On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Shu Guan went to the station to say goodbye to Rong Miao.
Rong Miao went back to Jingcheng. This was decided years ago. The matter of the inward relocation of the Rong family's industry still required Rong Miao to take charge of the overall situation in Shencheng.
However, this matter will not last long. In about half a year, all the important industries along the coast of the Rong family should be able to move inland.
At that time, it will depend on the war situation between Dahua and the Kingdom of the Rising Sun, whether Rong Miao will return to Shencheng, or whether the Rong family will temporarily move to Jingcheng.
But no matter what the situation is, Shuguan and Rongmiao should not see each other often anymore.
Originally, Rong Miao was planning to leave after the Lantern Festival, but Rong Duanfu asked her to stay for two more days to spend more time with Shu Guan, and did not set off until the eighteenth day.
Also setting off with him was his fourth uncle Rong Duanming, who was also going back to Chongqing. As for the batch of arms he had bought for a certain warlord in Shuzhou, they had been successfully transported to Shencheng City under the instruction of Wu Xicheng. Shuzhou.
On the morning of this day, Shu Guan, Rong Duanfu, Zhang Ruolan and his wife, as well as the brothers Glory and Rongwei, came to the station together and put Rong Duanming and Rong Miao on the westward train.
Before Rong Miao got into the car, Shu Guan hugged her and said with a smile:
"Next time we meet, let's get married!"
He didn't deliberately lower his voice when he said this, so everyone heard it.
Rong Miao burst into tears instantly and nodded vigorously.
Zhang Ruolan also started crying, pinching her husband's arm hard while crying. She has been blaming Rong Duanfu these days for why she should put these family responsibilities on her daughter's shoulders.
Rongwei, who had been holding his brother's glory, suddenly felt ashamed, and then his eyes turned red.
Why does the family place such a heavy responsibility on my sister?
It’s because his son is unsatisfied!
"Dad, I won't play anymore."
Then Rongwei said softly.
Rong Duanfu stared at him and said in a deep voice:
"I will start working in the company with me tomorrow."
"Then who should I play with?"
Glory was still a little confused. He put his arms around his brother's neck and asked disappointedly.
"You play with me."
Shuguan smiled and touched his head.
Glory is also about to start practicing.
…
After delivering Rong Miao, Shu Guan first went back to the Horse Racing House.
Except for a trip back on the eve of New Year's Eve, he has been living in Rong's Manor during this period. It is already the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, and the horse racing venue is about to open.
When Shu Guan just walked into Duolun Alley, an old man walked towards him in the alley.
The old man was in his seventies, with silver hair and a very slender appearance. He was wearing a long gown, dragging a rattan box with one hand and holding a black cane with the other.
Shu glanced at the old man and realized that this old man was obviously not a resident of Duolun Lane, but he looked familiar. After seeing him, the old man said happily:
"Mr. Shu, you are finally back. I have come to see you several times in the past two days, but you are never here."
Shu Guan said "Ah" and immediately remembered who this old man was.
The old man I met on train 192938.
The old man seemed to have something to ask me for help, so he left him the address of a horse racing studio. Unexpectedly, he actually came to his door.
"Old sir, let's go back to the library and talk."
Shu Guan said with a smile and led the old man back to the horse racing hall.
The door of the Zouma Pavilion is open. After all, in addition to Han Biao, the Wang family and his daughter also live here. However, they should only regard the old man as an ordinary guest who comes to ask for divination. Even if the old man comes several times, Nor would he go to the Rong Manor to inform him.
When he first walked into the entrance of the horse racing hall, Shu Guan almost couldn't recognize that it was his own horse racing hall.
Because the hall on the first floor was filled with all kinds of gifts, he had to squeeze in sideways when he walked in.
Shu Guan knew where these gifts came from. They were all sent by dignitaries who came to him to have their fortunes told and their fortunes read.
For example, Du Wenqiang came here on the second day of the Lunar New Year to wish him a happy New Year, but Shu Guan lived in the Rong family manor. Then Han Biao helped Du Wenqiang call the Rong family. At that time, Shu Guan said he understood and there was no need to bother anymore. After running away, Du Wenqiang could only say regretfully on the phone that he left some gifts and went back.
It's just that Shu Guan didn't expect that the "little" gift Du Wenqiang said would almost fill the entire room.
After finally squeezing in and sitting down at the long table, Shu Guan smiled and asked the old man to sit down as well.
The old man sat across from him and put aside the ancient trunk and crutches.
Shu Guan couldn't help but glance at the box curiously.
The last time I saw this old man at the train station, he was also carrying such a rattan box. However, at that time, the old man had just got off the train, so it was normal to carry luggage. But now when he was going out to do errands, why would he carry such a box? .
You must know that this rattan box is not small. Let alone what is contained in it, it is very troublesome just to carry it.
Could it be that there is something very important inside, so important that the old man needs to stay close at hand?
Such an idea flashed through Shuguan's mind casually. At the same time, while boiling water to make tea, he asked the old man with a smile:
"Old sir, what do you call me?"
"I, Ji Quanshun, come from Chang County, Shuzhou."
"Old sir, is there anything I can do for you?"
Then Shu Guan asked again.
The old man looked at him, hesitated, and asked cautiously:
"Mr. Shu, are you really a practitioner?"
The old man had already asked Shu Guan this question when he was at the train station last time.
Shu Guan did not answer directly at that time, but his attitude towards the old man was regarded as acquiescence.
But at this time, the old man asked again. It seemed that whether Shu Guan was a practitioner or not was really important to him.
Shu Guan still didn't answer directly. He just stretched out a hand and pressed it on the teapot beside the table.
The teapot has just been put on the stove, and it will take at least five or six minutes for the water to boil.
But when Shu Guan pressed the teapot with his palm, wisps of steam immediately emerged from the spout of the teapot, and at the same time, the sound of boiling water could be heard from the teapot.
Shu Guan picked up the teapot, brewed a cup of tea, placed it in front of the old man, smiled and said:
"Old sir, let's have a cup of tea to warm up first!"
Shu Guan still did not admit that he was a practitioner, but what he just did was more convincing than any words.
When the old man saw that magical scene just now, his eyes first shone with incredible light, and then his expression turned into one of ecstasy.
The next moment, he picked up the old rattan box that looked very dated and put it on the long table, and then opened it eagerly.
The moment the rattan box was opened, Shuguan was suddenly startled.
He had already thought that the rattan box contained something very important to the old man. Shu Guan even thought about whether the rattan box contained a box full of gold, which was why the old man carried it so closely. .
Although such a box of gold would be very heavy, the old man himself is a martial arts master, and he once reached the peak of mortal physical fitness. Although he is old now and his energy and blood have weakened, a box of gold still does not weigh much. questionable.
But Shu Guan never expected that the rattan box contained such a thing.
What was inside the rattan box was surprisingly a piece of charcoal.
It was a square piece of charcoal with a very regular shape. The length, width and height of the charcoal were about one meter, filling the entire rattan box.
This is a very huge piece of charcoal, at least for something like charcoal, the word "huge" can be used to describe it.
Rarely does charcoal burn into such a large and square shape. It is difficult to imagine how to use this piece of charcoal unless it is broken into pieces.
But apart from its huge size, there was nothing special about this piece of charcoal. It was just an ordinary large piece of charcoal. Shu glanced at the charcoal fire in the stove next to him and found no difference.
But the old man seemed to attach great importance to this piece of charcoal, because the rattan box was covered with thick purple brocade, as if he was careful not to accidentally hit this piece of charcoal on the road.
The problem is that the piece of brocade covered inside is probably worth enough to buy a large cart of charcoal.
"Mr. Shu, could you please inject a little of the... spiritual power of your practitioners into this piece of charcoal?"
Then, Shu Guan heard the old man named Ji Quanshun say this.
Shu Guan was startled again, not only because the old man said the word "spiritual power", but also because of the old man's extremely strange request.
Do you want to inject spiritual power into that piece of charcoal yourself?
What a puzzling request.
"Mr. Ji, can you tell me the reason first?"
Then Shu Guan asked this question.
A strange look appeared on Ji Quanshun's face, as if there was something unspeakable. He shook his head and said:
"Mr. Shu, can you not ask me why..."
He took out a banknote and placed it in front of Shu Guan.
"As long as Mr. Shu can do this for me, this banknote is my reward for Mr. Shu."
Shu glanced at the denomination of the bank note.
Ten thousand.
This Ji Quanshun is a generous person. Yehe himself originally observed that this old man is definitely not an ordinary person, otherwise how could he easily take out such a huge sum of money.
It's just that these ten thousand silver dollars are really nothing in the eyes of Shu Guan now, and even if Ji Quanshun gave him a lot of money, Shu Guan wouldn't be able to inject his spiritual power into this piece of money so casually before he knew the reason. In seemingly ordinary charcoal.
"Mr. Shu, can you please not ask me the reason?"
Ji Quanshun said pleadingly. He took out another banknote and placed it in front of Shu Guan.
The same denomination is 10,000.
"...No matter how much compensation Mr. Shu wants, I am willing to pay it. I only ask Mr. Shu to help me with this!"
"Mr. Ji, I'm sorry, this is not about money..."
Shu Guan sighed and was about to explain to him that without knowing the truth, a practitioner would randomly inject his spiritual power into an item. If there was anything abnormal about the item, it would probably have a backlash on the practitioner.
At this moment, a burst of hearty laughter sounded outside the door.
"Mr. Shu, you are finally back. Du is here to wish Mr. Shu a happy old age!"
Then Du Wenqiang also squeezed in through the pile of gifts that almost blocked the door, followed by Xiaojian.
"Master Du, happy New Year."
Shu Guan raised his head and smiled at Du Wenqiang, then glanced at Xiaojian again.
Hmm... He has succeeded in entraining Qi, so Xiaojian can be considered an official practitioner.
When he and Rong Duanfu reunited at the Guangming Theater, Shu Guan showed some abilities as a practitioner, but at Xiaojian's request, he did not erase Xiaojian's memory.
Because Xiaojian is indeed a person with talent for cultivation.
Later, Shu Guan asked Xiao Jian to practice with Han Biao. Now more than four months have passed, and Xiao Jian has succeeded in attracting Qi.
As for this kind of cultivation talent, it should be considered quite good, roughly the same as ordinary disciples of the Seven Immortals Alliance.
However, Xiaojian will no longer follow Du Wenqiang in the future. A bodyguard for practitioners can easily attract the attention of other practitioners.
At this time, Du Wenqiang also saw guests in Shuguan's horse racing hall. He took a look at the old man sitting opposite Shuguan, and a trace of curiosity flashed in his eyes, and he seemed to see that this old man was somewhat extraordinary.
Then Du Wenqiang stood aside, as if preparing to wait for the old man to leave before talking to Shu Guan.
At this time, Na Ji Quan obeyed the chair and stood up, cupped his hands towards Shu Guan, and said with a sad expression:
"Mr. Shu, I have never asked for help from anyone in my life. I really have no way to ask for anything at this time. I would also like to ask Mr. Shu to lend a helping hand. After I find the dog, I am willing to work as a cow or a horse for Mr. Shu in order to repay my great kindness. "
Shu Guan raised his eyebrows and was about to speak. Unexpectedly, Du Wenqiang beside him trembled slightly first, with a look of surprise on his face. Then he stepped forward and clasped his fists and asked the old man in a deep voice:
"Your Excellency, are you Mr. Ji, the leader of the Shuzhou Tan Gang?"
Ji Quanshun glanced at Du Wenqiang, nodded and said:
"It's me, I don't know who this is..."
Du Wenqiang's expression became more polite upon hearing this, and he cupped his hand again:
"It turns out that Mr. Ji is really Mr. Du Wenqiang of the Qing Gang. Mr. Du has heard about Mr. Ji for a long time, but he didn't expect to see him at Mr. Shu's place today."
"It turns out to be Mr. Du Wenqiang. I have heard Mr. Du's name for a long time. When I came to Shanghai this time, I originally wanted to pay a visit to Mr. Du. However, I have been busy with important matters, but I have never had time to visit him at his house."
Ji Quanshun also seemed surprised to meet Du Wenqiang here.
Then Du Wenqiang quickly introduced the identity of Ji Quanshun to Shu Guan.
This old man, who looked very imposing at first glance, turned out to be a well-known gang figure in the Dahua River and Lake, and was the leader of the Shuzhou Tan Gang.
As for what the Tan Gang is, Du Wenqiang also explained it to Shu Guan.
Gangs in Dahua are generally an organization composed of people with the same profession. For example, the Qinggang. The initial members were basically coolies on the dock. Of course, the current Qinggang consists of members from three religions and nine streams, but Basically, most gangs will not transform as much as the Qinggang.
The land of Shuzhou is mountainous and densely wooded, so there are many people engaged in the charcoal-making industry, especially in the Changxian area. A kind of hempwood that grows in the mountain forests has dense and strong wood, and the trunk is not too thick and cannot be burned. As wood, it is a good material for making charcoal. The charcoal made from hemp chestnut wood is light and flame-resistant. It is the best quality charcoal. The charcoal produced here can be said to be marketed throughout Dahua.
The Tan Gang is a gang organized by these charcoal-burning people. They have a large number of gangs and are the second largest gang in Shuzhou after Pao Ge Guild.
The current leader of the Tan Gang, Ji Quanshun, the old man in front of them at this time, is a great man with an excellent reputation in the world. He is a righteous person and takes great care of his subordinates. Who among the gang members When encountering difficulties, he always tries his best to help.
Chopping wood and burning charcoal in the mountains is an extremely dangerous job, and accidents may happen from time to time. If a member of the gang is seriously injured, disabled, or even dies, Ji Quanshun also stipulates that the gang member must take care of the member and their families for life.
This is something few gangs are willing to do.
Therefore, Ji Quanshun's status and reputation in the world are extremely high. This can be seen from the polite and respectful look on Du Wenqiang's face when he faced Ji Quanshun.
Du Wenqiang finished the introduction, and then he didn't say anything more, and he didn't ask Shu Guan to help Ji Quanshun.
Du Wenqiang is a person with a very sense of proportion. Whether he wants to help or not is entirely up to Shu Guan. He will never overstep his authority and say a word.
But the way Du Wenqiang looked at Shu Guan, he vaguely wanted Shu Guan to help.
Shu Guan looked at Ji Quanshun calmly and said lightly:
"I need to know why."
If the old man refuses to tell, then he still won't take action. This is a matter of principle, not something that can be done casually to sell off Du Wenqiang's face.
"Mr. Ji, even if you have something to hide, please tell Mr. Shu. Mr. Du dares to use the reputation of the Qinggang to guarantee that as long as you tell him, Mr. Shu will definitely help."
Du Wenqiang quickly advised him from the side.
Ji Quanshun's face showed an unusually hesitant and tangled look. After a long time, he sighed deeply and said in a harsh voice:
"In this piece of charcoal, lives the charcoal god of our charcoal gang, but only the spiritual power of a practitioner can awaken him."
