"shopping?"
Jiang Xiaotang sat back in the rocking chair with a stunned expression. The faint smoke exhaled from her lips covered her eyes, but she could still see clearly and her eyes lit up.
As a businessman, she actually likes this kind of newbie the most, as she can cut without any pressure.
"Of course, as long as you can afford it." Jiang Xiaotang said with a smile:
"There are a lot of things in the shop, so you can buy whatever you want. Don't look down on it because it's messy. Everything is worth much more than the jewelry in the jewelry and satin shops in the world.
Most of them have been pawned by heroes from all walks of life over the years. To be honest, I can't tell the truth about many of them. If you are lucky, you may be able to spend a small amount of money and buy treasures worth far more than the price. , similar things have happened many times..."
Ji Ping'an ignored the woman's chatter and walked to a wooden frame. His eyes swept over various strange and strange objects one by one, but he didn't touch them much, he just looked at them.
It's not so much "selecting" as it is "browsing".
Finally, he bent down casually and picked up a stack of old books from the ground.
There was actually a layer of light gray on it. From the place where it was placed, it could be seen that it was the least valuable item in the store.
When Jiang Xiaotang saw this, he said calmly:
"A bunch of martial arts skills, huh, the most worthless things. But when traveling in the world, the importance of a suitable martial arts skill is self-evident."
Martial arts.
This word specifically refers to some sword skills, sword skills, etc., but they are mostly used by ordinary people.
There is also a demand for martial arts practitioners in the Qi-nourishing realm, but in comparison, what is truly valuable is the "Kung Fu Secret Book" or even the more advanced "Spell Technique Secret Book".
As for martial arts... it is indeed difficult for a martial artist with no connections, but it is easy to get acquainted with some Jianghu sects.
In Jiang Xiaotang's eyes, he is a loser who takes up space.
"The shopkeeper seems to despise martial arts." Ji Ping'an squatted down, gently blew away the dust on the surface, and began to select carefully.
Jiang Xiaotang said:
"I never said such a thing, and my martial arts skills are quite special. If you want them, you can get a few more books at a discount."
Ji Ping'an didn't seem to hear the ridicule in her tone, and picked out a few martial arts secrets from the pile of books.
Then he stood up, nodded with satisfaction, and said:
"Do you have a pen and paper?"
Jiang Xiaotang frowned, not knowing what this rookie with strange behavior meant, and pointed to the side:
"help yourself."
Ji Pingan thanked him softly, holding the books in his hands and spreading them out on the counter one by one in order.
At the same time, he laid out a piece of white paper, raised his pen from his wrist, and started to open the books on martial arts that were widely circulated in the world to different pages in a certain order with his left hand.
And in the confused eyes of the cheongsam shopkeeper, she said calmly:
"Boss Jiang is a descendant of Jiang Chunqiu, so he must know the secret skill of "Shattering Evil"."
The evil-breaking power!
Hearing these three words, Jiang Xiaotang's expression changed slightly, he looked at the young man in front of him in surprise, and said:
"That's natural. Although the vast majority of martial arts skills are mundane, there are a very few whose martial arts are connected to the gods and are comparable to magic techniques. They are the so-called 'secret skills'... the evil-breaking technique was created by my grandfather when he was young. A secret skill..."
"That's not right," Ji Pingan said while excerpting a word from the first book and writing it on the paper:
"It cannot be regarded as self-created, but at most it is an improvement. The original form of Sha Sha Gong was a horizontal martial art practiced in the army of the Daqian Dynasty in the past. It was later modified and iterated repeatedly by the Great Zhou Imperial Master and several divine generals.
I originally thought of changing it into a method suitable for battle formation, but failed. As a result, your grandfather Jiang Chunqiu saw it and improved it, and finally came up with this secret skill. "
Jiang Xiaotang was stunned, and his posture was slightly straightened.
She had indeed heard her parents mention this secret, but it was not as detailed as the person in front of her:
"how do you know?"
Ji Ping'an opened the page with his left hand and continued to copy, saying without raising his head:
"I also know that this evil-breaking skill is powerful and overbearing, but it puts a heavy load on the body. Although it helped your grandfather escape from death several times, it also made him realize that this skill is not something that can be practiced for a long time. In order to prevent him from developing dependence, His heart stopped martial arts from progressing.
He was angry and asked the Taoist master at the time to erase his memory of the evil-breaking technique and never use it again. But after all, it took a lot of effort, and I really don’t want to completely erase it. I want to keep it, but I am worried that it will be spread out and used by outsiders, which will hurt myself and others. "
Jiang Xiaotang sat up completely straight, with his pipe lying in front of him.
It was indeed as the person in front of me said. Therefore, this famous secret technique created by Jiang Chunqiu was not used again in the rest of his life.
At the same time, it has not been passed on to future generations, so that today, "Shaman Breaking Technique" has become a martial art that has been cut off from inheritance... Well, it is not completely cut off.
Some moves were still recorded, but the most critical mental skills were gone.
But as a descendant, she only knew that her grandfather no longer used it, but she didn't know about the "erasure" part.
After Ji Ping'an finished copying one line, he turned the pages one by one and copied the second line:
"In order to solve this problem, he asked the Imperial Preceptor of the Great Zhou Dynasty for advice, and the Imperial Preceptor taught him a stupid way."
"any solution?"
Jiang Xiaotang asked anxiously, but he didn't notice that the hand holding the pipe stem turned white from the exertion.
Ji Ping'an looked up at her and seemed to smile. He didn't show off, but said:
"He broke the mental formulas of breaking evil into scattered parts, and then in a specific order, incorporated them into the "General Outline of Martial Arts" compiled by the Zhou Dynasty. The general outline included many martial arts and was later scattered around the world. At that time, My idea is to just write down that sequence. If I regret it in the future, I can get it back this way without worrying about the spread of the martial arts."
When Jiang Xiaotang heard this, she still didn't understand. She stood up suddenly and stared at the crappy martial arts books on the counter:
"Stone Ox Fist", "Autumn Leaf Knife", "Baji Kick"...
The chest wrapped in cheongsam rises and falls:
"Is this it..."
"That's right, the lost secret technique is hidden in these books."
Ji Pingan wrote the last word, put down the pen, held up the paper with both hands and blew on the ink, and looked at the female shopkeeper with a smile:
"Is this "Shattering Evil Technique" mental formula worth five hundred taels of gold?"
Jiang Xiaotang looked at him steadily, as if he wanted to see signs of joking on this rookie's face.
But she failed.
Without hesitation, she raised her hand to grab the text, and at the same time, according to the method recorded on it, she moved the spirit element, carefully tried to operate it, and confirmed it with the family's "Breaking Evil Kung" outer sect martial arts.
Almost instantly, she was certain of its authenticity.
"Who...are you?!"
The next second, Jiang Xiaotang suddenly raised his head and stared at the harmless young man in front of him. His emotions were swirling in his heart, including excitement, surprise, surprise... but also doubts, vigilance and disbelief.
At this moment, she suddenly realized that she had "shot her eyes".
There is no way that the person in front of me is a "younger" who has just entered the world... who can casually tell such secrets and write about the secret skills of her ancestors that even her direct descendants don't know...
How can he be a simple person?
Or, it was sent by some big force. Or... there's some scary old monster hiding under this young skin.
It's funny that he was so indifferent just now... Jiang Xiaotang suddenly felt a chill running down his spine.
However, Ji Ping'an shook his head, gently put down his rolled up sleeves, and said:
"I am Xie Wensheng."
This sentence means:
Don't ask if you shouldn't, I'm just here to get something.
As for the descendants who informed Jiang Chunqiu of the secret technique, it can be regarded as returning the property to its original owner.
At this time when the world is turbulent, all kinds of monsters and monsters have returned from "history", and the risk factor has greatly increased. Although the "Shattering Technique" is harmful to the body, it is really useful... maybe it can save the lives of the descendants of the Jiang family at the critical moment.
Jiang Xiaotang was silent for a moment, clenched the paper in his hand, and his expression became much more respectful.
Without asking any more questions, he took out a letter from under the counter and pushed it over:
"There is a special wax seal on it, which I have not opened."
Ji Pingan nodded, did some divination, and confirmed that there was no danger before tearing open the envelope.
He took out a thin piece of paper, but to his surprise, there were not many words on the paper, only two:
Nangong.
"Nangong?" Ji Pingan was startled.
This result was something he didn't expect. Is this the contact information the Four Saints gave Xie Wensheng?
Wait... Within the Yuhang City area, what comes to mind when you mention Nangong? There is no doubt that it is the Nangong family!
When Ji Ping'an came to Lanzhou by boat, he learned about the distribution of power in Yuhang on the way, and one of them was:
The largest clan in Yuhang is the Pei clan, and the second largest clan is the Nangong clan!
But compared to the Pei family, who had access to martial arts, imperial examinations, and officialdom, the Nangong family's sphere of influence was more in business, and the family's main residence was not within Yuhang City, but outside the city.
So it never entered his field of vision.
"Could it be that the Four Saints have already taken control of the Nangong family? Yes, with the background of the second largest family, if it is related to the Four Saints, it can indeed explain why the Four Saints can rise and carry out activities so quickly. It can also Explain that he can find Cursed Killer and Xie Wensheng earlier... they are local snakes after all."
Ji Ping'an's mind was filled with thoughts, and he felt that everything suddenly became clear, and some of his past doubts were answered.
"Thank you... Taoist friend?"
Jiang Xiaotang couldn't see the content, but saw Ji Ping'an looking thoughtful and trying to call out.
Ji Ping'an came back to his senses, casually crushed the envelope and letter paper, and said calmly:
"This matter is over."
After saying that, he turned around to leave. Jiang Xiaotang was stunned for a moment, but he didn't expect that the other party would be so straightforward and said:
"The Art of Breaking Evil is of great significance to me, far more than the price of this letter. You can also..."
"Let's talk." Ji Ping'an didn't look back. He walked to the door and grabbed it with his right hand. The oil-paper umbrella leaning against the door flew into his hand, rotated and unfolded, covering his figure.
Jiang Xiaotang only saw him walking into the rain, his figure twisted and then walked away. A sentence floated in the humid air:
"The cheongsam imitation is good, but the slit is too small."
Jiang Xiaotang's expression froze.
A bright red flushed on her fair face, then she snorted coldly, and closed the door of the shop with a bang.
At the same time, a "Closed" wooden sign on the door fell by itself.
She wanted to carefully study the secret skills passed down from her ancestors.
…
…
After leaving the Black Gold Pawn Shop, Ji Ping'an immediately left the street without stopping.
However, just before he left, at the corner of the street, in the drizzle, a figure wearing a raincoat walked slowly in.
Raindrops flowed down along the raincoat, but any accumulated water would separate the moment it touched the man's boots.
As she gradually emerged from the darkness, the light of the lantern reflected her hand holding the hilt of the sword under her raincoat.
"Hit...closing..."
Wei Huayang stood in front of the Black Gold Pawn Shop, looking at the wooden sign on the door with gleaming blue eyes, and pursed the corners of his mouth forcefully.
Slightly disappointed.
The people in the world of this era...are so unprofessional... Wei Huayang sighed softly, and the green light in his eyes dissipated.
Lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating her ear-length hair and heroic brows under her bamboo hat.
After thinking about it, she didn't choose to open the door with a sword and turned around to leave.
He stood at the street corner and thought for a while, then walked towards the west of the city according to the information he obtained from the "Zhou Banxian" using his magic skills.
We arrived in Xici Hutong in the rain and stopped at the door of a house inside.
Wei Huayang made a secret with his left hand on his chest, his figure suddenly faded, and he "passed" through the wooden door, stone wall, and wall like a wandering spirit, and entered the courtyard.
In the courtyard, drizzle was beating on the lush pear trees, and all the tables and chairs under the trees had been moved into the house.
Wei Huayang had no expression on his face and continued to walk into the room. The moment he showed his figure, the sword in his right hand was unsheathed and lightly and accurately pressed against the neck of the "Master of Tianji Pavilion" who was reading information at the desk.
The old pavilion master was still dressed as an old man, with his little melon-skin hat on his head. The moment he was resisted, his pupils suddenly shrank, and he swallowed back his screams.
"Don't move, including your hands." Wei Huayang said calmly.
"..."
Old Man Tianji's right hand that was pressing towards the armrest of the chair froze suddenly, and he felt that his whole body was locked by Qi, and a murderous intention was as dense as a web, and he was like a small insect in the spider's web, with nowhere to escape.
When did such swordsmen appear again in the world?
The master martial artist not long ago...and now there's another one.
Has my Tianji Pavilion been turned into a sieve, allowing people to come and go at will?
Also, why was I so unaware of the danger? No warning at all?
Countless thoughts surged through Old Man Tianji's mind, but he finally became one who obeyed his heart.
"What do you want, Your Excellency?" He pretended to be indifferent and withdrew his hand.
Tick tock...tick tock...
At this time, a large amount of rainwater fell on the floor along the raincoat. Wei Huayang looked at the old man:
"Are you Old Man Tianji? The biggest... information dealer in this world?"
"...Yes. Your Excellency, are you here to buy information?"
"Buy?" Wei Huayang seemed to smile, the sword blade penetrated a little into the flesh, and the old man Tianji said seriously:
"I know everything I know and tell you everything I know."
Wei Huayang nodded with satisfaction and said:
"What big things happened in the city recently? Don't miss it."
Old Man Tianji had no choice but to talk about a few major events, but because they were relatively brief, he did not mention too many details.
Wei Huayang didn't seem to care much about what had happened. It wasn't until he heard the last sentence that he raised his eyebrows slightly:
"The military government has entered the city?"
Old Man Tianji nodded and said:
"General Zhonglang of the Dadong Military Mansion led troops into the city today, occupied the prison, and arrested some people in the city, attracting the attention of the Pei family and the Beast Control Sect..."
He explained the information he had collected, but with Tianji Pavilion's intelligence capabilities, he could only grasp a rough outline.
Don't know the specific details.
"Beast Control Sect..." Wei Huayang really didn't care about the inconspicuous little hexagram master, or thought it didn't make much sense, and said:
"What do you think is the secret behind this?"
Old Man Tianji was silent for a moment, shook his head and sighed:
"The secrets are unpredictable...don't forget...I really can't see clearly. If I could see clearly, would I still be threatened by you?"
Wei Huayang suddenly felt that it made sense, and contempt appeared in his eyes.
Just listen to Old Man Tianji saying:
"But it seems that all the major forces, including the imperial court, are gathering in Chao Yuhang, and they seem to be looking for someone."
Wei Huayang was silent for a moment and took back his sword:
"What happened today is rotten in my stomach."
After saying that, she disappeared into the room, leaving only Old Man Tianji touching his cut throat and looking at the water on the ground, thoughtfully.
Outside Xici Hutong, Wei Huayang stepped out, suddenly at a loss and not knowing where to go.
Her original plan was to come to Yuhang to find the Taoist Sanqing Temple, so as to establish contact with the younger disciple named Xin Yaoguang.
But as she walked along, she became keenly aware of the changes in the atmosphere. After investigation, she realized that there were crises under the water.
Not to mention the other forces, the two forces of the Great Zhou Army and the Beast Control Sect alone made her fearful.
If his identity is exposed at this time, will it be a blessing or a curse? Does Dazhou need a first-generation leader?
"It seems that we need to change our thinking."
Wei Huayang thought for a long time and gave up her plan to go to Sanqing Temple. As for the information obtained from Old Man Tianji and the people involved, she did not intend to contact them.
too dangerous.
"First... let's have a good time."
Wei Huayang whispered softly and said the new words that Master Liyang had taught her. She raised her head and looked at the countless silver threads falling on the dark sky with confused eyes:
"Li Yang, where are you?"
…
…
Pei family.
In the inner hall, everyone should take a rest after nightfall, but tonight is a little different.
First, Pei's mother and daughter learned the news and left in a car. Then, Pei Qian, who realized it later, also ran out, but failed to catch the ride, so she had to wait in the house.
Finally, my mother and sister came back, but they kept secret about what happened.
"Mr. Li is fine. It was just a small misunderstanding about a case that has been explained clearly." The answer given by Li Xiangjun is as follows.
This was also the external reason. Pei Qian always felt that there was something going on inside, but with his IQ, he couldn't figure out what the problem was, so he had to leave depressedly.
When Pei Qiuwei returned to her bedroom, she was not sleepy at all. She just sat by the bed and listened to the sound of rain hitting the banana trees outside. There was a stack of the collected works of the National Master on the table beside her bed.
Suddenly, Li Xiangjun knocked on the door, holding a tray with a steaming bowl of Babaozhen soup in his hand.
"What's wrong with you? I heard from He'er that you didn't even eat dinner."
Li Xiangjun glanced at his daughter angrily and put down the porcelain bowl containing the soup.
Pei Qiuwei was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"It's nothing, it's just that what happened during the day feels like a dream."
Li Xiangjun glanced at his daughter and didn't know what he was thinking. He suddenly sat down with his hips twisted and said:
"Who would have thought it would be like this? That Ji Ping'an..."
Pei Qiuwei said angrily:
"Mom, I'm thinking about the recent events in the city, and I always feel like something big is about to happen. Big things like this that affect Kyushu, but given our family's status, we can't even touch it."
Li Xiangjun was silent for a moment and said:
"It's useless to think too much. Even the magistrate is kept in the dark about such a big thing. Why should I, Mr. Pei, have to go and find out? Different situations have different ways to survive. For example, when the world was in chaos, there was no such thing as Mr. Pei today. How did our grandma Pei Sanniang gain a foothold in that time?"
Pei Qiuwei said:
"It's because of the relationship with the first-generation God Emperor and the National Master."
Li Xiangjun nodded in approval:
"That's it. In the eyes of the common people, our Pei family has been a powerful family for hundreds of years, with overwhelming power, but in fact, compared with the truly powerful people, we are nothing. Those big people can defeat a person with just one sentence. The family has stood tall and strong for hundreds of years, but it can leave you in the dust with just one word."
Pei Qiuwei said doubtfully:
"Mom, what exactly do you want to say?"
Li Xiangjun blinked, glanced at his daughter, and saw:
"Mom, what you are saying is that if you want to be stable, you should learn from Grandma Ancestor and join the talented people of this era. For example, the Nangong family thinks about doing business all day long, but they don't know that the biggest business in the world is nothing else. , is to invest in people.
As long as you can bet on the right person, the rewards you will get are unimaginable. If you bet on the number one scholar, you can raise a local tycoon. On a general, you can raise a local noble family. On an emperor, you can have four of my Pei family. A century of wealth...
Mom thinks that Ji Ping'an is good, with first-class talent and support. The key point is, didn't you say that only those who can make up for the national master's poetry can be married? Didn't he make up for it? "
Pei Qiuwei looked at his mother imparting "experience" in astonishment and said angrily:
"Mom, why don't you go by yourself?"
Li Xiangjun angrily reached out and poked his daughter's forehead:
"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't your father come back alive?"
…
…
Jiangnan Gongyuan, Mingyuan Building.
Song Xuezheng did not go home after nightfall, but stayed at his desk in the Gongyuan to handle official duties.
It was drizzling outside, and the room seemed particularly quiet.
Song Xuezheng had just finished sketching out a document when he suddenly heard the sound of wind coming from outside. The double wooden doors blew open with a bang. The cold wind blew in with drizzle, and the papers on the table flew up.
He stood up quickly, walked forward quickly and closed the door.
He just breathed a sigh of relief, but when he turned around, his pupils shrank, and he saw a figure with a blurred face wearing a bamboo hat sitting in his seat.
"grown ups?!"
Song Xuezheng was startled at first, and then hurriedly bowed and saluted:
"My subordinate has seen the sword bearer."
Ji Ping'an said "yes", sat back a little tiredly, glanced at the official letter on the table, and smiled:
"Master Song is very busy."
After saying these light words, Song Juren, who had a high status in Jiangnan, suddenly broke out in cold sweat on his back, and his face trembled:
"Sir... this is... this is..."
He was a little frightened, thinking that it was the man with the sword who came to investigate.
After all, during these days, except for providing a piece of information about Pei, he had no other achievements.
However, Ji Ping'an just smiled, waved his hand and said:
"No need to explain. I came here today to ask you for information about the Nangong family. Have you conducted any searches during these days?"
Seeing that he was asking about business, Song Xuezheng felt slightly relieved and hurriedly said:
"Yes, yes! The Nangong family is the second largest family in Yuhang, so my subordinates will naturally care. In fact, if you don't come today, your subordinates will all want to find you."
"Oh?" Ji Pingan said unexpectedly: "Looking for me?"
Song Xuezheng nodded and said seriously:
"It happens to be news from the Nangong family. To be honest, sir, when you mentioned Nangong just now, my subordinates thought that the information was too late..."
Ji Ping'an finally became interested:
"Talk about it."
Song Xuezheng swallowed and said excitedly:
"Didn't you tell your subordinates to investigate people who have been unusual recently? Just in the past few days, my subordinates have received news that one of the heirs of the Nangong family has changed a lot."
"go on."
"Yes. Nangong belongs to a wealthy family. This son was originally just a young man from the fifth family and was inconspicuous. Even because his father was not liked by the head of the family, the situation of the fifth family was very poor and the property under his control was the least among the main branches.
This young man was often bullied in clan studies, and his literary talents and martial arts were mediocre... But some time ago, it was said that this boy suddenly showed outstanding talents, and made amazing progress in both poetry and martial arts. The high school student defeated the people of his own race who oppressed him, and even gained the favor of his sisters..."
Ji Ping'an was still listening carefully at first, but the more he listened, the more he felt that the script felt inexplicably familiar.
He raised his hand to interrupt the latter and said hesitantly:
"A young man who is not favored by a big family. His father is ostracized by the family. There is also an elder brother who bullies him in the clan...does he have a very beautiful childhood sweetheart?"
Song Xuezheng was shocked:
"Does your Excellency also know about this?"
"...No, I guessed it. Just keep talking." Ji Ping'an fell silent.
Song Xuezheng was doubtful and said:
"This person's rise has been astonishing, even alarming the head of the family. Only then did the subordinates learn about this. After all, normally, few people would pay attention to an inconspicuous young man..."
Ji Pingan suddenly interrupted him and asked:
"You mean, he made his reputation first, and then it spread to your ears?"
Song Xuezheng hesitated and said: "Yes."
Ji Pingan squinted his eyes and sat up straight:
"So, not only you, but also if someone is also paying attention to the Nangong family, it will be easier for them to learn about this matter?"
Song Xuezheng's forehead was covered with sweat, and he gritted his teeth and said:
"yes……"
The disharmonious feeling in Ji Ping'an's heart suddenly became stronger.
He closed his eyes, and in his mind, everything today played back like a movie:
Xie Wensheng of Xishan Academy disappeared, he was invited by Ye Hongling to investigate, Sun Xianzu entered the city, Xie Wensheng gave clues, and the word "Nangong" was found in the envelope obtained from the Black Gold Pawn Shop.
And... the Nangong boy who suddenly emerged as a protagonist.
One by one, there seems to be a thread connecting them, pushing things in a certain direction.
"Things are starting to get...interesting."
…
In the night, the view of Sanqing.
A young Taoist hurriedly returned to the Taoist temple and opened the door. His face covered with drizzle was full of excitement:
"Tell the viewer that we have made a great discovery!"
…
The typos were corrected first and then corrected. I wish all my friends a happy holiday in advance. In addition, this month’s monthly tickets are enough for the lottery. Thank you all.
(End of chapter)
