The day of departure arrived quickly.
Geng Jingzhong also attached great importance to this matter, and took the initiative to propose that the Geng family send troops to clear the way along the road. They would travel on the official road every day and stay in the inn at night. They would bear the money and food waste at their own expense. Although the speed may be slower, it will definitely be done properly and efficiently. sit back and relax.
Geng Jingzhong's confidence in saying this lies in the current strong position of the Geng family. Don't forget that the white stone from Gaoyao County, Guangdong used by Geng Jimao to build Prince Geng's Mansion was continuously transported to Fuzhou along this road. Thousands of kilograms of It's possible to walk on a huge boulder, let alone a few big living people.
But this plan was quickly rejected by Jiang Wen.
Traveling in the name of the Geng family is tantamount to stirring up trouble. There is no way to guarantee the confidentiality of this trip. Moreover, once you enter southern Fujian and Chaoshan at the junction of Fujian and Guangdong, who knows whether the Zheng and Shang families will appear. People come to cause trouble.
The second travel plan was proposed by Lin Zhennan.
He could see Jiang Wen's fear of the entangled government forces, and the Fuwei Escort Bureau happened to have a Guangzhou branch. During troubled times, there was an endless stream of escorts from both places, even the most troublesome green forests and military posts along the way, Fuwei Escort Bureau Everything is taken care of properly. As long as two experienced escorts are sent to lead the team, the journey will be smooth.
If you want to travel in this world, officialdom is just for fun, and you have to look at these people in the world. But the problem is that Jiang Wen originally had the intention of training his apprentice, but the Fuwei Escort Agency has settled the matter, so the four of them will only be able to travel around and enjoy the sights?
So the plan was rejected again.
Everyone knows that the land route is painful and slow, and the best route is to take the water route. However, no one can say anything bad about the current water route.
In the second year of Shunzhi, the Qing government established the Governor-General of Fujian, with the Governor-General's Office in Fuzhou and also in charge of Zhejiang. However, it didn't take long for Zhejiang to become turbulent. So in the fifth year of Shunzhi, the Qing government changed the name of the Governor-General of Fujian to the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, and the Governor-General's Office moved to Quzhou, still in charge of Fujian, tried to suppress the rising voices of resistance.
When one province was in trouble, thunder spread in all directions. Zhu Jizuo, a scholar of the Nanming Dynasty, started an uprising in Xinghua. Zhu Rongfan, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, declared himself the supervisor of the country in Kuizhou. The Qi Uprising in Dengzhou, Shandong lasted for more than ten years. At that time, the uprising was only in Zhejiang. The characters are all heroes of the moment, including the Six Kuangsheng in Ningbo and the Dalan Village in Siming Mountain.
Especially Chen Jinnan, the young chief rudder of the Tiandihui at that time, single-handedly caused the Qing Dynasty's rule to be in turmoil. After more than ten years of achievements, Zheng Chenggong, the prince of Yanping County, and Zhang Huangyan, the Minister of War, came to Nanjing. feat.
To this day, both provinces have their own governors.
After several massacres in the south of the Yangtze River, there was no resistance left. Therefore, the Governor-General's Office of Zhejiang was stationed in Wenzhou, and the Governor-General of Fujian was stationed in Zhangzhou. There was no doubt that southern Fujian would be used as a break-in point, and the Geng family of Fuzhou and the Shang family of Guangzhou would be gathered to support the siege. After arriving at Zhangzhou Port, the base camp, he began to hear Zheng's comprehensive attack and couldn't even imagine. If he sailed the boat through that sea area at this time, he would be killed by the people on both sides. When they passed the ground, they gathered fire together and blasted them to pieces.
You can't have your cake and eat it too. After Jiang Wen cut out the complicated and made it simple and confirmed, he knew that what he wanted for this trip was firstly to find the way accurately, and secondly to hide his whereabouts - the last experience of getting lost and almost starving to death made both master and disciple feel sad. Qi.
He turned his head and thought about it carefully. Isn't it the elusive White Lotus Sect that can satisfy these two points at the same time?
Jiang Wen and his party stood under the west gate of Fuzhou, watching the carriages and horses and people coming and going along the road. They quickly stopped a group of carriages and greeted a short, fat middle-aged man dressed as a businessman.
"I'll help you all this time."
The middle-aged man with a sallow complexion nodded and said: "Director Jiang, you are too polite. You have not yet thanked me for your great kindness to our religion, so why bother sending me along for the journey?"
When Jiang Wen heard his voice, he was suddenly stunned - he just said he wanted to take advantage of it, so why did the leader of the Ming Zun Sect also come?
He led his apprentice to open several other cars, and sure enough he found that they were all acquaintances.
As a direct descendant of the Holy Mother of Red Lotus, Goddess Liu Ding naturally followed her wherever she went. She sat in the car at the back, and the two of them in one car could just fit Jiang Wen's three apprentices into it.
As for Jiang Wen himself, it was his duty to stay with Our Lady of the Red Lotus. At this time, the space in the carriage was narrow and the air was dull. The two of them sat facing each other, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward for a while.
With the help of human skin masks, cross-dressing, and falsetto techniques spread among magicians, the Ming Zun Sect's men and horses have already passed the city gate guards, and a team of more than a dozen oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages are loaded with lacquerware, printing books An Ran left the city.
"Our Lady of the Red Lotus, why are you suddenly leaving the city?"
Jiang Wen decisively chose a topic to break the deadlock.
The Red Lotus Virgin, disguised as a middle-aged man, tilted her head: "Why did Master Jiang say this? The chief helmsman of the Hongyang Sect is not in Fuzhou, but in Quan County. The Hongyang catastrophe has now been safely passed. Let's return Is there anything wrong with Quanzhou Prefecture?"
Jiang Wen was also confused for a while, and then said with some embarrassment: "It's not a matter of right or wrong, it's that... that's that..."
Jiang Wen wanted to say, of course there is no problem for you to go back, but in the shabby house next door to your house, such a big Ding Dian was just thrown there like this? The other party has obviously planted chrysanthemums on the roof, Miss Ling, why don't you show any sign of it?
The Holy Mother of the Red Sun glanced at Jiang Wen expressionlessly and said meaningfully.
"It seems that Director Jiang knows a lot of things. I thought you, the noble man, are so forgetful that you have forgotten everything between us."
As soon as these words came out, Jiang Wen's scalp went numb instantly, and he felt as if his Tianling Cap was about to be split open.
These ambiguous words came from the mouth of a short, fat man with a sallow complexion, which was already more frightening. But when he heard the meaning again, it felt like he was resentfully blaming him - to be heard by outsiders, he was designated as the two people in the carriage. What personal tangled story.
Jiang Wen didn't need to look carefully to find that the driver driving the cart in front was already swaying on the spot, patting the horse's head and humming a vulgar ditty, indicating that he was busy communicating with the horse just now and didn't hear anything unnecessary.
Fortunately, the Twelve Success Power God Illuminating Sutra that Jiang Wen was worried about did not appear after all. He was able to remove his hand from the hilt of the ancient bronze sword and breathed a sigh of relief quietly.
"Holy Mother, please explain clearly what is going on between us?"
Jiang Wen slapped the car wall angrily, "I'm thinking about your life-long events, are you still trying to blackmail me?!"
But the next moment, the Red Lotus Virgin became obviously angry. She reached out and lifted off the human skin mask covering her face, immediately revealing a face that was covered with scars from sharp objects, but still showed a delicate and beautiful face.
"Why are Director Jiang teasing you again and again?"
The Holy Mother of Red Lotus spoke with some force, "I know this request is a little unreasonable, but I, the Hongyang Sect, can show all my sincerity. Even if you don't take it seriously, you shouldn't take the opportunity to be frivolous with me!"
This time the words were even more explosive. Jiang Wen had already noticed that the coachman in front was shaking and had nowhere to hide. He seemed to be planning to untie the reins and let the old horse run away, while he went down to pull the coach to prevent being silenced.
People need to be calm when facing important events. Jiang Wen now calmed down instead of wondering whether Goddess Liu Ding would hear it. He carefully thought about what the Red Lotus Mother said.
What exactly is the thing that I promised her...
"..."Nine Nether Scriptures"?"
The Red Lotus Virgin snorted coldly.
"Why should the Taoist priest ask questions knowingly?"
As soon as the words were spoken, Jiang Wen finally slapped his head in enlightenment.
"Why didn't the Holy Mother tell you earlier? I almost went astray... Oh no, it was just my imagination."
The mastermind behind the scenes was Yun Feiyang, and now it was also Zhao Wuji. This incident was so shocking that Jiang Wen had been wondering for the past few days whether any moves had been missed and how many trump cards had been exposed. He happened to forget to help the Red Lotus Virgin find " "Nine Nether Scriptures".
After being reminded in person like this, Jiang Wen finally recalled it.
In this way, the resentful expression of the Red Lotus Virgin is easier to understand.
I originally promised that I would find the "Nine Nether Scriptures" and two ancient scriptures, but when I got the ancient scriptures back, the martial arts secrets were still missing.
The other party may have thought that Jiang Wen was happy to see the hunter, and took the opportunity to study the secrets of that peerless martial arts. They were also confident in his character of doing what he said, so they waited in Fuzhou City for many days, but couldn't wait no matter what. to the message.
Until today, they finally received a message from Jiang Wen. Our Lady of Red Lotus came with the goddesses in high spirits, thinking that the other party had finally discovered her conscience, but found that the other party shamelessly continued to pretend to be stupid, and did not fulfill her promise. I don’t even remember the promise…
Jiang Wen took stock of his actions, assumed the other person's role, and instantly felt that he was a scumbag.
"Sorry, sorry, there are too many things going on these days, I really forgot about it."
Jiang Wen quickly apologized with a smile, opened his baggage, dug out a thin black-sealed booklet from a pile of strange things, and handed it to the Red Lotus Virgin.
"This "Nine Nether Scriptures" has been in my hands for several days. I only read it once on the day I got it. Now I give it to you, Holy Mother."
Holding this thin book in her hand, Our Lady of the Red Lotus felt as if it weighed a thousand kilograms. Her body, which had not recovered from the serious injury, was even weaker, and she almost didn't have the strength to open it.
But she bit her red lips to cheer up, ran her fingertips across the seals of the old books, and started reading through the dim light in the carriage. Her eyebrows frowned involuntarily, and the more she read, the more she couldn't get rid of the doubt in her eyes. color.
Jiang Wen caught a glimpse of her expression and knew that she felt the same now as he did back then.
"Holy Mother, this book was written by Huang Shang, the former Governor of the Skull. It uses the ancient characters of the death inscriptions that have been circulated in the underworld. Although there are also death inscriptions passed down among Taoist sects, the death inscriptions that living people can learn have sounds but no characters. , you have to wait until you die before you can understand it without a teacher."
The Holy Mother of Red Lotus looked at Jiang Wen with puzzled eyes, and Jiang Wen could only sigh slightly and continue.
"No matter how bizarre the characters in the underworld are, they are just hooks, hidden, and twisted. After all, they are inseparable from the sounds, meanings, glyphs, and other parts. But the characters in the underworld invert and distort everything. I am afraid that these characters we see are not what they look like. Its true appearance, no matter how much effort is spent, it is just a matter of seeking fish from a tree..."
After hearing what Jiang Wen said, the doubts in the eyes of the Red Lotus Virgin disappeared, and the fire of hope ignited in her pupils gradually extinguished. After a long silence, the black sealed ancient book was handed back to Jiang Wen.
She looked at the lush wild grass on both sides of the road and the endless green mountains. Her life experiences that had been drifting for many years continued to float before her eyes. The sound of the wind around her ears also turned into indistinct whispers, and she was talking to herself as if she was talking. .
Jiang Wen said quickly, "Holy Mother, don't be too discouraged. What I said is just a family opinion. It is said that there is always a way in the world, so you can try again."
The Holy Mother of Red Lotus said to Jiang Wen with a bit of freedom and ease: "Master Jiang, there is no need to comfort me. After all, I am also a person who has been through hell. I am just worried that so many people in the Hongyang Sect will receive the Holy Fire from generation to generation. I have been devastated by my power and have no choice but to do anything. I thought I had a solution now..."
Hearing this, Jiang Wen clapped his hands again, pretending to be suddenly enlightened.
"Blame me, blame me, I accidentally got involved again. For things that the Nine Nether Scriptures cannot solve, I can boldly give it a try."
Jiang Wen in the carriage retracted his hands into his sleeves, and then stretched them out in front of Our Lady of Red Lotus.
"Come on, put your palms against my palms now and let me diagnose the situation."
The Holy Mother of Red Lotus wanted to refuse, but when she saw Jiang Wen's determined eyes, she finally reached out her hand doubtfully, silently reciting the mantra and slowly awakening the flames floating in her Dantian.
Jiang Wen activated the internal energy of the Yi Jin Jing, which is the most honest and long-lasting and is good at healing injuries. He originally thought that the opponent's internal energy was at best evil, sinister and domineering, but he could definitely withstand it with his own martial arts skills.
But as soon as they met, Jiang Wen felt as if he had touched a piece of hot coal in his palm. After a brief period of paralysis, there was a strong and continuous burning pain, as if the body of the Red Lotus Virgin was not an invisible internal force, but a burning... The hot molten steel will set off a prairie fire wherever it goes!
Jiang Wen was caught off guard at first by such a weird internal force. He successively changed four or five kinds of internal force with different attributes, sometimes yin and sometimes yang, sometimes strong and sometimes soft. However, the opponent's internal force became stronger when it was strong, and became worse when it was weak. Regardless of the way forward, How to be strong and soft at the same time, I will move forward in an indomitable way.
The Holy Mother of the Red Lotus knows the dominance of this internal skill, otherwise the Ming Zunjiao, who has been suffering from its shortcomings, will not give up and bet the lives of the martial arts leaders of the past generations, just to find out how to solve the shortcomings of the burning sun. method.
She was observing Jiang Wen's expression while doing the exercises, planning to withdraw the exercises immediately when the opponent was in pain to prevent Jiang Wen from being accidentally injured. But it had been a while since the two of them held a stick of incense in their palms across their sleeves. Jiang Wen, who had his eyes slightly closed, was still expressionless and showed no sweat, as if he was groping and tasting something.
The moment of two sticks of incense passed, and Jiang Wen remained silent, his eyes tightly closed and silent.
Half an hour later, even the Red Lotus Virgin, who had profound internal energy, could no longer bear it. She felt that the operation of the Holy Fire Technique in her body was extremely consuming, and was intermittently like a furnace that was about to go out. However, the internal energy in Jiang Wen's palm in front of her was still pouring out. , without any loss, eliminating one's own inner strength like a millstone.
"I see!"
Jiang Wen suddenly withdrew his palms and sat upright. As he waved his hands, his sleeves turned into flying ashes, and a big hole was burned out where they touched.
"This Holy Fire Kung Fu is extremely strong and yang, and is similar to the Nine-Yang Magic Kung Fu that I practice. However, the Nine-Yang Magic Kung Fu is an unpredictable Taoist martial art. It is a masculine force born from the most yin and softness. In fact, it is both hard and soft. It has endless wonderful uses."
He waved a burst of energy in the air, and the Red Lotus Virgin felt only the scorching sun and her breath. The temperature in the narrow carriage instantly rose several times, but there was no burning pain when it hit her face.
"And this holy fire skill is like a flame that bursts out from the emptiness, coldness and silence of the universe. It is born to ignite everything. The human body is inherently a harmony of yin and yang. If a man practices yang and adds yang, his meridians will soon be burned and he will die. , and only the virgins of Xuanyin can learn it.”
Jiang Wen's eyes were full of such a look, and he spoke faster and faster, "However, the three yangs are coming together, and the three yin are incompatible. As the power of the Holy Fire Technique advances, one day the yang heat will be too strong, and the ** will act After all, firewood is limited, so you are bound to get injured. In my opinion, you must use "Ice True Qi" to stop the deer cart, "Nine Yang Divine Skill" to stop the bullock cart from being tired, and "Nine Yin Manual" to pull the cow back. When the car is trapped, "Yi Jin Sheng Gong" is used to harmonize the scattered energy and spirit!"
Jiang Wen borrowed these words from his medical skills, mainly to show his expertise. If he explains it in his own words, burning in the sun is like a car engine overheating and catching fire at any time.
The solution is probably to use "Ice Qi" to slam on the brakes, "Nine Yang Magic" to add some gasoline to maintain power, "Nine Yin Manual" to adjust the driving direction, and finally rely on "Yi Jin Magic". It only takes one return to the factory for overhaul and overall maintenance.
But this method is simple. For ordinary people to be able to master one internal skill, they are already extremely talented. How can they master so many internal skills at the same time and use whatever they need?
"Director Jiang, the method you mentioned is too bizarre. Forgive me for not understanding it..."
The Red Lotus Mother said with a little confusion, and even felt a little embarrassed, "Even if someone can do this, I can't let people waste their power like this just for my own benefit."
Jiang Wen looked at her without saying anything. The Red Lotus Virgin suddenly had a strange feeling, as if the person opposite was actually looking at another person.
The reason why "Jiuyou Zhenjing" can restrain the shortcomings of the Holy Fire Technique may be because the rules and attributes between the Haoli Ghost Kingdom and the Yang World are all opposite. The things that dominate everything are extremely yin and cold, and the yin and yang are mutually reinforcing each other. It is indeed possible keep it steady.
But what Jiang Wen was more curious about was the person who invented this masculine and domineering internal skill.
He must be in a state of extreme pain. This blazing flame that burns until eternity is nothing more than a manifestation of his vitality bursting out in the helpless coldness, and a memory engraved in his bones from the physical and mental torture day and night.
Only in this way will he burn desperately, forget the warmth, generosity and kindness he once had, regain the hatred and wandering of his childhood, and once again recall the death of his beloved relatives and the hardships of the dangerous world, even if the whole world The unparalleled master had to condescend to bow to others for his sake...
"Miss Ling, please forgive me for calling you this."
Jiang Wen's tone was slightly deeper, with a wry smile on his face, "You are a blessed person. Even if you are in a desperate situation, there will always be someone who cares about you. Purely out of rationality, Mr. Ding is staying in Fuzhou City now, and he is also the best candidate for Hongyang's protector. ——This may not be the arrangement given to you by Hongyang Saint Child before he left."
The Red Lotus Virgin lowered her eyes slightly and gently touched the hideous scars on her face.
"I don't even know whether I am alive or dead, and whether he will stay or leave, what can I do?"
Jiang Wen could see that the fate of this pair of misfortunes was really bad. On the surface, Our Lady of the Red Lotus was complaining about the Ding family master's pretentious indifference over the years. In fact, she believed that her life was short-lived and she was unwilling to drag the other side down anymore.
The young master of the Ding family also knew that he had broken the other person's heart by pretending to be heartless, so he could only cautiously continue to stay in the corner, for fear of being driven away by the Red Lotus Virgin.
"There is always a way. I will deal with the hidden dangers of the Holy Fire Technique."
Jiang Wen couldn't refuse and said, "You can live for at least ten years using my method, which should be enough to find a solution."
The eyes of the Holy Mother of Red Lotus moved slightly, as if she did not expect Jiang Wen to be so overbearing and insistent on intervening in her own affairs.
"But I have a condition."
Jiang Wen stretched out a finger and said seriously.
The Holy Mother of Red Lotus also responded with a serious face.
"Even if Director Jiang opens his mouth, everyone in the Hongyang Sect will be thinking very hard and will not dare to violate it."
"It doesn't have to be so complicated. You move Prince Xiao Ming's coffin from Hutai Waterside Pavilion to Wuyi Mountain. It's that simple."
Jiang Wen looked at her, ignoring all doubts. He spoke quietly to the person in front of him, but it seemed more like he was going to some ethereal place - there might be vaguely similar mountains, rivers and old friends there.
"Brother Wuji, I'm here to take you home."
