Volume 4 The Rise of the Dragon
Chapter 367
An attack in the forest in a turbulent world (
Volume 4: Rise of the Dragon Chapter 367: Turbulent World Attack in the Forest
(A new volume. A new beginning. Let’s see how the protagonist gallops around!)
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A group of people were walking hurriedly on a forest path along the Jiangnan coast of China, Middle-earth.
There were twenty-one of them, including a dozen of well-dressed strong men holding swords, guarding the surroundings, and escorting several carts of goods. Judging from the shallow tracks under the wheels, they were quite heavy. In the center of the strong man's protective circle, there is a middle-aged man and two beautiful women, including a cute little boy; looking at their gorgeous clothes, they look like they come from a wealthy family. But the strange thing is that there are some yellow and white talisman papers affixed to those wooden carts, which look a bit nondescript.
However, at this time, the faces of those well-dressed men were very serious, and they were cautiously looking around, holding weapons tightly, as if they might encounter enemies at any time;
"Master, why do I feel more and more scared, as if there is something around us watching us. Do you think we may have been exposed to those evil spirits?" An older woman pressed her body closer to the middle-aged man's body. Tighter and said cautiously. But it's not over yet. was interrupted.
"Don't think about those things to scare yourself. The Yangzhou Prefecture is so big, it's impossible for us to be so unlucky to encounter those things. Besides, even if we really encounter some strong men and beasts, with these men from the 'Yangwei Escort Agency' protecting us, what else do we have to be afraid of?" . Okay, don’t think too much about those useless things, but cheer up and speed up the process. Send the goods to Daming Temple in Yangzhou as soon as possible. Purchase these materials at a high price. If everything goes well, you will definitely make a lot of money!" The man scolded him sternly at first. The woman said this and couldn't help but feel proud.
"Master Daming Temple has been purchasing all kinds of rare and exotic materials as early as five or six years ago. Logically speaking, even if they are out of stock, they should have purchased enough. After all, these things are not used by ordinary people, and they may even be thrown away as garbage. What does it mean to spend so much money on acquisitions? I'm afraid that if we go to Daming Temple and they don't accept it or lower the price, we will lose money. These things have hindered our progress along the way. The speed is much slower. Fortunately, we didn't encounter any danger, otherwise it would have been bad." The woman said angrily. Apparently she was dissatisfied with the man's behavior.
The middle-aged man frowned and said with dissatisfaction: "What a woman's opinion! There is no way to do business without taking risks, but as long as there is a big enough profit, no matter how big the risk is, it is worth taking the plunge. If I don't have this courage, sir, what will happen to me?" How is it possible to revitalize a declining family in the past five years? How can I build relationships with those big shots? It's just that I'm brave, smart and lucky." He said with a smug smile.
"Hey, tell me, I have exclusive news. When I was talking to the Onmyoji master, I accidentally learned that these strange materials are exactly what the masters need to make these magic warding charms! It's not like you don't know that since ten years After the vision fell from the sky yesterday, there would be many more evil things like cows, ghosts and snakes in this world. Without these evil talismans to drive away those evil things. Except for those martial arts people, divine masters and masters, how could we mortals dare to leave the city and walk outside?
In this world, the demon-proofing talisman is equivalent to money and food! I finally managed to snap up these goods from other merchants this time. They are of great use! If everything goes well and you get to Daming Temple, you can not only make a fortune by trading with the masters of Daming Temple, but also maybe take the opportunity to have some relations with Daming Temple, that will be a great success! Maybe Fusheng is also lucky." He said and touched the little boy's head kindly.
After hearing what the man said, the woman did not dare to refute and could only nod her head in agreement.
"The master is right. To deal with those evil things, we still need experts with magic skills to deal with them. People often say that the relationship between Daming Temple and Yin Yang Sect is very good. If you can build a relationship, even if you can't have a high-ranking monk, it's just through their relationship. If we hire a Yin-Yang Master to guard our caravan, we won't be so nervous on this trade route." Another young woman followed the man and pulled the little boy and said in agreement.
"Yes, Mei Ying is right." The man nodded in agreement with longing in his eyes. But then he sighed, "Forget it, those masters who know magic are willing to help people and are compassionate, but there are too many people in this world who need help, and more powerful people are kindly inviting them. So it's very difficult." It's hard for us small businessmen to get by. Even if we get there, what can we get as reward? I once heard the president of our business association brag about how he had an immortal master in his house to make offerings. The price paid was really astonishing every month. It consumes a huge amount of medicinal materials and materials worth tens of thousands! If the president's family had not been rich enough, he would have gone bankrupt. However, since the immortal master left, he has been able to get some talismans and magic tools occasionally made by the immortal master from time to time. But they are all good things, and even a few valuable items were escorted. The immortal master was there to fight off several waves of evil attacks along the way, which made him a huge fortune! This business is really amazing!"
At this point, the middle-aged man licked his lips to calm down his excited expression, "Let's be realistic. With our current strength and financial resources, we can only recruit martial arts people such as bodyguards. If we succeed this time, maybe we can Several shadow ninjas from Haizhou. I heard that these people are closely related to the Onmyoji Sect and the Law Sect. They have different martial arts skills. They also know more or less some magic to protect us and it is enough for us to take some ordinary trade routes. As for those masters, immortal masters, and divine masters, we can only get them when we can also become those princes, ministers, or powerful forces."
It seems that this man understands his situation very well and is not too ambitious. He is also well-informed and is considered a talented person. Although he only knows some popular information in the world of cultivation and does not know deeper confidential information, and he does not even know the difference between cultivators, onmyojis, and Buddhist cultivators, he can filter out the correct information from many confusing and false rumors. It’s already amazing.
"Dad, I'm scared!" While the three of them were talking, the little boy suddenly broke away from the young woman's hand and hugged the man's thigh, crying. It looked like he was trembling all over, as if he had discovered something extremely terrifying.
"Fusheng, what did you find? Why are you so panicked? Tell daddy quickly!" The middle-aged man quickly picked up the little boy and asked warmly. He knew that his child had been different since he was a child. Although he was only six years old, he was born with a strong sense of various scents. If anyone nearby was hostile or kind to him, he would immediately sense it. If we use the words of the world of cultivation, it means that those who are "born with spiritual roots" are good seeds for cultivation.
This time I brought him here, firstly, to be prepared for the hidden dangers on the way, and secondly, I wanted the masters in the temple to help him identify his son's bones to see if he was suitable for practicing magic when doing business with the Daming Temple. As for whether he would be unable to inherit his family business if he was chosen as a monk, he was not worried.
He is only forty years old and in good health. He already has a twelve-year-old eldest son at home and may have offspring in the future. If the younger son could be valued by everyone, wouldn't he have a permanent backer in the future? Even if the masters of Daming Temple look down upon them, there are many temples and teaching places opened by immortals and divine masters in Yangzhou City, and they will always have a discerning eye to recognize people. He firmly believes that his youngest son will definitely succeed in the future with his special ability!
Out of trust in his younger son's ability, he did not dare to look down on him. He warned the surrounding bodyguards to take precautions and comforted his younger son in a gentle voice.
"My child~~~ My child doesn't know what is around him. He only thinks that there are so many of them, and they smell bad and scary! Oh, they are coming this way!" The little boy cried and cried at first, and then suddenly screamed to death. He hugged the middle-aged man's neck. My whole body was shaking.
"The type is unknown, the number is unknown, but they are definitely not human! And they are hostile and dangerous to us!" The middle-aged man had been running business all year round and had seen the wind and waves. He was panicked at first, and then Ma Qiang calmed down. He first comforted the panicked ladies and then immediately called for the escort chief.
"What are your orders from the high official of Qin?" He Lin, the escort leader, is a tall man with a height of eight feet and a brave look. His steps are steady and his breathing is even and full of energy. His eyes are bright and concise, showing his profound kung fu and holding a ring head. There are some tiny talismans engraved on the bright blade at the mouth of the sword. The blade has a faint white light. At a glance, you can tell that it is a sword with short hair and has been blessed by an expert.
"He, the escort leader, has just realized that the atmosphere around him is not right and may be dangerous. The escort leader, who has experienced many battles, should have realized that a certain merchant from Qin has no strength to restrain the chicken, so he has to bother with the protection of the escort commander and his brothers." Middle-aged The man handed over his hand and asked.
He Lin glanced at the little boy in surprise, cupped his hands and said calmly: "Master Qin, don't worry, our Yang Wei Escort Agency is the number one escort agency in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is not in vain. These brothers are all experienced escorts who have gone through dozens of escorts. I have seen blood and eliminated demons; He's 'decapitated' weapon alone has probably taken the lives of seven or eight monsters and demons. Although I dare not compare with those immortal masters, I am not a vegetarian either! Senior officials What I am saying is that I have noticed that the atmosphere around me is not right before, so I have secretly told the brothers to cheer up and pay attention to the surroundings so that they will not lose their guard." There was a strong sense of self-confidence in his words.
"A mere escort has such quality. The Yang Wei Escort Agency is able to rise up and dominate Jiangnan in the chaos. It is indeed well-deserved!" The middle-aged man secretly praised in his heart but was unambiguous. He immediately took out a pile of things from his arms and handed them to He Lin and said: "Qin is reassured by the words of the escort leader. However, this battle is unpredictable and dangerous. Brothers, it is better to have multiple insurances. Qin still has some good steel in stock to use for the blade, so I will leave it to you."
He Lin took the thing that was handed over and took a closer look at it. He was so surprised that his hands were trembling: "How can Mr. Qin do this so that even the escort money for brothers is probably not worth these talismans, so why bother~ ~~~~~" Before he finished speaking, he was stopped by a middle-aged man.
"What is outside of me is of no importance. My brothers are fighting for me, so how can I just stand by and watch? Just use it." The middle-aged man said sincerely.
"Official~~~" Biaotou He was greatly moved and shouted: "Okay! Since you are so generous, our brothers will swarm to kill the enemy and not disappoint you!" After saying this, he said to the middle-aged man. After the ceremony, the shouzishou (the name of the bodyguard of the escort agency) who immediately used Qinggong to rush around handed out the things in his hands to them one by one.
What is that thing? Why does He Lindu pay so much attention to it? This object is about the size of a palm and shaped like yellow paper. However, the surface is made of cinnabar, spiritual medicine juice, monster blood and other materials to draw a series of talismans and patterns, and the whole body exudes a slight clear light.
This thing is called "Evil-Repelling Talisman". As the name suggests, it is a Taoist talisman specially used to ward off evil spirits. It also has the functions of healing, defense, replenishing energy and lightening the body, which is very practical. Originally, there were no Tao talismans with such complex functions in the world of cultivation because the mainstream of the world of cultivation had always advocated that concentration, whether it was cultivation or weapon refining, should be deep and specialized, rather than advocating broadness and breadth. Therefore, except for magic weapons that require a lot of effort to refine when life is at stake, almost disposable items such as Taoist talismans are naturally not taken seriously. Generally, only low-level cultivators will refine them from time to time.
In order to pursue efficiency, these cultivators also refined the Tao Talisman into very simple fire-avoiding talismans, which only had the function of repelling fire. The weapon talisman could only increase the strength of the weapon, and the magical talisman could only increase leg strength, but had no extra functions. Although this kind of single-mindedness concentrates the power of the Taoist talisman so that it can exert its maximum power when used, it is mostly only suitable for use in battles between cultivators.
Since the change in the world ten years ago, the situation in the world has become increasingly severe. Spiritual energy has gradually weakened, evil spirits and demonic energy have continued to breed, and even space has become unstable. From time to time, various weak monsters and monsters enter the human world through weak space cracks and harm living creatures. Although the strength of these evil monsters is low, even a low-level cultivator in the Qi training period can deal with them one-on-one, but there are too many of them to carry on a stretcher!
The total number of cultivators in China is no less than one million, but more than half of them are busy cultivating, and the rest are also busy collecting materials and pills for better cultivation. They only kill these demons after encountering them, and they usually do not take the initiative to attack and eliminate demons. . Only a few chivalrous people will eliminate harm and protect the people's safety. Calculating this, there are at most hundreds of thousands of cultivators fighting these monsters. Hundreds of thousands of people sounds like a lot, but actually spread across the vast mainland of China, they are like a handful of sand thrown into a lake and are submerged without even a bubble being visible. Not to mention the monsters that come to the world every moment, the skill level is definitely not less than a million! And the proficiency continues to increase!
As a result, mortals would be miserable. Apart from gathering in larger towns and relying on collective strength, walking alone outside would easily lead to danger. If it weren't for the various sects decades ago who took advantage of the Song Dynasty to consolidate the world and established many peripheral sects and stations in many towns, although there were not many masters in these peripheral sects and stations, they could still deal with low-level demons. Did it. In addition, those martial arts people who advocated chivalry were finally able to withstand the demon's attack on the town.
But even so, the lives of mortals have been greatly affected. Not talking about the direct damage suffered, but talking about what to do with the fields, what to do with business, what to do with communications, what to do with support operations~~~~~~, etc., etc. involving various issues related to food, clothing, housing and transportation if we are unable to leave the city. Even Wan Xu, a cultivator, can't handle it.
Fortunately, the Song Dynasty court gave everyone a surprise at this time - the court issued a new type of Taoist talisman that was said to be jointly produced by the Consecration Pavilion. This talisman has the functions of avoiding evil, expelling demons, lightening the body, defense, healing, replenishing qi~~~~~~, etc. Anyway, it can basically provide various benefits to people. Although each ability can only improve the quality of ordinary people by two or three times, which is far inferior to the special-purpose Taoist talismans refined by "professional" cultivators, it can greatly enhance the strength of ordinary people and warriors.
——This kind of Taoist talisman is the magic warding talisman.
Once the magic-breaking talisman was released, it immediately became popular all over the world and was in short supply. In view of the lack of production manpower in the imperial court and the difficulty in collecting materials, it is open to the outside world. Any sect or cultivator who has the ability can ask the imperial court for the production method of the magic warding talisman. They only need to return a portion of the sales share to the imperial court in the future.
The imperial court had no choice. Although this magic warding talisman was useful, it was only a low-level Taoist talisman after all. Those masters could quickly crack the structure of the device and imitate it. In anticipation of facing more "thefts", it is better to first let everyone become agents and processors. As the nominal co-owner and inventor of the world, the court naturally has the right to collect profits, and each sect will not be compromised just because of this trivial matter. Falling out with the court. Therefore, the court can obtain most of the benefits.
It is precisely because of the practicality and wide spread of the magic warping talisman that it has become one of the indispensable consumables among the people over the years. As the middle-aged man surnamed Qin said before, the magic warding talisman can be equivalent to money such as gold and silver. .
This is the reality. Under the premise that their lives are threatened, people will naturally make the most correct choice about what is most useful to them.
