Outside Luling City, a large group of refugees finally reached the outskirts of Luling City after a long journey.
At this time they could already see the brand new city walls of Luling City.
When they arrived in this strange place, they didn't know what they would face next, so they had to save their energy as much as possible.
Therefore, among the refugees, even when they arrived at their destination, no one cheered or shouted.
"Sister, we have arrived at Luling."
In the crowd, a young man paused for a while holding a straight "walking stick". He was holding a little girl who was too thin to be human-shaped.
The latter was carrying an earthen jar with a chipped mouth in his hand. He was swaying as he walked, and his face was already swollen.
The girl tried her best to show a smile and said, "Really? That's great. Do we have a way to survive now?"
"If you keep persisting, you will definitely succeed." The young man cheered.
"Um."
It was only a hundred miles, and they walked for two days.
On the road, many people fell one after another.
But the brother and sister persevered all the way.
"let's go!"
The boy took the little girl's hand again, and suddenly a lot of strength seemed to surge out of the girl's body, and she walked forward with her heavy legs.
Not far from Luling, there were some Taoist priests wearing Taoist robes standing guard at several places, with large pots in front of them.
The firewood is burning, and porridge is cooking inside.
Although there was only white porridge water, it undoubtedly gave these people hope of survival.
Countless people rushed towards the porridge shed.
"Don't be in a hurry, line up, and everyone will have a share."
In front of these Taoist priests, there were burly warriors who controlled the order of the scene and tried to keep the refugees in a line as much as possible.
"Sister, let's go have a bowl of porridge and soup first." The young man thought of something again. He looked around and saw that they were not far away from the Taoist priests, so he said, "Just sit here and don't move. I'll queue up. Wait for me."
The little girl sat on the ground obediently and nodded gently: "Yes."
The young man walked over quickly with his sword in his hand and lined up honestly behind everyone.
Someone got a bowl of porridge and queued up again. The guards saw through this and threw him out like a chicken.
They traveled all the way through mountains and rivers, and their physical strength was limited.
After seeing this scene, no one dared to cause trouble.
Soon, the boy took out an earthen jar with a chipped mouth.
The Taoist priest who was serving porridge smiled and poured some porridge and soup out of a bamboo tube and poured it into his earthen pot.
The young man saw that there was only so much, and begged: "Master Taoist, can you give us a little more, brother and sister..."
The Taoist priest waved his hand and said: "You ask for more, he asks for more, and there are no more people behind. If you still want to drink porridge, wait until we finish giving porridge and go back to the door with us. Our The master of the sect is compassionate, and if you go there, you can get a bite."
The young man lowered his head and looked at the earthen pot in his hand without making any sound.
But some refugees behind them shouted: "Can I go? Can I go?"
"Of course you can. At least anyone who is willing to go can go. If you are not unwilling to go, you can stay here. We will also give porridge here later."
"Great, great. We have a way to survive."
After hearing the Taoist priest's reply, some even cried with joy, knowing that this was the way to survive they were looking for.
The young man didn't say much, and returned to the little girl's side with a pot of soup in his hands.
"Sister, come and drink porridge."
The boy put the earthen jar to the little girl's mouth, and the little girl took a big sip without any hesitation.
This so-called porridge only has white porridge water and not a single grain of porridge rice.
However, the little girl, who had not eaten much for several days, felt that the porridge was extremely sweet.
The young man on the side couldn't help but swallowed his saliva.
The little girl seemed to remember something and kept the last sip without drinking.
"Brother, I'm full."
The young man did not shirk, and drank the last mouthful of porridge and soup in one gulp.
He was still reluctant to give up, so he buried his head in the chipped earthen pot, stretched out his tongue and licked the inside before giving up.
"Brother, many people around me are saying that they are going to the Immortal Sect. I heard that there will be food if they go there. When should we go?" the little girl asked.
The young man was silent for a while and said: "We are entering the city, not going to the Immortal Gate."
"Ah, why?"
"Don't ask so many questions. I believe it's your brother."
"oh."
The little girl was silent and didn't speak any more.
The young man looked back at the Taoist priests behind him and felt that they were too good.
The old Taoist priest was so kind and harmonious last time and took dozens of people away, but in the end no one came back.
Many people say that these people are lucky and have followed the old Taoist priests to enjoy their blessings.
But he didn't think so.
Now they are like locusts, disgusting to humans and worthless.
Even if there is a pie in the sky, it will not fall on their heads.
There must be someone inside who wants to have some idea on them.
If the brothers and sisters had gone, they would have fallen into a trap themselves.
The young man turned around and asked, "Sister, do you have any strength?"
"A little bit."
The young man said: "Then let's go into the city."
"Now that we are like this, will the guards at the city gate let us in?"
"Don't worry about this, I have my own way."
After a while, the brother and sister walked step by step to the gate of Luling City.
The young man instructed: "After a while, when you enter the city gate, keep your back as straight as possible. If you don't want this earthen pot anymore, throw it away."
The little girl was a little reluctant to give up, but under her brother's stern gaze, she still threw the chipped earthen jar at her feet.
The young man on the side remained silent and took out the rag wrapped in the cane in his hand, revealing the new and exquisite scabbard inside.
Then he hung the sword on his waist and walked towards the city.
When they reached the city gate, the two guards guarding the city gate stopped them and shouted: "Beggars are not allowed to enter the city."
When she heard someone shouting angrily, the little girl became a little panicked and timid, and silently hid behind the boy.
The young man was unmoved, and said calmly and without fear: "Can you see the beggars with the gentleman's sword on their waist? I am a gentleman. I have heard of the prestige of the county governor, and I have traveled all the way here, so I came here to seek refuge. Are you going to kill the county governor? Are the retainers stopping you outside the city?"
He clasped his fists in the sky and continued: "The sage has a saying, a lost horse will become thin, and a lost fortune teller will become poor. If the county governor loses a left arm, do you think you can shoulder the responsibility?"
The two guards looked at each other and felt that this young man's conversation was extraordinary and not an ordinary person, so they simply said no more and allowed them to enter the city.
The young man held the sword in his hand and walked into the city with his head held high.
When he saw that the guards behind him were not chasing him, he put the sword on his waist into a worn cloth bag again.
"Brother, we have entered the city, what are we going to do now?"
"Go to the noble man." The young man said without raising his head.
After saying that, the boy took the little girl and walked into the city.
The city was bustling with excitement, and people were crowded in the streets.
All kinds of cries, cheers, and the sounds of some children playing can be heard all the time.
The boy's nostrils flapped, greedily sniffing the aroma of food wafting in the air.
There are flavors of meatloaf, fried cakes, and even some subtle aroma of wine.
"Selling candy, selling candy."
The brother and sister heard the sound and looked over, and saw a vendor carrying a load of sugar, ringing an iron bell in his hand, and selling.
"It's caramel."
When the little girl saw this scene, she couldn't walk at all and stared at the vendor.
Not only the little girl, but also the boy. He thought for a while and walked over, intending to try to persuade this vendor.
But he didn't expect that as soon as he approached, the vendor would glare at him angrily and even take out a dog-beating stick.
"Where did you come from, beggar? Go away and don't delay my business."
The young man was hungry and unable to exert any energy, so he could only stare and watch all this.
The other side of the street.
Gao Yanshi, who came out of Prince Wu's residence just now, had a sad expression on his face.
He had sworn to His Highness yesterday, but after he actually walked out of the palace, he found that his eyes were completely dark. It would be difficult to find out all the big and small forces in Luling.
Firstly, he had no eagle or dog in the city and no one could use him; secondly, he had no clue about what was going on in the city and didn't know how to start.
The trouble was, he discovered that after he left the palace, someone seemed to be following him, keeping an eye on his whereabouts.
Four days have passed since the one-month period promised to His Highness. Under the influence of the above factors, Gao Yanshi still knows nothing and can't help but feel a little anxious.
The young man who had just been driven away by the vendor was a little angry.
But now he only drank a bowl of rice soup. He had neither money nor strength. Faced with the bullying from the vendors, he had no choice but to give up.
At this time, he looked up and saw the tall Gao Yanshi not far away.
When the young man saw Gao Yanshi wearing brocade clothes and having a dignified appearance among the common people, he thought about it for a moment and walked over with his sister.
"Brother, what are we doing here?"
"The noble man is here."
The young man walked over and observed for a while. When he saw Gao Yanshi's brows furrowed and relaxed, he knew there might be a chance.
So he walked directly, held the long sword in front of him, and said with both hands: "Caomin Zhangyi, I am willing to offer my sword to share your worries for you."
Gao Yanshi felt a little strange when he saw a young man suddenly barging in.
He looked at the young man in front of him and saw that his clothes were ragged and he smelled rancid.
This look was familiar to him.
He is a refugee.
And he is still a refugee who has been away for a long time.
Seeing that this young man was not very old, he looked like he was only in his teens, but his calm and composed appearance really surprised him.
"Why do you want to share my worries?"
Gao Yanshi was wary of the young man who suddenly broke into his sight.
Zhang Yi said: "The common people just observed you, sir. You look very worried. You must have encountered something troublesome. The common people think that they have some abilities. As long as you can give us some money to feed our two brothers and sisters, I am willing to follow your example. It’s hard work.”
Gao Yanshi weighed it in his mind, and he was a little worried whether this young man was some kind of trap set by the martial arts forces.
However, now his accent sounds a bit like a southerner from Wei State.
And he looked dusty and downcast.
He made some estimates and found that it would take at least three or four months to make it look like this.
If it was really a trap deliberately set by those county lieutenants and those martial arts forces, it would have taken too much effort.
Fortunately, the matter entrusted to him by His Highness King Wu has not yet been settled. It is better to treat the dead horse as a living horse doctor, and maybe he can gain something.
Gao Yanshi was born tall and tall. He was not much older than the boy, but he was a head taller than him.
He took the sword handed over by the young man, opened a corner, and pulled out part of it.
It's a good sword.
Gao Yanshi raised his eyelids and said, "How much do you want?"
When Zhang Yi heard that Gao Yanshi did not refuse, his face showed joy. He was shocked and said: "I want ten taels of silver."
"Twelve?!"
Gao Yanshi was slightly surprised. According to the current purchasing power of Wei State, ten taels of silver was enough for a family of four to consume for four months.
The little Zhang Yi in front of him was really a little ambitious when he opened his mouth like this.
But Gao Yanshi also knows that now is not the time to worry about money.
Getting things done without spending money is naturally the best.
But if you don't spend money and things don't get done, in the eyes of His Highness, it's a matter of ability.
At such a critical moment now, he naturally couldn't let his guard down.
The sword in front of him was worth more than ten taels, so he was not at a loss.
After thinking for a while, Gao Yanshi generously took away the sword presented by Zhang Yi.
Then, he took out ten taels of silver from his sleeve and put it in Zhang Yi's hand.
Zhang Yi held the silver in his hand and showed an extremely excited expression.
However, he quickly calmed down, put away the money, clasped his fists and asked, "Sir, please tell me, what do you need the common people to do?"
Gao Yanshi said: "In twenty days, we will find out all the martial arts forces in Ying County."
Hearing this, Zhang Yi suddenly smiled and said confidently: "It won't take twenty days. If you can trust me, I will give you another ten taels of silver. Within five days, I will collect all the information you want." , give it to the adults."
Five days?
Gao Yanshi was shocked by Zhang Yi's words. He felt that the young man named Zhang Yi in front of him did not behave like ordinary people in terms of speech and behavior.
I'm really dozing off, so someone gives me a pillow.
He immediately decided: "Okay! I will give you another ten taels. If you can find out the matter clearly within five days, I can give you another ten taels."
"The common people will definitely live up to their fate." Zhang Yi solemnly agreed with his fists clasped.
He looked around and said: "In five days, your Excellency, you can wait for me at the door of the restaurant here, and my sword will be stored with you. If I can handle the matter, if you are satisfied, I hope to give the common people a chance to redeem the sword."
"Okay, if you do it well, it will be easy to talk about later." Gao Yanshihun said nonchalantly, and took out another ten taels of silver.
Zhang Yi took the money in his hand, clasped his fists and said, "The common people have gone to do some work."
After saying that, Zhang Yi turned around and left with the little girl.
"Brother, Master's sword..."
"It's just a temporary deposit. I will find an opportunity to redeem it later."
While talking, Zhang Yi led the girl back to the candy vendor.
The vendor thought Zhang Yi was coming to beg for food, so he held a stick behind him and threatened to beat him.
Zhang Yi took out ten taels of silver and threw it over, saying coldly: "I want all these candies."
The merchant was stunned for a moment, and the stick in his hand stopped in mid-air.
Thanks to book friends Liu Xingyi, Kun Linyuanshan, Cheng Qcheng, book friends 20180908221625969, and book friends 20220808175409602 for their rewards.
(End of chapter)
