said: "Brother Dao, don't believe it! My qualifications are so poor, how do you think I broke into the fifth level? It's all from the pile of pills! That little thing has long since bottomed out..."
Yang Yanqing was dumbfounded and believed a little in his heart. He heard Bai Siyuan say that he also took the pill fiercely and rushed to the eighth floor.
After the banquet, the three of them left the Zhong Mansion.
Yang Yanqing said: "Don't worry, although Zhong Yan is ruthless, he is usually easy to talk to. As long as you don't provoke him again, there will be no problem."
In fact, if Wei Changfeng and Liu Zhengchun really have conflicts and hatred with Zhong Yan and want to hang out in Qingyang City, they must make this trip.
Not to mention Zhong Yan's own strength, the title of Master Shan is not something that the two of them can fight against.
And the other side.
Zhong Yan held the wine glass and sighed in his heart. It was still an old friend who cooperated with each other and had a tacit understanding. Just a look was enough.
With Liu Zhengchun in the Yang Mansion, a lot of information can be learned.
The key is that he has to figure out where 'Zhang Yufu's' hostility comes from, and he can't just trick others without making it clear.
Yu Qingyao asked: "Zhong Lang, why don't you go to Wangliufang City?"
"I heard that in addition to the auction, there is also a trading fair that lasts for half a month. There are countless monks gathered there. There must be a lot of resource replacement."
Zhong Yan smiled and asked, "Do you want to go?"
Yu Qingyao nodded, "Except for the small auction at the Qingyang Mid-year Fair, I have never participated in an auction. Besides, we have so many herbs, we can just replace some of them there."
Zhong Yan: "There will be a chance in the future."
…
The next few days.
Zhong Yan frequently left his residence, visited many monks in the city, and took the initiative to sell talismans.
The news naturally spread.
Coupled with the heated discussions in the city during this period, and many monks had already gone to Wangcheng City to join in the fun, they speculated that Zhong Yan wanted to participate in the auction in order to raise spiritual stones.
However, Zhong Yan delayed his departure and told some monks that he had no money and was not ready to go.
Southern District, Zheng Mansion.
Five monks gathered.
"What a great opportunity!"
"Now that the late-stage and many mid-stage monks in the city are almost gone, if Zhong Yan leaves the city, he is almost certain to be intercepted and killed!"
"I heard that he is very good at making talismans and has a high success rate. He has been saving it for more than a year. How can he sell it for thousands of spiritual stones?"
"It's too early to be happy, who knows if he can leave the city!"
"If it were me, I would take this opportunity to go to Fangshi. I won't be spotted easily. Besides, not only Qingyang, many monks from other places will definitely go to Wangdi to join in the fun."
"Aren't we going to take a look? This is a grand event. I heard that there will be at least 50,000 people, with people from all sects and families participating..."
"It's useless if you don't have any money! There will be more opportunities as you gain more knowledge."
"Let's talk about Zhong Yan. If you want to rob him, it's best to take advantage of this period. When Bai Siyuan and the others come back, he will definitely invite someone to accompany him to Fangshi, so don't think about it."
"Just take the initiative to ask him to Yangquanfang City!"
A group of people looked at each other with twinkling eyes.
"You have to plan and prepare carefully. There is also Yu Qingyao. You have to make sure that nothing goes wrong. After finishing this job, leave Qingyang and change places!"
…
