"I don't know. The woman escaped last night and rode a fast horse. She may have traveled all over the world in one night," the innkeeper replied.
"Hey! His grandma just had some clues and then she lost it." The grim-faced Taoist priest sighed. Seeing his appearance, the shopkeeper asked curiously, "Doesn't the guest guest also have some grudges with that woman?"
The Taoist priest with a grimace was too lazy to hide it, so he said: "Some grudges are true, but it may not be that person. I wonder if the shopkeeper can describe the appearance of the woman last night?"
"Looks like..."
The Taoist priest with a grimace interjected: "It's okay for the shopkeeper to say so. Of course I can't treat you badly."
"Hey, sir, this is just a joke. We are all from the world, and we help each other. The appearance of the woman last night is incredible. She is simply the reincarnation of a vixen. Just look at you with those eyes, and she can steal away your soul. ." He pursed his lips as he said it, seeming to think about it for a moment.
"What kind of reincarnation of a vixen?" Luo Laoqi saw the shopkeeper's worthless behavior and said impatiently: "Why is there a fox's head on your neck? Just tell me what it looks like."
"Okay, okay." The shopkeeper knew that this fierce and muscular man was not easy to mess with, so he hurriedly continued: "I'm not exaggerating. Although the woman is about thirty years old, her figure is Her appearance is especially that of a cardamom girl, and there is a hint of coquettishness in her bones. Coupled with a beauty mark in the corner of her eye, she really has a 'face like peach blossoms and eyes with spring water', and her charm is really unspeakable..."
Seeing the shopkeeper's recollection, the grimace Taoist hurriedly interrupted his words and asked: "Does that mean that the woman looks like a slut with a beauty mark?"
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment and replied: "My guest, this conclusion is a bit strange, but there seems to be nothing wrong with it. The woman does not look like a real person, but more like a prostitute."
The Taoist Priest with a grimace nodded, then looked at Luo Laoqi, who shook his head and said: "The man in black had his face covered that night, and Sajia couldn't see her face clearly, but there was indeed a bit of sultryness in her voice. I can't tell. It was this bitch last night.”
The grim-faced Taoist priest was silent for a moment, then asked the shopkeeper: "Does the shopkeeper know where the two men in black went?"
The shopkeeper pointed to the southwest: "We're going south along the road, but we're all on horseback. I'm afraid the guest officer won't be able to catch up."
"Are we still chasing him?" Luo Laoqi looked at the grim-faced Taoist priest, his eyes full of unwillingness to move.
The Taoist priest with a grimace smiled and said: "How can you and I chase the other party on horseback? Besides, if we catch up with those two young men, we may not know the whereabouts of the woman. Now that we know the woman's appearance, we will have time to settle accounts in the future. Now I have eaten and rested." The most important thing is to be good.”
In this way, the grimace Taoist priest and Luo Laoqi gave up the idea of chasing the man in black. They ate and drank in the inn and slept until noon before waking up leisurely. After paying the bill, they continued south and rushed to Jiangzhou as planned. go.
Jiangzhou is located in Xunyang County, on the west bank of Pengze, where Jiujiang gathers. It is very convenient to travel from north to south and east to west, and it is close to the natural dangers of the Yangtze River, so there is no need to worry about the Huma cavalry in the north, which is rare in Liu Song Dynasty. It is a prosperous and stable place. Most Jianghu people are accustomed to settling here. Even many of the outer eight branches are located in Jiangzhou City. For example, the eight-faced golden toad Luo Wancai that the Taoist Ghostface is looking for on this trip is given to Hewanmen. The entrance to the hall was opened in the city.
Hewanmen is the name of Jin Dian and his colleagues. It does not belong to the pure outer eight lines. It can be regarded as both black and white. However, there is a branch within Hewanmen, which can be said to be the out-and-out Mushroom Sect, called the "Five Holy Gods". "Poor", ranking twelfth in "Shaling Pu".
There is a lot of ambiguity in the world about the "Five Saints" in the name of the Five Saints, but most people agree that these five gods are "North Emperor", "Dragon Mother", "Tianhou", "Three Realms" and "Fubo", these five gods are collectively called the "Five Saints". Each has its own symbol of protection, but they can all be enshrined as the God of Wealth. The Five Saints Shencha means the messenger of the God of Wealth.
The reason why the Five Saints are called this sect is because they have given themselves a high hat, but it cannot change the fact that they are at the bottom of the Shanlingpu. The reason is actually because this sect hardly fights and is a wanderer. The group of people who picked up and discovered the artifact gave themselves the reputation of being the messengers of the God of Wealth. In the final analysis, it was to deceive the sellers. However, as the saying goes, each family has its own way of reaching heaven. Although the Five Saints are not inferior to each other, they are almost The most wealthy and well-connected faction in the Han Ling Pu. After all, what they do involves small risks and high rewards, and they also have a serious golden business. This alone is far beyond the hard work of other factions who live in the open air.
Ghostface Taoist Priest and Luo Laoqi kept walking until they arrived in Jiangzhou ten days later. For the sake of safety, the two of them had already changed their outfits and put on hats on their heads. However, when they arrived at the city gate, they Only then did the two of them realize that they were a little too worried. There was no picture album of their sea fishing outside the gate of Jiangzhou City. They didn’t know whether it was because the documents from the imperial city had not arrived yet or because the local counties were no longer under the control of the imperial court. Moreover, Jiangzhou was because of the past. There were so many people coming in and out that the guards outside the city gate didn't even bother to look at the two of them. Anyway, the two of them entered the city in such a swagger and then went straight to the entrance of Hewanmen Hall.
He Wan Men's shop in Jiangzhou is called "Luoji Pawn". There is a wooden scale hanging on the upper left corner of the door, which is the symbol of Jin Dian and his colleagues. It means "fair business, children and elders are not deceived". Of course, this is just for He Wan Men. It's just a cake drawn by the customer. If there is justice in the pawnshop, the pig can fly to the sky.
After entering Luoji Pawn Shop, you will find that the entire main hall is a pawn shop business. The cabinet is nearly one foot high. Customers can only look up when they come. This is a rule formed after the pawn shop was established. Such a high-level design is psychologically difficult. It can overwhelm customers in order to better lower their prices.
There are east and west side halls on both sides of the main hall. The east wing is called "Haizipu". This place specializes in purchasing some things of unknown origin in the world. The biggest sellers are the fish-turners from Mushroom Gate. They are like Taoist priests with grimaces who used to make clear weapons. Everyone will choose to come here. The west wing directly opposite the east wing is a tea room. If there are distinguished guests in the shop, Luo Wancai will entertain them here. There is also a secret door in the innermost part of the tea room. When opened, there is a larger reception room inside. This is He Wan Cai. The meeting place at the entrance of the gate is more like a business association. They occasionally gather to discuss matters, but most of them are thinking about how to raise funds to stock up on goods and make some shady money to drive up prices. Decisions that can accumulate virtue are definitely impossible to make from this place. It spread throughout the house.
Taoist Grimace and Luo Laoqi entered the shop and said hello to the waiters. Because Taoist Ghostface often came here and he looked so distinctive, the waiters in the shop were all familiar with him, so they were ushered in directly by them upon seeing this. In Haizi's shop, when the door curtain was opened, sitting behind the table was none other than Luo Wancai, the head of Hewanmen.
The grim-faced Taoist priest saw Luo Wancai there and said unexpectedly: "Hey! Why is the head of the family going into battle in person, where is the second uncle?"
Ershu Gong is the common name of the pawnshop's inner court. He is the person in charge of the identification and valuation of the purchased goods in the shop. When the person who pawns the items comes to the pledge cabinet, he must hold the items high and hand them to the clerk, as if he is worshiping a holy person, so he got this name. , there are two court officials in Luo Ji Pawn Shop, one is the uncle in the main hall, and the other is the second uncle in Haizi Shop. They are the two people with the highest status in Luo Ji Pawn Shop after Luo Wancai.
Luo Wancai was lying crookedly on the chair. When he saw the person coming, he was startled for a moment. Then he immediately stood up and greeted him. He said with a smile: "Isn't this my brother Chen? I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much. This person next to you is..."
The Taoist priest with a grimace pointed at Luo Laoqi and introduced: "This is Luo Laoqi. They are both our brothers. Now we are fishing together with my younger brother."
"Oh, hey, he's still my family, he's really tall and extraordinary." Luo Wancai patted Luo Laoqi's arm. He was not tall, round and fat, standing in front of Luo Laoqi like a child. Luo Laoqi smiled. In return of the gift, Luo Wancai greeted the two of them to sit down after some pleasantries. While letting the waiter serve tea, he said, "Brother Chen, it's been a long time since I came here. I thought you had forgotten about me."
The Taoist priest with a grimace said with a smile: "How dare you? As you know in this business, I have had bad luck. I traveled all over the country and could not find a salted fish. Fortunately, I have gained a lot recently. I stopped by to see my brother. I didn't expect that. As soon as I entered the house, my brother was inside, why are you so free today?"
"What's the point of leisure?" Luo Wancai sighed and said, "Er Chaofeng in the shop is ill, and the things in Haizi's shop are too complicated. I don't want the young apprentice to do it, so I have to do it myself, but I haven't received anything after a few days. The object was just on the head of the trap when the two brothers came."
"I heard what my brother meant. It seems that business has not been very good recently?"
"Isn't it! The pawn shop is okay, but Haizi shop hasn't had a decent thing for three days in a row. I'm wondering if all the people in the Mushroom Sect have changed their professions, and now no one is cheating? "
"That's not the case. Unless the fish are gone, who will leave their gold and silver treasures to change their careers? Brother, don't be impatient. Maybe it's just a few days of indifference. Don't you think this business will come?" As he spoke, the Taoist priest asked Luo with a grimace. Lao Qi took out several gold and silver objects from his arms. Luo Wancai looked at the gold hairpin at the top and couldn't help but said in surprise: "Brother, you have dug through the tomb of an empress! No wonder you haven't come here for a long time. It turns out you were holding back." Wear a big one.”
The Taoist priest with a grimace shook his head and replied: "Although it is an imperial mausoleum, something went wrong along the way. I only found these few things, otherwise I would have to use horses to carry them."
"It's a pity to say that!" Luo Wancai picked up the golden hairpin and looked at it, and said: "Things are indeed good things. There are nine rubies embedded in the end of this hairpin. It is obviously customized by the royal family for the queen, but Not everyone can wear the shape of a nine-tailed phoenix, so you and I opened up and said that most of what you brought this time were gold and silver jewelry. Brother Dongxi can’t do it like this if he wants to take it away, or Destroy it into other objects, or go to Dangxiang or Northern Wei through connections. Either way, the price will have to be greatly discounted. I will tell you up front, brother, if you think we can discuss the price in detail."
"Brother is a trustworthy young man. Just give me a price for these things. No matter how many young men there are, I won't say anything about it."
"Brother Chen is really a cheerful person. Of course, I won't treat you badly. Then I will ask the accountant to pay the accounts first." After saying that, Luo Wancai called for the discount (the person responsible for the safekeeping and marking of items in the pawn shop) to take away the items and wait. Money will be delivered after the ticket booth is checked. At this moment, the three of them started chatting. Luo Wancai remembered something and asked the grimace Taoist priest: "Brother Chen, have you ever heard of Juezi Camp?"
"Is it the Juezi camp recently established in the capital?" the Taoist priest with a grimace asked in confusion.
"Exactly, because my shop's business has been poor recently, I suspected that Juezi Camp was attracted by the people from Mushroom Gate, so I specially sent people to Beijing to have a look. It's not a big deal, but it did let me know something. Big news.”
"Oh?" Taoist Ghostface and Luo Laoqi were perked up when they heard about the Juezi Camp, and asked hurriedly: "What's the news?"
Luo Wancai lowered his voice a little and replied: "It is said that the Juezi Camp has been formed. The leader is a descendant of a critical judge. The camp has also recruited several Mushroom Sect masters, and is preparing to steal the Northern Wei Dynasty's Panlong Dragon. Temple!”
