In fact, Lin Yan mainly wanted to perfect some of his ideas about mechanism skills as soon as possible, but the actual design was too complicated, and the calculation amount was too large and complicated. Even if all the staff from the Taiyuan Academy were involved, it would be difficult to complete it in a short time. There is a huge breakthrough within.
Therefore, this can only be put aside for the time being. Lin Yan conservatively estimated that if he could complete the calculation when he returned from the Northern Desert Buddhist Kingdom, it would be considered good!
He took the time to visit "Xu Ji". Fortunately, Xu An did not die in the catastrophe in Chang'an City, only a few shops were damaged.
It is worth mentioning that Xu An flexibly used what Lin Yan left behind to develop the original small handicraft shop into one of the few large workshops in Chang'an City. Today, Xu An is no longer as timid as before, but more... He is now the sole proprietor!
The two of them had a conversation, and time flew by without much regret.
The next day, Lin Yan went to see Tang Emperor Li Junlin and briefly explained his plans to go to the Buddhist Kingdom in the Northern Desert. After all, he could not leave without saying goodbye.
However, Lin Yan did not mention the Momen's plan. After all, it was a secret. Emperor Tang was not a member of the Momen. Although he intended to rehabilitate the Momen, it was still for profit after all. He would know after the matter was completed.
Although Lin Yan was made a marquis, his title as a marquis was only a virtual title and had no real power. On the other hand, Emperor Tang did not forcefully interfere with his power, which can be regarded as a relatively easy-to-understand relationship for both parties.
Otherwise, if Lin Yan is really allowed to become an official of the Tang Dynasty and obey the Tang Emperor's orders, he will definitely go crazy!
With Lin Yan's current strength and reputation, Emperor Tang could not suppress him. The two parties were actually a cooperative relationship with a community of interests.
This trip to the Buddhist Kingdom in the Northern Desert, according to Mo Sect, is to rescue Mo Xu who was forcibly converted into an Arhat by the Buddhist Sect, so he will inevitably face the masters of the Buddhist Sect face to face, and there will be many dangers.
Lin Yan didn't want to take Ming Ya and others with him, but the little girl was very stubborn and had to bear the burden with Lin Yan.
So in the final result, the original team remained unchanged. In addition to Lin Yan and Ming Ya, there were also Miao Miaomiao, Chen Monk and Guo Toad.
Of course, the temporary addition of a person is the secret hall master Hua Gu. She has excellent disguise skills and intelligence gathering abilities, which is helpful for Lin Yan and others to sneak into the Northern Desert Buddhist Kingdom.
The group left in a low-key manner and did not let too many people know their destination. This was also to ensure safety.
The Tang Kingdom was still very far away from the Buddhist Kingdom in the Northern Desert. The scene when Lin Yan and others went to the Buddhist Kingdom seemed like yesterday, but now it has been many years. Fortunately, he still remembered the road and would not lose his way.
Traveling long distances is boring, but fortunately Lin Yan is not alone, and before leaving, Emperor Tang sent some rare horses, which greatly increased the speed of everyone's travels.
However, even the best horses can only reach the speed of traveling thousands of miles per day on the plains. Once they enter the northern desert, they may have difficulty moving.
So when they arrived at the border, Lin Yan and the others concealed their identities and found a caravan to accompany them, which could save them a lot of trouble.
Although there are occasional frictions between the borders of various countries, this does not affect mutual trade, and the border area between the Eastern Tang Dynasty and the Northern Desert is relatively stable. If it were the Nanman side, it would really be like hanging your head on your belt and risking your life!
There are more than 40 people in the caravan. In addition to the shopkeeper and clerk, they are also the bodyguards who escort the goods.
Under normal circumstances, caravans traveling far away will hire some powerful and reputable bodyguards to protect them. This is very necessary!
Take the Northern Desert as an example. Although the Buddha Sect would not look down upon them and rob them, there are sand bandits in the Northern Desert!
Because they are in an inaccessible place like the desert, the bandits will be more ferocious and bloodthirsty than ordinary green forest bandits. If they don't get it right, they will lose both their lives and property, and they will be buried in the vast desert.
Therefore, the bodyguard needs to be strong enough, otherwise it will be difficult to protect the goods, and even more difficult to save the lives of everyone in the caravan.
Moreover, the reputation of the bodyguard is also extremely important. After all, treasures are attractive to people. In the desert, as long as the profit is sufficient, the bodyguard who was originally responsible for guarding may turn into a murderous robber in an instant.
This caravan is transporting a batch of porcelain. The porcelain of the Eastern Tang Dynasty is famous in the Yuan Dynasty. Some dignitaries in the Buddhist Kingdom of the Northern Desert love these. The caravan can also exchange for some rare gems from the Northern Desert and transport them back to the Eastern Tang Dynasty. Once you come back, you can make a lot of money.
The shopkeeper is an old man who is over fifty years old, but Xu has traveled with the caravan all year round, so he does not look old at all. He walks as fast as flying and is in very good physical condition.
But the strange thing is that there is a five or six-year-old little boy beside him. He is so handsome and cute!
Lin Yan was a little confused: "The caravan has traveled a long distance, why are you bringing a child? Are you planning to endure hardships and start from a baby?"
In addition to the old shopkeeper, there was a dark-skinned man next to the child. His entire face was covered in a large robe. His specific face could not be seen clearly. He was taciturn and seemed to be the child's personal guard.
The escort's head guard is nicknamed "Dulong" because he has only one eye. It is said that he joined the army in his early years and was shot in the eye by a stray arrow, so he was called "One-eyed Dragon".
However, he felt that this title was unpleasant, so he called himself "Dulong", thinking that this could highlight his powerful ability as a lone ranger. Over time, others started calling him that!
After making a name for himself in the world, Dulong felt it was time to settle down, so he changed his career to become an escort.
With his strength, the journey would be a bit difficult at most, but even if he encountered bandits, it wouldn't be too dangerous.
Dulong walked up to Lin Yan, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Where are you going, little brother?"
Lin Yan said: "Go to the Buddhist capital to visit an elder from the sect."
Dulong was shocked when he heard this. Those who could live in the Buddhist capital were not ordinary people. At this moment, he was even more cautious about the identity of the young man in front of him!
After a pause, he lightly bumped Lin Yan with his elbow and whispered: "Little brother, are these girls your wives?"
Lin Yan and his party were obviously headed by him, followed by Ming Ya, Hua Gu and Miao Miaomiao, while Monk Chen and Guo Toad were regarded as his bodyguards.
Among the three women, except for Miao Miaomiao, who is still young, the other two women have extremely outstanding figures and temperaments. Even though Lin Yan had asked them to put on veils and bamboo hats before leaving, and wrap themselves up tightly, they still attracted the attention of many men in the caravan.
At the same time, they were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. It seemed that having one of these women was already a great blessing, but this boy actually brought three of them at once, and he was so arrogant. It was really annoying!
Although they were dissatisfied, they had been away from home all year round and had good eyesight. They could naturally sense that Lin Yan had a good status, so they did not go up to stir up trouble.
Lin Yan smiled, but didn't explain much. We just meet by chance and go on a journey together, so there is no need to be too sincere.
Dulong smiled and said: "My little brother is so lucky! Unlike my brother, I have not yet started a family at such an old age. If one day I throw away my little life without leaving a son and a half daughter, I will be sorry to my ancestors." ah!"
"To tell you the truth, brother, I have also saved some money over the years. After this trip, I will go back to marry a wife and live a down-to-earth life! I have had enough of this life of licking blood from the edge of a knife! "
Although Dulong looks fierce, he is somewhat familiar with him, and it is actually pleasant to get along with him.
Lin Yan said: "Brother Dulong, do you know who the child next to the old shopkeeper is?"
Dulong said: "I heard that he is the grandson of the old shopkeeper, but I don't know the details!"
Then he added: "Oh, even my brother can't stand this stupid place, let alone such an older child. If you have experience, it's too early!"
"I can't figure it out. Maybe I'm visiting relatives or something? I don't know anything about my employer's family, so I won't ask. Just do your job well!"
Lin Yan nodded, but couldn't help but think in a wicked way: "There are many monks in the Northern Desert. Could it be that one of the unscrupulous descendants in the family became a monk, leaving orphans and widows, and now they are looking for relatives?"
But these are all insignificant details. As long as the journey goes smoothly and no mistakes are made, it will be fine.
The identity of Lin Yan and others is sensitive. Although the Buddha Sect will not pay special attention to him, it would be bad to make a big fuss!
Everyone was walking forward. Although the desert scenery was unchanging along the way, it would be boring to see too much, but as long as nothing unexpected happened, it would be a great blessing!
However, things in the world are unpredictable, so we are afraid of what will happen! Just when the caravan reached a sand dune, a group of big men with knives suddenly sprang out from both sides. They looked fierce and looked like they were not good people!
Bandits!
This thought couldn't help but arise in everyone's mind. The bodyguards clenched their weapons and stared at the sudden appearance of the bandits with vigilant eyes.
The other party rushed out with a roar, and there were fifty or sixty people. Although there are more than forty people in the caravan, most of them have little combat effectiveness, and the bodyguards only have a dozen people.
Comparing the two, we can see the disadvantage of the caravan. If a conflict breaks out, not many people in the caravan will survive.
However, under normal circumstances, the sand bandits will not kill them all. After all, there is little point in fighting the caravan. Their purpose is to rob gold and silver treasures. As long as there is a caravan, they will have a steady stream of "tributes."
The old shopkeeper winked at the guy next to him, who hurriedly walked out of the team and said loudly: "I don't know which hero is in front of you. We are just a passing caravan. Please forgive me for disturbing the hero. Please forgive me for these small gifts." Have some tea, all good men!”
The boy was holding a bag of money in both hands, which he had obviously prepared in advance to guard against these bandits. If you meet someone who is easy to talk to, it will be over like this. After all, both parties are happy to get benefits without using swords!
The bandits separated, and then one person walked out, holding a large ring-headed knife. A scar spread across his face like a horned dragon, almost covering the entire face, splitting it into two parts. It looked extremely terrifying!
He raised his chin, and then a bandit came out, quickly took the money from the waiter's hand, and then respectfully presented it to Scarface's hand.
Scarface weighed the money bag, curled his lips, and said disdainfully: "Just such a small amount of money? Are you sending a beggar away! Ah!"
Upon seeing this, the old shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Hero, the young man and his team are selling goods. Now that the goods have not been sold, we really don't have much money."
"Otherwise, I'll show my respect to you when I return home. I hope I can show my respect to you this time!"
Scarface ignored the old shopkeeper's begging and said with a cold face, "Old guy, do you think I'm stupid? Are you coming back? I let you go, will you come back?"
"Stop talking nonsense, take out all the valuable things quickly, don't force me to do it!"
The old shopkeeper kept bowing his hands and said: "Hero, there are only some porcelain in this car, which is of little use to you, so please show your respect!"
The value of porcelain is reflected in the eyes of those who appreciate it. It can only be exchanged for enough money from dignitaries. But for bandits, this kind of thing is difficult to carry and difficult to sell. It is indeed of little use and is rather useless!
Scarface sneered: "Porcelain? Just in time, keep all the goods!"
The old shopkeeper looked horrified and begged: "Hero, you can't do this! You can't do it!"
If this batch of porcelain is robbed, then not only will their trip be in vain, but they will also have to pay a lot of money, and they will definitely face punishment when they return.
What's more important is that the sand bandits are fierce. They don't believe that these bandits will let them go after stealing the goods.
Seeing this, Monk Chen beside Lin Yan could no longer hold it in any longer and cursed in a low voice: "It's just a group of bandits and robbers. What kind of heroes are they? Let me go up and pick him with one shot!"
Guo Toad seemed calmer, held him down and said, "Don't worry, let's listen to what the young master has to say first."
Lin Yan said: "Let's wait and see!" Then he sent a message to everyone: "If there is a fight later, be careful to control it!"
The strength of their group is not low. If they attack with all their strength, they will definitely cause a sensation!
In addition, Lin Yan felt that this caravan gave him a vague sense of violation. It was unclear but real. If these bandits could find out something, he wouldn't mind.
Listening to the old shopkeeper's plea, Scarface looked very irritated and said angrily: "It's so noisy! Brothers, kill all the men, keep the little ladies, take them back and have fun together!"
The surrounding bandits burst into laughter upon hearing this, and their unscrupulous eyes scanned the bodies of Mingya and the girls, extremely aggressive!
"kill!"
Scarface shouted, and the surrounding bandits rushed down quickly, like locusts crossing the border, trying to eat up everyone in the caravan.
Dulong, the escort leader, had a solemn expression on his face. The opponent's combat power was several times that of his own, and he was also fierce and bloodthirsty. This trip was probably going to be a disaster!
But since he has become a bodyguard, he will encounter robbers on the road. Naturally, he cannot be frightened by these bandits. Dulong roared and said: "Brothers, protect the caravan and kill these bandits." Raised by dogs!"
Upon being shouted out by the boss, the rest of the bodyguards cheered up, with blood in their eyes, and rushed forward with weapons in hand.
Dulong walked to Lin Yan, glanced at Ming Ya and the other girls, and whispered: "If you break it, break it off, otherwise, alas..."
He didn't continue, but Lin Yan understood what he meant. If a woman falls into the hands of bandits, her fate will be countless times more terrible than death!
Therefore, in most cases where the bandits are unable to escape, the women traveling with them will commit suicide or be killed immediately by their companions to avoid being humiliated!
It can be seen that Dulong is not optimistic about the outcome of this fight. In his opinion, sooner or later this will turn into a unilateral massacre of the caravan by sand bandits. It is just a matter of how long they can hold on.
In just an instant, the bodyguards and the bandits collided with each other. After a moment of contact, they were forced back. Many of the bodyguards were injured.
They were forced to retreat, and the bandits surrounded them, looking at them like hungry wolves, with a dark green light in their eyes.
The old shopkeeper sighed: "Why bother?"
Scarface sneered and shouted: "Old man, don't say I won't give you a chance. Leave the goods and those little ladies, and you can get out! By the way, keep that brat too!"
He pointed at the child behind the old shopkeeper and said indifferently.
The old shopkeeper's expression changed when he heard this, and he firmly protected the child behind him, saying: "Absolutely impossible!"
Scarface's expression suddenly turned cold when he heard this, and he said solemnly: "Then you all go to die!"
Then he waved his hand and let the bandits attack again, starting a bloody battle with the bodyguards.
From the conversation just now, Lin Yan keenly discovered something strange. The scarred face seemed to be very concerned about the children behind the old shopkeeper.
"It's a little weird!" Lin Yan thought, then turned around and said: "Monk, Toad, you two go up and help me!"
"Okay!" Monk Chen was gearing up. He could no longer suppress the urge to take action.
"Yes, Young Master!" Guo Toad looked calmer, but his eyes also showed his disgust for these bandits.
In an instant, the two figures burst out and charged towards the sand bandit from two sides. Screams rang out one after another, and then the figure of the sand bandit was thrown away.
For a moment, everyone was dumbfounded and didn't understand what was happening. It was fine just now, but the bandits thought that they had the upper hand, so they could kill a lot, and then kidnap the young lady back. The boss would eat meat, and they could get some soup anyway. A beautiful life was coming to them. I’m waving my hand!
But just a short time later, the situation took a turn for the worse. Two guys jumped out of nowhere and knocked down dozens of brothers. Are you sure this isn't an illusion?
The bandits were wailing on the ground, and then everyone looked at the two people standing in the field with shocked eyes. Not to mention, this look really looked like a peerless master!
Scarface's expression was as gloomy as water, and he said, "Who are you?"
He had received information in advance that there was absolutely no way there were two such masters in this caravan, otherwise he would not have accepted the deal at all.
In this situation, if one person fails, he may end up here!
Monk Chen looked arrogant and said disdainfully: "The name of this hero is something that you, a little bandit, can know. If you don't kneel down and beg for mercy quickly, maybe I can spare your life!"
Scarface is so angry, thinking that although you are powerful, do you really think you can defeat me? If a fight really breaks out, it’s not certain who will win!
Guo Toad on the side reminded: "Monk, this guy has some strength, don't be careless!"
The reason why the two of them were able to bring down a group of sand bandits in a short period of time just now was that, apart from striking violently before everyone could react, the more important reason was that these bandits were too weak and were basically forged. Among the warriors of the physical realm, there are a few masters of the Tongmai realm.
For Chen and Guo, such an opponent does not even have the strength to make them serious. Even if they show some edge, it is enough to deal with them!
"Take this guy down and the matter will be over!" Monk Chen said so, he stepped hard, and his figure flew quickly towards Scarface, with Guo Toad following closely behind him.
Scarface couldn't sit still and wait for death. The sword with its ring head danced up, bursting out with great power, and then slashed towards Chen and Guo.
The three of them started fighting like this, and the majestic energy roared out and enveloped the field, shocking everyone!
"The Hou... Hou Tian Realm!" Dulong swallowed hard and said with a trembling voice.
Before this, he never thought that there would be such a terrifying existence in the team he led!
That is a warrior in the Houtian realm. Except for the top forces, he is worthy of being regarded as a guest of honor in any force!
There are actually two such people in his team. Who would dare to believe it? Moreover, the leader of the sand bandits turned out to be a warrior of the Houtian realm. When did the warriors of the Houtian realm become so worthless!
Thinking of this, he was a little scared. If these two masters hadn't suddenly appeared, he would have faced the bandit leader and then fallen into the miserable situation of being slapped to death by the other party.
Maybe even without Scarface taking action himself, he might not be able to block the attack of the sand bandits before, and he would be drowned in the sea of people and hacked to death with random swords!
I originally thought that my current strength in the late stage of Tongmai Realm could be regarded as a powerful one, but now it seems that I am a bit arrogant. In the eyes of a real strong person, I am still just an ant after all!
The battle in the field did not last long before the winner was decided. Scarface was escorted back by Monk Chen and knelt down in front of Lin Yan.
There is no suspense about this. Chen and Guo teamed up to take down this wild Houtian realm warrior easily. This is because Lin Yan asked to retain his strength, otherwise, one of them could easily suppress Scarface.
The restrained Scarface was still unconvinced. He wanted to resist but was suppressed by Monk Chen, unable to move at all.
"Be honest. Just answer whatever our young master asks you. If you tell any lies, I will chop you into pieces!" Monk Chen threatened fiercely.
Dulong was filled with emotion when he saw this, and then he cupped his hands towards Lin Yan and said: "Brother...oh no, Mr. Lin, these two seniors around you are really amazing! If we can survive this time, we have to thank Mr. Lin." !”
He originally wanted to call Chen and Guo his guards, but then he felt that it was inappropriate. Even if they were really the guards of the young master in front of him, they were still big shots that he could not match, so he couldn't be too presumptuous!
Moreover, it can also be seen from here that Lin Yan's identity must be extraordinary, even extremely terrifying. After all, not everyone can have two masters of the acquired realm as guards!
In this way, it would be difficult for me, a bratty escort leader, to call others brothers anymore. It was not known before, but now if it is done knowingly, it seems a little ignorant!
The old shopkeeper also took the child and a group of servants and saluted Lin Yan deeply to thank him for saving his life.
Only the guard next to the child, who was wrapped in a robe, just nodded slightly. Due to the barrier of the robe, this action was almost concealed.
Monk Chen, who witnessed this scene, felt a little unhappy and said to himself: "We saved you, why are you still acting like this?" He felt that this guard was a little too arrogant!
However, seeing that Lin Yan didn't care much, he didn't worry too much and turned his attention to Scarface.
Lin Yan looked at Scarface and asked, "Who sent you here?"
Scarface's expression froze, then returned to normal, and said: "What are you talking about? Robbery by sand bandits is something that should be done. I only regret that I can't fight with four hands with two fists, and the boat capsized in the gutter, which is why I ended up like this!" "
"Since I have fallen into your hands, I will kill or behead you as you please. Why are you talking so much about useless things?"
Lin Yan frowned slightly. For this kind of "hob meat", it was difficult to find any good way to pry his mouth open.
At this moment, a seductive voice came from behind: "Leave this matter to my sister!"
Lin Yan turned around and saw the Painted Bone Lotus walking up gently. An imperceptible pink light flashed across her seductive eyes. The scarred face that faced her instantly became confused and confused. Become sluggish.
Seeing this, Lin Yan asked: "Sister Hua, is she still so capable?"
Hearing this, Hua Gu let out a chuckle, glanced at Lin Yan with her charming eyes, and said with a sweet smile: "Sister, I still have a lot of abilities! I'll tell you slowly later!"
Lin Yan coughed twice and observed Mingya's reaction without any trace. Seeing that there was nothing unusual about the latter, he said: "Let's get down to business first!"
"Okay~"
There was an unspeakable charm in Hua Gu's voice. She looked at Scar's face and asked slowly: "Who are you? Who appointed you?"
The scarred face's eyes were filled with obsession. He looked straight at the painted bones and said, "My name is Wu Shuangfeng. I am from Qingzhou. I was wanted by the court for committing a serious crime. I came to this northern desert to become a bandit." ."
"I came to rob this time because I received instructions from a man in black robes in advance. For this purpose, he gave me a Xuan-level weapon as a reward."
Guo Toad handed over the ring-headed sword. Although it was only a low-grade item in the Xuan level, it was still very attractive to ordinary martial artists. After all, not everyone has a strong family background!
And to be able to casually use Xuan-level weapons as reward, the identity of the person behind it must be extraordinary!
Hua Gu continued to ask: "What is your real purpose?"
Since the people behind the scenes have paid for Xuan-level weapons, it is impossible for Scarface to simply rob them. How much money can these porcelains cost?
Scarface said: "Look for the soul boy and bring him back!"
"Spiritual boy?" Everyone was stunned when they heard this, not knowing what it meant. Only the face of the old shopkeeper in the distance froze, and then he slowly backed away.
Hua Gu asked: "Where is the soul boy?"
The scarred face slowly turned his head and looked directly at the old shopkeeper, or to be precise, the child behind him.
The old shopkeeper's steps back paused, and the two sides looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the venue suddenly became tense...
